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: $1,604 in Monterrey versus $1,125 in Matamoros.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,594 in Monterrey versus $1,820 in Matamoros.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,584 in Monterrey versus $2,514 in Matamoros.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 43% more expensive than Matamoros, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 20% above, Matamoros is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.25 MX$228

$10.59 MX$182

25.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$894

$38.29 MX$659

35.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 MX$175

$7.95 MX$137

27.80%

Cappuccino

$3.70 MX$63.7

$3.21 MX$55.2

15.26%

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

$1.44 MX$24.80

$1.29 MX$22.17

11.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$18.00

$0.91 MX$15.57

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 MX$44.10

$2.35 MX$40.44

8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 MX$73.4

$3.92 MX$67.5

8.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$27.63

$1.50 MX$25.73

7.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$46.55

$2.64 MX$45.36

2.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.12

$1.60 MX$27.56

16.88%

Eggs

$2.63 MX$45.17

$2.40 MX$41.37

9.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 MX$174

$7.91 MX$136

28.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 MX$155

$7.94 MX$137

13.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 MX$230

$10.54 MX$181

26.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 MX$54.8

$2.58 MX$44.39

23.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MX$24.00

$1.45 MX$24.98

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 MX$34.47

$1.73 MX$29.69

15.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.96

$1.61 MX$27.70

29.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 MX$38.48

$1.87 MX$32.17

19.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 MX$43.22

$2.00 MX$34.34

25.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$26.08

$1.20 MX$20.72

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.49

$0.98 MX$16.79

9.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MX$74.4

$4.09 MX$70.4

5.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 MX$254

$10.24 MX$176

44.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$30.48

$1.54 MX$26.53

14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MX$52.6

$2.79 MX$48.01

9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 MX$13.87

$0.60 MX$10.32

35.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.93 MX$687

$32.09 MX$552

24.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 MX$29.81

$2.63 MX$45.26

-34.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 MX$17.19

$1.55 MX$26.71

-35.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 MX$179

$8.34 MX$144

24.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$23.06

$1.25 MX$21.59

7.20%

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

$26.9K MX$463.3K

$20.9K MX$359.8K

28.75%

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

$25.6K MX$441.3K

$22.8K MX$391.8K

12.65%

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

$120 MX$2,071

$57.3 MX$986

110.07%

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

$26.90 MX$463

$22.12 MX$381

21.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.12 MX$518

$28.54 MX$491

5.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 MX$652

$36.10 MX$621

4.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.69 MX$373

$15.76 MX$271

37.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 MX$102

$4.72 MX$81.1

25.85%

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

$338 MX$5,822

$214 MX$3,683

58.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,935 MX$153.7K

$3,066 MX$52.8K

191.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 MX$1,011

$52.5 MX$903

12.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.17 MX$743

$39.04 MX$672

10.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$1,886

$89.5 MX$1,540

22.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 MX$2,229

$80.0 MX$1,377

61.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 MX$15.4K

$507 MX$8,722

77.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 MX$11.1K

$402 MX$6,912

60.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 MX$27.7K

$929 MX$16.0K

73.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 MX$24.2K

$753 MX$13.0K

86.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,411 MX$75.9K

$2,294 MX$39.5K

92.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,937 MX$50.5K

$1,383 MX$23.8K

112.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,108 MX$19.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

11.48

0.61%

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

Last update for Monterrey: June 13, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: June 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $898 in Monterrey and $507 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Monterrey vs $38.00 in Matamoros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $249 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 43% 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 $2,406 in Monterrey and $1,688 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: $898 in Monterrey versus $507 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $52.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,604 per month in Monterrey versus $1,125 in Matamoros – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,125 in Matamoros versus $1,604 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 $1,125 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 43% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.