Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,223 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
Learn more

Matamoros Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Matamoros

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Matamoros actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,223 in Matamoros.

Mexico City $1,608
Matamoros $1,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,913 in Matamoros.

Mexico City $2,549
Matamoros $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,604 in Matamoros.

Mexico City $3,490
Matamoros $2,604

Living in Mexico City is roughly 31% more expensive than in Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Matamoros is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$12.16 MX$228

-12.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$907

$49.10 MX$921

-1.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.21 MX$135

43.55%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.04 MX$57.1

21.38%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$31.25

$1.24 MX$23.30

34.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.73

$0.89 MX$16.77

42.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.26 MX$42.44

41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$4.03 MX$75.6

31.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.34

$1.36 MX$25.59

26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$2.25 MX$42.26

35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.66 MX$31.13

16.87%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.42 MX$45.45

19.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.39 MX$139

48.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$7.01 MX$132

31.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$12.98 MX$243

16.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.34 MX$43.81

30.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.40 MX$26.18

38.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.98

$2.08 MX$38.97

-2.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.40

$1.54 MX$28.96

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.16

$1.98 MX$37.18

3.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.75

$1.69 MX$31.71

6.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.74

$1.42 MX$26.69

4.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.77

$1.20 MX$22.46

5.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.50 MX$84.4

17.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$10.37 MX$194

55.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.19

$1.63 MX$30.53

21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$3.49 MX$65.5

21.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.67 MX$12.52

-53.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$26.10 MX$489

-24.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.45

$2.59 MX$48.64

-28.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.66 MX$31.21

-68.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.3

$10.36 MX$194

-48.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.32

$1.24 MX$23.30

21.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K MX$407.9K

$26.8K MX$502.6K

-18.84%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.0K MX$449.7K

$23.8K MX$446.3K

0.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$63.0 MX$1,181

$60.0 MX$1,124

5.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.39 MX$514

$23.23 MX$436

17.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$669

$25.06 MX$470

42.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$35.46 MX$665

66.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$19.94 MX$374

18.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.54 MX$85.2

40.97%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$432 MX$8,092

$212 MX$3,979

103.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.2K

$4,551 MX$85.3K

150.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,279

$55.0 MX$1,032

23.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$34.19 MX$641

55.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,021

$93.6 MX$1,755

15.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,199

$88.2 MX$1,653

32.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$611 MX$11.5K

82.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$475 MX$8,912

49.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$1,087 MX$20.4K

138.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$818 MX$15.3K

71.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.1K

$2,171 MX$40.7K

67.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,200 MX$22.5K

77.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.31

0.35%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Matamoros

$475 38.9% 33.1% $235

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Matamoros

$250 20.4% 21.7% $69

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Matamoros

$183 15% 7.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Matamoros

$122 10% 21.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Matamoros

$108 8.9% 14.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Matamoros

$45 3.6% 37.9% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Matamoros

$40 3.2% 55.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $611 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $49 in Matamoros. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $250, with Matamoros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

510,739

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Matamoros 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Matamoros

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mexico City vs Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,835 in Matamoros to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $611 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $212 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 24% less than in Matamoros. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Matamoros is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.