Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boquete and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Boquete: $1,462 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Boquete
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Boquete Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Boquete

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,462

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Boquete and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,462 in Boquete versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Boquete $1,462
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,237 in Boquete versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Boquete $2,237
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,011 in Boquete versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Boquete $3,011
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Boquete costs roughly 39% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Boquete 8% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.48 PAB 6.48

$17.94 €15.96

-63.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.69 PAB 39.69

$68.1 €60.5

-41.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 PAB 7.65

$13.28 €11.81

-42.39%

Cappuccino

$3.88 PAB 3.88

$3.25 €2.89

19.38%

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

$1.36 PAB 1.36

$3.01 €2.67

-54.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 PAB 1.15

$1.87 €1.66

-38.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 PAB 2.27

$3.85 €3.42

-41.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 PAB 5.08

$4.48 €3.98

13.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 PAB 1.81

$1.29 €1.15

40.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 PAB 2.15

$2.04 €1.81

5.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 PAB 2.25

$1.72 €1.53

30.81%

Eggs

$2.60 PAB 2.60

$4.77 €4.24

-45.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 PAB 9.62

$16.77 €14.92

-42.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.53 PAB 7.53

$8.93 €7.94

-15.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 PAB 15.28

$19.88 €17.68

-23.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 PAB 4.33

$2.98 €2.65

45.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 PAB 1.01

$2.03 €1.80

-50.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 PAB 4.40

$2.73 €2.43

61.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 PAB 2.23

$2.68 €2.38

-16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 PAB 2.21

$2.10 €1.87

5.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 PAB 2.14

$2.08 €1.85

2.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 PAB 2.30

$1.45 €1.29

58.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 PAB 1.65

$0.89 €0.79

85.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 PAB 5.02

$6.94 €6.17

-27.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 PAB 7.85

$7.78 €6.92

0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PAB 1.20

$1.45 €1.29

-17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 PAB 2.59

$2.57 €2.29

0.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 PAB 1.35

$2.99 €2.66

-54.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.55 PAB 24.55

$25.20 €22.41

-2.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 PAB 1.02

$3.12 €2.77

-67.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 PAB 2.06

$1.44 €1.28

43.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.39 PAB 30.39

$33.50 €29.80

-9.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 PAB 1.13

$1.79 €1.59

-36.87%

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

$25.5K PAB 25.5K

$34.6K €30.8K

-26.25%

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

$22.1K PAB 22.1K

$30.1K €26.7K

-26.66%

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

$58.0 PAB 58.0

$178 €158

-67.38%

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

$25.95 PAB 25.95

$13.32 €11.85

94.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.16 PAB 42.16

$34.88 €31.03

20.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 PAB 82.5

$53.3 €47.37

54.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.48 PAB 17.48

$16.01 €14.24

9.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 PAB 6.33

$11.06 €9.84

-42.77%

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

$957 €851

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,075 PAB 6,075

$16.6K €14.7K

-63.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.42 PAB 25.42

$88.2 €78.4

-71.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.48 PAB 25.48

$39.49 €35.12

-35.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.14 PAB 44.14

$103 €91.5

-57.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 PAB 825

$1,653 €1,470

-50.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 PAB 710

$1,302 €1,158

-45.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 PAB 1,551

$2,557 €2,275

-39.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 PAB 1,284

$1,915 €1,703

-32.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,181 PAB 1,181

$7,286 €6,481

-83.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,150 PAB 1,150

$5,080 €4,519

-77.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 PAB 784

$2,281 €2,029

-65.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

3.28

98.17%

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

Last update for Boquete: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boquete

$710 48.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 83.5% $592

Groceries & Markets

Boquete

$295 20.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 8.6% $25

Eating Out

Boquete

$153 10.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 76.7% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boquete

$126 8.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 79.2% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Boquete

$95 6.5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 20.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Boquete

$43 * 2.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 270% $116

Getting Around

Boquete

$41 2.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 15% $6.2

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 $825 in Boquete and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 191% 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: $40.00 in Boquete vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $320 per month, with Boquete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Boquete

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

7 h ahead of Boquete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Boquete Barcelona 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Boquete
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boquete and Barcelona differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,462 vs $2,399 including rent). Boquete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 191% lower in Barcelona. 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: $825 in Boquete versus $1,653 in Barcelona. 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 $40.00 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Boquete runs roughly 3% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,462 in Boquete versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Boquete but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Boquete 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.

Safety-wise, Boquete and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Boquete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.