Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bathurst and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bathurst: $1,735 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Panama City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Bathurst
Learn more

Bathurst Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
Learn more

Panama City Living Index

Jump to prices

Bathurst

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,735

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,735 per month in Bathurst vs $1,855 in Panama City, rent included.

Bathurst $1,735
Panama City $1,855

A couple spends around $2,012 per month in Bathurst vs $2,804 in Panama City, rent included.

Bathurst $2,012
Panama City $2,804

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Bathurst vs $3,753 in Panama City, rent included.

Bathurst $2,289
Panama City $3,753

Bathurst is about 6% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Bathurst and Panama City sit above the global median – Bathurst by 29%, Panama City by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.04 CA$22.81

$11.63 PAB 11.63

37.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.48 CA$59.0

$47.92 PAB 47.92

-13.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 CA$16.12

$7.96 PAB 7.96

42.46%

Cappuccino

$3.36 CA$4.78

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-20.38%

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

$1.90 CA$2.70

$2.01 PAB 2.01

-5.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.56 PAB 1.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.14

$3.39 PAB 3.39

48.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 CA$7.14

$3.94 PAB 3.94

27.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 CA$3.69

$2.56 PAB 2.56

1.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.52

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-29.02%

Eggs

$3.57 CA$5.08

$2.69 PAB 2.69

32.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 CA$15.44

$12.57 PAB 12.57

-13.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 CA$13.10

$6.83 PAB 6.83

34.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.33 CA$9.00

$10.58 PAB 10.58

-40.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 CA$6.20

$4.18 PAB 4.18

4.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 CA$6.50

$4.20 PAB 4.20

8.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 CA$2.67

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-53.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 CA$3.59

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-27.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 CA$2.11

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-64.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 CA$2.98

$2.41 PAB 2.41

-12.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-4.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 CA$13.77

$6.14 PAB 6.14

57.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 CA$17.10

$11.30 PAB 11.30

6.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 CA$4.45

$1.42 PAB 1.42

120.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 CA$6.24

$2.73 PAB 2.73

60.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 CA$4.88

$0.33 PAB 0.33

939.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.8 CA$87.9

$21.23 PAB 21.23

191.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.08

$2.52 PAB 2.52

13.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.92

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-27.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.81 CA$29.58

$21.78 PAB 21.78

-4.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.25 PAB 1.25

-4.00%

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

$28.2K CA$40.1K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

32.77%

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

$18.8K CA$26.7K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

-10.77%

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

$101 CA$143

$130 PAB 130

-22.38%

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

$68.9 CA$97.9

$28.13 PAB 28.13

144.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 CA$85.4

$48.21 PAB 48.21

24.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.21 CA$62.9

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-3.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.92 CA$45.39

$34.92 PAB 34.92

-8.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 CA$12.84

$8.67 PAB 8.67

4.15%

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

$565 CA$803

$544 PAB 544

3.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,662 CA$2,363

$9,697 PAB 9,697

-82.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.48 CA$68.9

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-27.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.24 CA$55.8

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-20.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 CA$108

$93.9 PAB 93.9

-19.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 CA$113

$112 PAB 112

-29.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 CA$1,030

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-42.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 CA$976

$875 PAB 875

-21.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

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)

$1,998 CA$2,841

$916 PAB 916

118.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

6.39

-25.35%

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

Last update for Bathurst: October 11, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bathurst

$686 39.5%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 27.5% $189

Groceries & Markets

Bathurst

$311 17.9%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 4.5% $14

Eating Out

Bathurst

$252 14.5%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 17.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bathurst

$230 13.2%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 10.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Bathurst

$109 6.3%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 32.4% $35

Getting Around

Bathurst

$85 4.9%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 59.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Bathurst

$62 3.6%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 1.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $724 in Bathurst versus $1,257 in Panama City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 118% higher in Bathurst, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bathurst versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $325 – making Bathurst the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Bathurst

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

2 h behind Bathurst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,157

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bathurst Panama City 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bathurst
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

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

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,603 per month in Bathurst and $2,783 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bathurst, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,735 in Bathurst and $1,855 in Panama City. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 191% less in Bathurst. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bathurst, where all-in costs run around $1,735, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Bathurst it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bathurst – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bathurst. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Panama City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.