Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Matamoros

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Matamoros: $1,204 and $1,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,223 in Matamoros.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Matamoros $1,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,913 in Matamoros.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Matamoros $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,604 in Matamoros.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Matamoros $2,604

Monthly costs are close between Playa del Carmen and Matamoros; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Matamoros 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$12.16 MX$226

-10.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$49.10 MX$915

-11.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.21 MX$134

63.38%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.04 MX$56.7

25.33%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.24 MX$23.15

3.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.89 MX$16.66

-12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.26 MX$42.17

40.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.03 MX$75.1

22.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.36 MX$25.42

3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.25 MX$41.99

-1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.66 MX$30.93

-14.46%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.42 MX$45.16

4.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.39 MX$138

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.01 MX$131

9.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$12.98 MX$242

-2.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.34 MX$43.53

18.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.40 MX$26.01

-2.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.08 MX$38.72

22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.54 MX$28.77

37.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.98 MX$36.94

-2.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.69 MX$31.51

11.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.42 MX$26.52

-19.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.20 MX$22.32

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$4.50 MX$83.9

-4.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.37 MX$193

-4.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.63 MX$30.34

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$3.49 MX$65.1

-23.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.67 MX$12.44

-17.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$26.10 MX$486

1.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.59 MX$48.33

91.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.66 MX$31.01

100.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$10.36 MX$193

-48.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.24 MX$23.15

16.13%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$26.8K MX$499.4K

-22.90%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$23.8K MX$443.4K

-1.41%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$60.0 MX$1,117

41.43%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$23.23 MX$433

0.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$25.06 MX$467

14.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$35.46 MX$661

60.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$19.94 MX$371

44.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.54 MX$84.6

13.22%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$212 MX$3,953

-2.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,551 MX$84.8K

-13.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.0 MX$1,025

-21.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$34.19 MX$637

21.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$93.6 MX$1,744

-20.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$88.2 MX$1,643

1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$611 MX$11.4K

60.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$475 MX$8,855

-19.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,087 MX$20.3K

57.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$818 MX$15.2K

31.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,171 MX$40.5K

81.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,200 MX$22.3K

413.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.31

1.24%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: 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

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Matamoros

$475 38.9% 24.8% $94

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Matamoros

$250 20.4% 1.8% $4.7

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Matamoros

$183 15% 9.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Matamoros

$108 8.9% 20.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Matamoros

$122 10% 9.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Matamoros

$45 3.6% 33.8% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Matamoros

$40 3.2% 21.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $611 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $49 in Matamoros. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $250, with Matamoros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

510,739

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Matamoros 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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

Playa del Carmen vs Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $611 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $212 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $49 in Matamoros. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.