Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellingham, WA and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,932 a month against $3,010 in Bellingham, WA, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Bellingham, WA
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Bellingham, WA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Bellingham, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,010

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,010 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $1,932 in Panama City, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $3,010
Panama City $1,932

A couple spends around $4,448 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $2,887 in Panama City, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $4,448
Panama City $2,887

A family of three spends $5,886 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $3,841 in Panama City, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $5,886
Panama City $3,841

Bellingham, WA costs about 56% more than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bellingham, WA and Panama City sit above the global median – Bellingham, WA by 121%, Panama City by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.70 $24.70

$11.72 PAB 11.72

110.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$46.74 PAB 46.74

116.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$7.98 PAB 7.98

66.17%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$4.18 PAB 4.18

42.11%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.95 PAB 1.95

62.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.64 PAB 1.64

33.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$3.26 PAB 3.26

110.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.90 PAB 3.90

76.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.91 PAB 1.91

-40.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.54 PAB 2.54

50.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.37 PAB 3.37

45.70%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$2.82 PAB 2.82

75.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$12.60 PAB 12.60

49.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.61 $18.61

$6.71 PAB 6.71

177.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$10.53 PAB 10.53

118.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.04 PAB 4.04

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.94 PAB 1.94

-2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$4.25 PAB 4.25

25.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$4.18 PAB 4.18

51.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.32 PAB 3.32

8.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$4.34 PAB 4.34

-27.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.40 PAB 2.40

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.71 PAB 1.71

44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.44 $12.44

$6.05 PAB 6.05

105.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$11.38 PAB 11.38

31.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.36 PAB 1.36

29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.80 PAB 2.80

105.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.34 PAB 0.34

485.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.51 $30.51

$21.28 PAB 21.28

43.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.43 PAB 2.43

10.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.27 $30.27

$21.77 PAB 21.77

39.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.20 PAB 1.20

20.00%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$24.8K PAB 24.8K

11.04%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

21.32%

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

$217 $217

$132 PAB 132

64.01%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$28.34 PAB 28.34

102.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$48.88 PAB 48.88

66.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 $62.0

$43.02 PAB 43.02

44.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$34.94 PAB 34.94

-57.58%

Cinema Ticket

$18.31 $18.31

$8.43 PAB 8.43

117.20%

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

$1,125 $1,125

$545 PAB 545

106.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$9,648 PAB 9,648

228.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 $80.5

$65.8 PAB 65.8

22.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.32 $28.32

$47.25 PAB 47.25

-40.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$94.6 PAB 94.6

15.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$110 PAB 110

36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 $1,707

$1,407 PAB 1,407

21.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$954 PAB 954

52.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,598 $2,598

$2,272 PAB 2,272

14.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 $2,347

$1,662 PAB 1,662

41.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,441 $4,441

$3,057 PAB 3,057

45.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,925 $3,925

$1,729 PAB 1,729

126.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$916 PAB 916

379.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.39

4.54%

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

Last update for Bellingham, WA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellingham, WA

$1.5K 48.4%

Panama City

$954 49.3% 34.6% $504

Groceries & Markets

Bellingham, WA

$505 16.8%

Panama City

$326 16.9% 35.4% $179

Eating Out

Bellingham, WA

$378 12.6%

Panama City

$206 10.7% 45.4% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellingham, WA

$356 11.8%

Panama City

$210 10.9% 41.1% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Bellingham, WA

$165 5.5%

Panama City

$143 7.4% 13.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Bellingham, WA

$99 3.3%

Panama City

$60 3.1% 39.3% $39

Getting Around

Bellingham, WA

$50 1.7%

Panama City

$34 1.8% 30.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,707 in Bellingham, WA versus $1,407 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 in Bellingham, WA are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bellingham, WA versus $47 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $505 vs $326 – making Panama City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bellingham, WA

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

2 h ahead of Bellingham, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,482

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.11 PAB (1 PAB = 0.898 EUR).

PAB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bellingham, WA Panama City 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellingham, 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

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

Bellingham, WA costs about 56% more than Panama City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,515 per month in Bellingham, WA and $2,899 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Panama City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,407 there versus $1,707 in Bellingham, WA.

Kindergarten costs $1,125 per month in Bellingham, WA and $545 in Panama City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Bellingham, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Panama City, where all-in costs run around $1,932, than in Bellingham, WA at $3,010. In Panama City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bellingham, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Panama City – 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 Panama City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bellingham, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.