Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boquete and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,377 a month against $1,462 in Boquete, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Boquete outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Boquete
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Boquete Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Boquete

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,462

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Boquete and in Centurion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,462 in Boquete versus $1,377 in Centurion.

Boquete $1,462
Centurion $1,377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,237 in Boquete versus $2,224 in Centurion.

Boquete $2,237
Centurion $2,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,011 in Boquete versus $3,071 in Centurion.

Boquete $3,011
Centurion $3,071

Living in Boquete is roughly 6% more expensive than in Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Boquete 8% above, Centurion 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.48 PAB 6.48

$22.13 R 365

-70.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.69 PAB 39.69

$40.73 R 671

-2.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 PAB 7.65

$5.76 R 95.0

32.81%

Cappuccino

$3.88 PAB 3.88

$2.57 R 42.33

50.97%

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

$1.36 PAB 1.36

$0.94 R 15.52

44.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 PAB 1.15

$0.87 R 14.35

32.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 PAB 2.27

$2.10 R 34.57

8.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 PAB 5.08

$2.45 R 40.42

107.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 PAB 1.81

$1.23 R 20.27

47.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 PAB 2.15

$1.22 R 20.11

76.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 PAB 2.25

$2.17 R 35.83

3.69%

Eggs

$2.60 PAB 2.60

$3.07 R 50.6

-15.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 PAB 9.62

$9.79 R 161

-1.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.53 PAB 7.53

$6.92 R 114

8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 PAB 15.28

$7.29 R 120

109.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 PAB 4.33

$1.82 R 29.92

137.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 PAB 1.01

$1.80 R 29.64

-43.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 PAB 4.40

$2.12 R 34.88

107.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 PAB 2.23

$2.08 R 34.20

7.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 PAB 2.21

$1.52 R 24.98

45.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 PAB 2.14

$1.85 R 30.44

15.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 PAB 2.30

$1.35 R 22.24

70.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 PAB 1.65

$1.46 R 23.99

13.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 PAB 5.02

$3.77 R 62.1

33.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 PAB 7.85

$5.90 R 97.1

33.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PAB 1.20

$1.59 R 26.20

-24.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 PAB 2.59

$2.02 R 33.27

28.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 PAB 1.35

$2.47 R 40.75

-45.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.55 PAB 24.55

$97.9 R 1,613

-74.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 PAB 1.02

$1.22 R 20.14

-16.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 PAB 2.06

$1.23 R 20.20

67.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.39 PAB 30.39

$8.89 R 146

241.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 PAB 1.13

$1.50 R 24.75

-24.67%

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

$25.5K PAB 25.5K

$35.9K R 591.7K

-28.88%

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

$22.1K PAB 22.1K

$32.1K R 528.7K

-31.29%

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

$58.0 PAB 58.0

$137 R 2,260

-57.71%

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

$25.95 PAB 25.95

$30.65 R 505

-15.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.16 PAB 42.16

$40.07 R 660

5.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 PAB 82.5

$43.79 R 721

88.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.48 PAB 17.48

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 PAB 6.33

$10.73 R 177

-41.01%

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

$314 R 5,174

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,075 PAB 6,075

$4,299 R 70.8K

41.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.42 PAB 25.42

$58.5 R 965

-56.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.48 PAB 25.48

$43.75 R 721

-41.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.14 PAB 44.14

$117 R 1,925

-62.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 R 1,699

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 PAB 825

$345 R 5,689

138.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 PAB 710

$371 R 6,115

91.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 PAB 1,551

$575 R 9,479

169.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 PAB 1,284

$896 R 14.8K

43.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,181 PAB 1,181

$518 R 8,536

127.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,150 PAB 1,150

$612 R 10.1K

87.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 PAB 784

$2,342 R 38.6K

-66.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

10.5

-38.10%

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

Last update for Boquete: October 11, 2026

Last update for Centurion: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boquete

$710 48.5%

Centurion

$371 27% 47.7% $338

Groceries & Markets

Boquete

$295 20.2%

Centurion

$225 16.3% 23.7% $70

Eating Out

Boquete

$153 10.5%

Centurion

$248 18% 62.2% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boquete

$126 8.6%

Centurion

$208 15.1% 64.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Boquete

$95 6.5%

Centurion

$65 4.7% 31.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Boquete

$43 * 2.9%

Centurion

$145 10.5% 239% $102

Getting Around

Boquete

$41 2.8%

Centurion

$115 8.4% 179% $74

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 $345 in Centurion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 199% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Boquete vs $41.00 in Centurion. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $225, with Centurion cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Boquete

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

7 h ahead of Boquete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

236,580

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boquete Centurion 12,490 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Boquete
Centurion

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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 199% lower in Centurion. 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 $345 in Centurion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Boquete. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,462 per month in Boquete versus $1,377 in Centurion – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,377 in Centurion versus $1,462 in Boquete, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in Boquete. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Boquete and Centurion 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 Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Boquete. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.