Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boquete and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Boquete: $1,459 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Boquete
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Boquete Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Boquete

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,459

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Boquete and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,459 in Boquete versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Boquete $1,459
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,245 in Boquete versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Boquete $2,245
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,032 in Boquete versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Boquete $3,032
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Boquete costs roughly 46% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Boquete 8% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.61 PAB 6.61

$21.34 $21.34

-69.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.63 PAB 39.63

$87.9 $87.9

-54.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 PAB 7.68

$12.44 $12.44

-38.26%

Cappuccino

$3.72 PAB 3.72

$5.60 $5.60

-33.57%

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

$1.40 PAB 1.40

$3.65 $3.65

-61.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 PAB 1.15

$2.39 $2.39

-51.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 PAB 2.28

$7.82 $7.82

-70.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 PAB 4.88

$8.75 $8.75

-44.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PAB 1.82

$1.12 $1.12

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 PAB 2.12

$3.62 $3.62

-41.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 PAB 2.22

$3.50 $3.50

-36.57%

Eggs

$2.49 PAB 2.49

$4.45 $4.45

-44.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 PAB 9.25

$13.18 $13.18

-29.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.45 PAB 7.45

$13.94 $13.94

-46.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 PAB 15.49

$16.46 $16.46

-5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 PAB 4.47

$4.73 $4.73

-5.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 PAB 1.02

$1.50 $1.50

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 PAB 4.53

$4.64 $4.64

-2.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 PAB 2.18

$4.52 $4.52

-51.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 PAB 2.26

$2.55 $2.55

-11.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 PAB 2.23

$2.39 $2.39

-6.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 PAB 2.22

$1.84 $1.84

20.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 PAB 1.66

$2.13 $2.13

-22.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 PAB 5.15

$10.05 $10.05

-48.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 PAB 7.97

$14.88 $14.88

-46.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PAB 1.16

$2.82 $2.82

-58.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 PAB 2.65

$3.29 $3.29

-19.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$1.23 $1.23

11.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.26 PAB 25.26

$41.43 $41.43

-39.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 PAB 0.98

$2.68 $2.68

-63.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PAB 2.02

$1.63 $1.63

23.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.30 PAB 30.30

$35.20 $35.20

-13.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 PAB 1.17

$0.98 $0.98

19.39%

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

$25.5K PAB 25.5K

$34.4K $34.4K

-25.71%

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

$22.4K PAB 22.4K

$26.8K $26.8K

-16.33%

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

$58.6 PAB 58.6

$252 $252

-76.77%

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

$25.83 PAB 25.83

$59.8 $59.8

-56.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.71 PAB 41.71

$69.7 $69.7

-40.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 PAB 83.2

$60.4 $60.4

37.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.84 PAB 17.84

$18.14 $18.14

-1.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 PAB 6.57

$13.75 $13.75

-52.22%

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

$1,458 $1,458

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,105 PAB 6,105

$26.6K $26.6K

-77.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.55 PAB 24.55

$52.6 $52.6

-53.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.29 PAB 25.29

$45.76 $45.76

-44.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.76 PAB 45.76

$85.5 $85.5

-46.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 PAB 814

$2,195 $2,195

-62.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 PAB 706

$1,269 $1,269

-44.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 PAB 1,554

$4,000 $4,000

-61.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 PAB 1,303

$2,406 $2,406

-45.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,163 PAB 1,163

$7,381 $7,381

-84.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,152 PAB 1,152

$2,964 $2,964

-61.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$800 PAB 800

$5,043 $5,043

-84.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

6.82

-4.69%

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

Last update for Boquete: November 1, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boquete

$706 48.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 79.8% $563

Groceries & Markets

Boquete

$294 20.2%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 38.4% $113

Eating Out

Boquete

$152 10.4%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 134% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boquete

$126 8.6%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 203% $256

Sport & Entertainment

Boquete

$96 6.6%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 8.8% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Boquete

$43 * 3%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 203% $87

Getting Around

Boquete

$42 2.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 36.8% $15

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 $814 in Boquete and $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Boquete vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $407 per month, with Boquete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Boquete

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

1 h behind Boquete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

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Highest

Between locations

Boquete Austin, TX 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Boquete
Austin, TX

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

Boquete vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boquete wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Boquete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 84% lower in Boquete. 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: $814 in Boquete versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Boquete – a meal for two runs $40 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Boquete runs roughly 39% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Boquete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.