Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Matamoros Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Matamoros

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,140 in Matamoros.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $1,867 in Matamoros.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $2,595 in Matamoros.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 41% more expensive than in Matamoros, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 20% above, Matamoros is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$249

$11.26 MX$204

22.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$907

$44.53 MX$805

12.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$201

$8.53 MX$154

30.48%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$73.1

$3.52 MX$63.6

14.77%

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

$1.70 MX$30.80

$1.37 MX$24.73

24.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$17.88

$1.07 MX$19.37

-7.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$43.52

$2.66 MX$48.02

-9.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$81.1

$4.07 MX$73.5

10.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$34.76

$1.60 MX$28.84

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$52.3

$2.59 MX$46.83

11.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.12

$1.76 MX$31.73

10.23%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.19

$2.55 MX$46.11

-1.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$222

$8.43 MX$152

45.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$169

$8.49 MX$153

9.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$236

$11.86 MX$214

10.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$61.1

$2.85 MX$51.5

18.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.57

$1.60 MX$28.90

-1.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$39.82

$1.90 MX$34.36

15.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.20

$1.83 MX$33.16

33.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$40.83

$2.03 MX$36.65

11.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$49.57

$1.83 MX$33.06

49.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$27.66

$1.45 MX$26.24

5.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$22.80

$1.11 MX$19.99

13.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$87.5

$4.34 MX$78.4

11.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$246

$10.45 MX$189

30.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$34.47

$1.76 MX$31.84

8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$55.4

$3.14 MX$56.8

-2.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.38

$0.70 MX$12.67

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$574

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.32

$2.62 MX$47.32

-38.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$19.86

$2.05 MX$37.02

-46.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$198

$11.30 MX$204

-2.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.50

$1.43 MX$25.77

6.29%

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

$21.4K MX$386.3K

$21.1K MX$382.3K

1.06%

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

$25.5K MX$460.4K

$24.1K MX$435.5K

5.72%

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

$120 MX$2,164

$60.3 MX$1,090

98.61%

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

$27.08 MX$490

$23.24 MX$420

16.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$483

$30.53 MX$552

-12.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$563

$34.81 MX$629

-10.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$397

$20.08 MX$363

9.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$92.9

$5.32 MX$96.1

-3.38%

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

$688 MX$12.4K

$222 MX$4,012

209.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$206.5K

$4,760 MX$86.0K

140.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,300

$55.7 MX$1,007

29.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$783

$42.40 MX$766

2.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,027

$102 MX$1,853

9.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,202

$90.9 MX$1,643

34.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.3K

$620 MX$11.2K

54.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.1K

$394 MX$7,130

69.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.1K

$1,037 MX$18.7K

81.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$23.6K

$763 MX$13.8K

70.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$75.2K

$1,913 MX$34.6K

117.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.1K

$1,149 MX$20.8K

112.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.3

4.34%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 4, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $620 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $45.00 in Matamoros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $268 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

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

Monterrey vs Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Monterrey. 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 $2,411 in Monterrey and $1,710 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $620 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Monterrey versus $222 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,140 in Matamoros versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Matamoros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,140 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matamoros hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.