Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belem and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $937 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $937 in Belem versus $1,837 in Panama City.

Belem $937
Panama City $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,424 in Belem versus $2,825 in Panama City.

Belem $1,424
Panama City $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,911 in Belem versus $3,812 in Panama City.

Belem $1,911
Panama City $3,812

Living in Belem costs roughly 49% less than in Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belem is 30% below, Panama City is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 R$24.66

$11.34 PAB 11.34

-56.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.41 R$102

$47.85 PAB 47.85

-57.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 R$33.96

$8.07 PAB 8.07

-15.74%

Cappuccino

$1.90 R$9.48

$4.02 PAB 4.02

-52.74%

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

$1.06 R$5.28

$1.94 PAB 1.94

-45.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 R$2.56

$1.62 PAB 1.62

-68.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 R$7.91

$3.26 PAB 3.26

-51.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.99 PAB 3.99

-40.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 R$7.01

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-23.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 R$12.40

$2.57 PAB 2.57

-3.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 R$6.59

$3.33 PAB 3.33

-60.36%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.71

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-20.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 R$45.91

$12.33 PAB 12.33

-25.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$22.64

$6.69 PAB 6.69

-32.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 R$37.70

$10.40 PAB 10.40

-27.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 R$11.49

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-44.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.15

$1.84 PAB 1.84

-22.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R$7.42

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-64.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 R$8.73

$4.08 PAB 4.08

-57.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.45

$3.50 PAB 3.50

-68.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 R$3.14

$4.37 PAB 4.37

-85.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R$6.45

$2.34 PAB 2.34

-44.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 R$7.13

$1.75 PAB 1.75

-18.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.65 R$13.21

$6.06 PAB 6.06

-56.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 R$49.60

$11.72 PAB 11.72

-15.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R$7.25

$1.37 PAB 1.37

5.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 R$25.31

$2.84 PAB 2.84

78.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.82

$0.36 PAB 0.36

169.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.73 R$173

$20.96 PAB 20.96

65.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.86

$2.52 PAB 2.52

-53.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 R$5.83

$1.79 PAB 1.79

-34.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.36 R$41.71

$22.01 PAB 22.01

-62.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R$6.57

$1.25 PAB 1.25

5.60%

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

$23.9K R$119.3K

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

10.96%

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

$32.5K R$162.3K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

53.45%

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

$98.6 R$492

$131 PAB 131

-24.87%

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

$11.52 R$57.5

$27.68 PAB 27.68

-58.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 R$156

$48.59 PAB 48.59

-35.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.62 R$108

$46.11 PAB 46.11

-53.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.31 R$196

$35.01 PAB 35.01

12.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 R$39.04

$8.73 PAB 8.73

-10.42%

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

$111 R$556

$551 PAB 551

-79.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,464 R$17.3K

$9,560 PAB 9,560

-63.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.02 R$160

$67.6 PAB 67.6

-52.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.64 R$228

$48.03 PAB 48.03

-4.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 R$415

$94.9 PAB 94.9

-12.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$334

$113 PAB 113

-40.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,642

$1,238 PAB 1,238

-57.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 R$1,450

$873 PAB 873

-66.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 R$4,436

$2,197 PAB 2,197

-59.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 R$2,684

$1,538 PAB 1,538

-65.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,003 R$9,997

$3,116 PAB 3,116

-35.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 R$7,005

$1,725 PAB 1,725

-18.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 R$2,105

$934 PAB 934

-54.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

6.39

79.66%

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

Last update for Belem: October 5, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belem

$290 30.8%

Panama City

$873 47.2% 201% $583

Groceries & Markets

Belem

$225 23.8%

Panama City

$324 17.5% 44.4% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belem

$141 15%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 46.9% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Belem

$103 10.9%

Panama City

$146 7.9% 42% $43

Eating Out

Belem

$102 10.8%

Panama City

$202 10.9% 98.4% $100

Getting Around

Belem

$46 4.8%

Panama City

$34 1.8% 25.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Belem

$37 4%

Panama City

$64 3.4% 70.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Belem and $1,238 in Panama City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 122% 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: $20.00 in Belem vs $48.00 in Panama City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $324 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belem

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

2 h behind Belem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,303,403

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belem Panama City 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Belem
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

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

Belem is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 122% lower in Panama City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $529 in Belem versus $1,238 in Panama City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 66% less than in Panama City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $111 in Belem versus $551 in Panama City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $937 in Belem versus $1,837 in Panama City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belem is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Panama City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.