Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, WA and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,855 a month against $2,803 in Arlington, WA, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, WA
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Arlington, WA Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,803

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arlington, WA and in Panama City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,803 in Arlington, WA versus $1,855 in Panama City.

Arlington, WA $2,803
Panama City $1,855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,283 in Arlington, WA versus $2,804 in Panama City.

Arlington, WA $4,283
Panama City $2,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,763 in Arlington, WA versus $3,753 in Panama City.

Arlington, WA $5,763
Panama City $3,753

Living in Arlington, WA is roughly 51% more expensive than in Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arlington, WA 108% above, Panama City 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.98 $24.98

$11.63 PAB 11.63

114.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$47.92 PAB 47.92

110.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.24 $14.24

$7.96 PAB 7.96

78.89%

Cappuccino

$5.88 $5.88

$4.22 PAB 4.22

39.34%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.01 PAB 2.01

51.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.56 PAB 1.56

94.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 $7.16

$3.39 PAB 3.39

111.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.94 PAB 3.94

72.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-44.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.56 PAB 2.56

42.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.48 PAB 3.48

20.40%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$2.69 PAB 2.69

46.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$12.57 PAB 12.57

11.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$6.83 PAB 6.83

95.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$10.58 PAB 10.58

117.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$4.18 PAB 4.18

26.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.83 PAB 1.83

3.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$4.20 PAB 4.20

0.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.03 PAB 4.03

22.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-41.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-43.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.41 PAB 2.41

14.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.69 PAB 1.69

47.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.72 $12.72

$6.14 PAB 6.14

107.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 $14.77

$11.30 PAB 11.30

30.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.42 PAB 1.42

39.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.73 PAB 2.73

60.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.52 PAB 2.52

3.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-8.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.78 $29.78

$21.78 PAB 21.78

36.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.25 PAB 1.25

8.80%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

69.91%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

19.81%

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

$293 $293

$130 PAB 130

125.39%

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

$69.9 $69.9

$28.13 PAB 28.13

148.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.2 $89.2

$48.21 PAB 48.21

84.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.54 $33.54

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-26.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 $16.84

$8.67 PAB 8.67

94.23%

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

$2,983 $2,983

$544 PAB 544

448.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$9,697 PAB 9,697

218.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-23.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 $54.5

$49.14 PAB 49.14

10.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$93.9 PAB 93.9

6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$112 PAB 112

20.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$1,257 PAB 1,257

21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$875 PAB 875

48.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 $2,826

$2,155 PAB 2,155

31.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$1,564 PAB 1,564

56.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,858 $5,858

$916 PAB 916

539.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

6.39

6.57%

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

Last update for Arlington, WA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, WA

$1.3K 46.3%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 32.5% $422

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, WA

$452 16.1%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 54.3% $245

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, WA

$436 15.6%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 25.5% $111

Eating Out

Arlington, WA

$387 13.8%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 46.6% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, WA

$153 5.5%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 5.6% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, WA

$67 2.4%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 6.1% $4.1

Getting Around

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 209% $23

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 $1,522 in Arlington, WA and $1,257 in Panama City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays 540% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $101 in Arlington, WA vs $48.00 in Panama City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $325 per month, with Panama City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

2 h ahead of Arlington, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

PAB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, WA Panama City 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, WA
Panama City

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

Arlington, WA vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, WA and Panama City differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($2,803 vs $1,855 including rent). Panama City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 540% higher in Arlington, WA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,522 in Arlington, WA versus $1,257 in Panama City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Arlington, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,803 per month in Arlington, WA versus $1,855 in Panama City – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,855 in Panama City versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in Arlington, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Panama City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Panama City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Arlington, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.