Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal 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 Montreal and in Matamoros actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,090 in Matamoros.

Montreal $2,018
Matamoros $1,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $1,832 in Matamoros.

Montreal $3,085
Matamoros $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $2,573 in Matamoros.

Montreal $4,152
Matamoros $2,573

Living in Montreal is roughly 85% more expensive than in Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Matamoros is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$12.38 MX$229

52.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$37.67 MX$696

86.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$9.06 MX$167

17.66%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.29 MX$60.8

16.72%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.47 MX$27.18

30.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.05 MX$19.40

46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.26 MX$41.81

175.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.48 MX$82.8

58.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.63 MX$30.12

41.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.40 MX$44.43

30.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.70 MX$31.43

88.82%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.57 MX$47.54

36.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.01 MX$167

42.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$7.82 MX$144

46.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$11.74 MX$217

14.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.70 MX$49.81

16.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.73 MX$31.92

-16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.67 MX$30.82

107.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.05 MX$37.92

49.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.17 MX$40.01

-12.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.09 MX$38.70

-15.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.61 MX$29.73

45.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.22 MX$22.48

27.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$4.72 MX$87.2

141.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$10.79 MX$199

-1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.02 MX$37.32

12.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.18 MX$58.8

-11.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.65 MX$12.03

309.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.71 MX$50.0

18.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$2.25 MX$41.49

-34.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$11.47 MX$212

186.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.34 MX$24.72

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$23.5K MX$435.0K

19.60%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$23.9K MX$441.3K

-17.81%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$56.2 MX$1,038

35.28%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$25.44 MX$470

33.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$26.61 MX$492

59.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$32.88 MX$608

-9.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$22.40 MX$414

-9.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$4.48 MX$82.7

148.88%

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

$507 CA$717

$223 MX$4,114

127.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$4,650 MX$85.9K

245.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$53.3 MX$986

7.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$38.50 MX$711

-2.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$99.1 MX$1,832

-7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$79.4 MX$1,467

38.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$646 MX$11.9K

95.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$337 MX$6,220

181.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$901 MX$16.7K

137.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$826 MX$15.3K

95.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,039 MX$37.7K

143.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,054 MX$19.5K

264.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.3

-60.35%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Matamoros

$337 30.9% 64.5% $611

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Matamoros

$269 24.7% 22.3% $77

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Matamoros

$196 18% 31.9% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Matamoros

$108 9.9% 28.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Matamoros

$122 11.2% 8.9% $12

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5% 83.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Matamoros

$42 3.8% 19.7% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $646 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $38.00 in Matamoros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $269 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

23:58 11:58 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

510,739

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal Matamoros 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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

Montreal vs Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Montreal. 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 $3,027 in Montreal and $1,635 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: $1,260 in Montreal versus $646 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $223 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 $38.00 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Montreal. 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 $1,090 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matamoros hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Matamoros are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.