Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and Panama

Name: Panama
Address: PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $915 a month against $1,590 in Panama, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Panama
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Panama Living Index

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🇧🇷 Brazil

$915

/mo nomad

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil and in Panama

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Brazil vs $1,590 in Panama, rent included.

Brazil $915
Panama $1,590

A couple spends around $1,462 per month in Brazil vs $2,415 in Panama, rent included.

Brazil $1,462
Panama $2,415

A family of three spends $2,009 per month in Brazil vs $3,241 in Panama, rent included.

Brazil $2,009
Panama $3,241

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 42% lower than in Panama on average.

Brazil sits 32% below the global median, while Panama is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.73 R$34.09

$7.80 PAB 7.80

-13.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.26 R$174

$44.15 PAB 44.15

-22.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$40.47

$7.87 PAB 7.87

1.40%

Cappuccino

$2.16 R$10.97

$3.86 PAB 3.86

-44.04%

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

$1.30 R$6.61

$1.60 PAB 1.60

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 R$3.80

$1.40 PAB 1.40

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 R$9.95

$2.24 PAB 2.24

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R$15.52

$3.96 PAB 3.96

-22.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.54

$1.80 PAB 1.80

-39.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$8.54

$2.29 PAB 2.29

-26.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.50

$2.91 PAB 2.91

-56.01%

Eggs

$2.28 R$11.54

$2.49 PAB 2.49

-8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 R$50.2

$12.07 PAB 12.07

-17.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 R$22.21

$7.22 PAB 7.22

-39.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 R$43.78

$10.43 PAB 10.43

-17.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.04

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-43.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.42 PAB 1.42

-3.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.54

$3.61 PAB 3.61

-64.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R$8.37

$3.86 PAB 3.86

-57.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.04

$2.64 PAB 2.64

-54.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.78

$3.14 PAB 3.14

-63.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 R$4.15

$2.28 PAB 2.28

-64.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.91

$1.57 PAB 1.57

-50.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.31

$5.87 PAB 5.87

-58.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 R$40.84

$10.15 PAB 10.15

-20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R$7.00

$1.34 PAB 1.34

2.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$11.80

$2.40 PAB 2.40

-2.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.03

$0.44 PAB 0.44

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.39 R$240

$21.23 PAB 21.23

123.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 R$6.78

$2.49 PAB 2.49

-46.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.78 PAB 1.78

-44.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 R$39.66

$22.40 PAB 22.40

-65.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.18 PAB 1.18

10.17%

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

$23.6K R$119.6K

$21.6K PAB 21.6K

9.38%

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

$33.5K R$169.9K

$22.4K PAB 22.4K

49.28%

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

$84.8 R$430

$118 PAB 118

-28.17%

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

$12.97 R$65.8

$26.75 PAB 26.75

-51.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.05 R$107

$46.56 PAB 46.56

-54.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.33 R$133

$48.98 PAB 48.98

-46.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.36 R$139

$29.75 PAB 29.75

-8.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 R$36.87

$7.95 PAB 7.95

-8.55%

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

$342 R$1,732

$553 PAB 553

-38.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,086 R$46.1K

$8,030 PAB 8,030

13.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 R$276

$54.6 PAB 54.6

-0.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 R$254

$42.81 PAB 42.81

16.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 R$456

$89.0 PAB 89.0

1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 R$366

$105 PAB 105

-31.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 R$1,939

$939 PAB 939

-59.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 R$1,269

$701 PAB 701

-64.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 R$3,761

$1,709 PAB 1,709

-56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 R$2,540

$1,258 PAB 1,258

-60.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,935 R$9,811

$2,911 PAB 2,911

-33.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,294 R$6,558

$1,643 PAB 1,643

-21.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$537 R$2,722

$831 PAB 831

-35.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.17

6.37

75.35%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Panama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$250 27.4%

Panama

$701 44.1% 180% $451

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$199 21.8%

Panama

$303 19.1% 52.3% $104

Eating Out

Brazil

$128 14%

Panama

$163 10.3% 27.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$120 13.1%

Panama

$131 8.3% 9.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$119 13%

Panama

$191 12% 61.1% $73

Getting Around

Brazil

$58 6.3%

Panama

$34 2.2% 40.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$41 4.5%

Panama

$65 4.1% 58.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $353 in Brazil vs $336 in Panama. For reference, capital cities sit at $507 in Brasilia and $1,257 in Panama City.

Average salary: $503 in Brazil vs $686 in Panama. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 5% higher in Brazil.

Dining out costs 11% more in Brazil.

Public transport is 1267% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 36% higher in Panama, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brazil.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇵🇦 Panama

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

2 h behind Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

4,098,587

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brazil Panama 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
Panama

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

Brazil vs Panama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 74% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Panama costs about 74% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Panama. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Brazil, but in Panama it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.