Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbacena and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $857 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$857

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbacena 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 Barbacena and in Panama City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Barbacena versus $1,855 in Panama City.

Barbacena $857
Panama City $1,855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,305 in Barbacena versus $2,804 in Panama City.

Barbacena $1,305
Panama City $2,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,753 in Barbacena versus $3,753 in Panama City.

Barbacena $1,753
Panama City $3,753

Living in Barbacena costs roughly 54% less than in Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barbacena is 37% below, Panama City is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 R$26.86

$11.63 PAB 11.63

-54.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 R$105

$47.92 PAB 47.92

-56.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 R$29.74

$7.96 PAB 7.96

-25.50%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R$8.73

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-58.77%

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

$1.57 R$7.89

$2.01 PAB 2.01

-21.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.30

$1.56 PAB 1.56

-44.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 R$6.62

$3.39 PAB 3.39

-61.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 R$11.37

$3.94 PAB 3.94

-42.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$5.69

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-38.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.36

$2.56 PAB 2.56

-19.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.12

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-64.94%

Eggs

$2.38 R$11.96

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-11.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 R$54.3

$12.57 PAB 12.57

-14.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 R$22.25

$6.83 PAB 6.83

-34.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 R$50.0

$10.58 PAB 10.58

-5.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 R$14.54

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-30.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.19

$1.83 PAB 1.83

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 R$7.89

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-62.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$9.00

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-55.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.08

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-65.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.20

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-75.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.55

$2.41 PAB 2.41

-70.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.50

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-58.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 R$15.17

$6.14 PAB 6.14

-50.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.29

$11.30 PAB 11.30

-30.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.93

$1.42 PAB 1.42

-16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.14

$2.73 PAB 2.73

-11.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.87

$0.33 PAB 0.33

193.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.05 R$226

$21.23 PAB 21.23

112.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.34

$2.52 PAB 2.52

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.26

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-54.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 R$46.91

$21.78 PAB 21.78

-57.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.56

$1.25 PAB 1.25

4.80%

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

$23.5K R$118.0K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

10.69%

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

$32.7K R$164.1K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

55.57%

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

$136 R$685

$130 PAB 130

5.10%

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

$11.02 R$55.3

$28.13 PAB 28.13

-60.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.95 R$115

$48.21 PAB 48.21

-52.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.50 R$133

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-42.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 R$148

$34.92 PAB 34.92

-15.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 R$39.85

$8.67 PAB 8.67

-8.42%

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

$596 R$2,992

$544 PAB 544

9.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.3K

$9,697 PAB 9,697

38.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.74 R$209

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-37.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.77 R$245

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-0.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 R$379

$93.9 PAB 93.9

-19.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.2 R$337

$112 PAB 112

-39.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 R$1,172

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-81.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 R$841

$875 PAB 875

-80.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R$2,178

$2,155 PAB 2,155

-79.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 R$1,539

$1,564 PAB 1,564

-80.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,629 R$8,175

$3,122 PAB 3,122

-47.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 R$6,692

$1,709 PAB 1,709

-21.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.39

86.70%

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

Last update for Barbacena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barbacena

$215 25.1%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 51.2% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbacena

$170 19.9%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 21% $36

Accommodation & Living

Barbacena

$168 19.6%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 422% $707

Clothing & Footwear

Barbacena

$105 12.3%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 37.7% $40

Eating Out

Barbacena

$102 11.9%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 102% $104

Getting Around

Barbacena

$54 6.4%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 36.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barbacena

$42 5%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 48.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $234 in Barbacena and $1,257 in Panama City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Barbacena vs $48.00 in Panama City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $325 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

2 h behind Barbacena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,317

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.893 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbacena Panama City 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbacena
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

Barbacena vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbacena and Panama City differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($857 vs $1,855 including rent). Barbacena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,286 in Barbacena and $2,783 in Panama City 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: $234 in Barbacena versus $1,257 in Panama City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $857 per month in Barbacena versus $1,855 in Panama City – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 112% less than in Panama City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $857 in Barbacena versus $1,855 in Panama City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena 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 Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.