Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boquete and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Boquete: $1,459 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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 Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Boquete

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,459

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Boquete and in Vancouver

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,459 in Boquete versus $2,683 in Vancouver.

Boquete $1,459
Vancouver $2,683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,245 in Boquete versus $3,963 in Vancouver.

Boquete $2,245
Vancouver $3,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,032 in Boquete versus $5,244 in Vancouver.

Boquete $3,032
Vancouver $5,244

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Boquete 8% above, Vancouver 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.61 PAB 6.61

$18.10 CA$25.37

-63.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.63 PAB 39.63

$71.0 CA$99.5

-44.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 PAB 7.68

$10.57 CA$14.81

-27.34%

Cappuccino

$3.72 PAB 3.72

$3.97 CA$5.56

-6.30%

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

$1.40 PAB 1.40

$2.07 CA$2.90

-32.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 PAB 1.15

$1.85 CA$2.59

-37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 PAB 2.28

$5.67 CA$7.95

-59.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 PAB 4.88

$6.61 CA$9.27

-26.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PAB 1.82

$2.16 CA$3.02

-15.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 PAB 2.12

$2.58 CA$3.62

-17.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 PAB 2.22

$4.30 CA$6.02

-48.37%

Eggs

$2.49 PAB 2.49

$4.09 CA$5.74

-39.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 PAB 9.25

$12.12 CA$16.98

-23.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.45 PAB 7.45

$13.28 CA$18.62

-43.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 PAB 15.49

$20.11 CA$28.19

-22.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 PAB 4.47

$3.96 CA$5.56

12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 PAB 1.02

$1.43 CA$2.00

-28.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 PAB 4.53

$3.71 CA$5.20

22.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 PAB 2.18

$3.92 CA$5.50

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 PAB 2.26

$2.87 CA$4.02

-21.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 PAB 2.23

$2.98 CA$4.17

-25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 PAB 2.22

$2.61 CA$3.66

-14.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 PAB 1.66

$1.63 CA$2.29

1.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 PAB 5.15

$15.94 CA$22.35

-67.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 PAB 7.97

$14.25 CA$19.97

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PAB 1.16

$2.52 CA$3.54

-53.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 PAB 2.65

$2.87 CA$4.03

-7.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$2.57 CA$3.60

-46.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.26 PAB 25.26

$84.4 CA$118

-70.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 PAB 0.98

$2.74 CA$3.85

-64.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PAB 2.02

$1.63 CA$2.28

23.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.30 PAB 30.30

$31.90 CA$44.71

-5.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 PAB 1.17

$1.46 CA$2.04

-19.86%

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

$25.5K PAB 25.5K

$26.7K CA$37.4K

-4.38%

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

$22.4K PAB 22.4K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

6.70%

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

$58.6 PAB 58.6

$88.2 CA$124

-33.59%

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

$25.83 PAB 25.83

$36.72 CA$51.5

-29.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.71 PAB 41.71

$49.81 CA$69.8

-16.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 PAB 83.2

$45.34 CA$63.6

83.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.84 PAB 17.84

$12.13 CA$17.00

47.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 PAB 6.57

$12.55 CA$17.59

-47.65%

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

$1,055 CA$1,479

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,105 PAB 6,105

$28.5K CA$39.9K

-78.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.55 PAB 24.55

$56.4 CA$79.1

-56.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.29 PAB 25.29

$34.37 CA$48.18

-26.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.76 PAB 45.76

$89.8 CA$126

-49.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 PAB 814

$1,738 CA$2,436

-53.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 PAB 706

$1,528 CA$2,143

-53.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 PAB 1,554

$3,107 CA$4,355

-49.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 PAB 1,303

$2,547 CA$3,570

-48.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,163 PAB 1,163

$8,540 CA$12.0K

-86.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,152 PAB 1,152

$6,328 CA$8,870

-81.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$800 PAB 800

$3,770 CA$5,284

-78.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.24

53.30%

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

Last update for Boquete: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boquete

$706 48.4%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 117% $823

Groceries & Markets

Boquete

$294 20.2%

Vancouver

$398 14.9% 35.4% $104

Eating Out

Boquete

$152 10.4%

Vancouver

$281 10.5% 85.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boquete

$126 8.6%

Vancouver

$175 6.5% 38.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Boquete

$96 6.6%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 26.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Boquete

$43 * 3%

Vancouver

$124 4.6% 188% $81

Getting Around

Boquete

$42 2.9%

Vancouver

$106 3.9% 152% $64

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 $1,738 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Boquete vs $71 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $398 per month, with Boquete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Boquete

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

00:18 12:18 AM

2 h behind Boquete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

631,486

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.891 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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 = 0.891 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Boquete Vancouver 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Boquete
Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boquete is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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 $1,738 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,459 per month in Boquete versus $2,683 in Vancouver – Boquete is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.