Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burns Lake and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,855 a month against $2,212 in Burns Lake, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Burns Lake
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Burns Lake Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Burns Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burns Lake and in Panama City

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

A single person spends $2,212 per month in Burns Lake vs $1,855 in Panama City, rent included.

Burns Lake $2,212
Panama City $1,855

A couple spends around $3,200 per month in Burns Lake vs $2,804 in Panama City, rent included.

Burns Lake $3,200
Panama City $2,804

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Burns Lake vs $3,753 in Panama City, rent included.

Burns Lake $4,187
Panama City $3,753

Burns Lake costs about 19% more than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burns Lake and Panama City sit above the global median – Burns Lake by 64%, Panama City by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.66 CA$22.14

$11.63 PAB 11.63

34.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.4 CA$101

$47.92 PAB 47.92

48.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 CA$14.70

$7.96 PAB 7.96

30.65%

Cappuccino

$3.73 CA$5.27

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-11.61%

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

$2.06 CA$2.91

$2.01 PAB 2.01

2.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.56 PAB 1.56

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 CA$6.83

$3.39 PAB 3.39

42.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 CA$6.90

$3.94 PAB 3.94

23.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-6.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 CA$3.16

$2.56 PAB 2.56

-12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.94

$3.48 PAB 3.48

0.29%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.69 PAB 2.69

18.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 CA$13.43

$12.57 PAB 12.57

-24.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 CA$13.84

$6.83 PAB 6.83

43.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.72 CA$17.99

$10.58 PAB 10.58

20.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-13.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-26.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.38

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-9.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 CA$5.57

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-2.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.50

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-29.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-51.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.75

$2.41 PAB 2.41

9.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.55

$1.69 PAB 1.69

6.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$6.14 PAB 6.14

131.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 CA$18.16

$11.30 PAB 11.30

13.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 CA$3.61

$1.42 PAB 1.42

80.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 CA$3.84

$2.73 PAB 2.73

-0.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.34

$0.33 PAB 0.33

618.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 CA$78.1

$21.23 PAB 21.23

160.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$2.52 PAB 2.52

12.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-11.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.84

$21.78 PAB 21.78

3.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.25 PAB 1.25

-4.80%

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

$26.0K CA$36.8K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

22.41%

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

$18.1K CA$25.6K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

-14.03%

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

$132 CA$187

$130 PAB 130

1.76%

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

$38.50 CA$54.4

$28.13 PAB 28.13

36.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$74.3

$48.21 PAB 48.21

9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 CA$57.1

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-11.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.07 CA$25.54

$34.92 PAB 34.92

-48.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.00 CA$15.56

$8.67 PAB 8.67

26.87%

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

$756 CA$1,068

$544 PAB 544

38.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CA$15.6K

$9,697 PAB 9,697

13.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 CA$84.3

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-10.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.17 CA$61.0

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-12.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 CA$117

$93.9 PAB 93.9

-11.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 CA$157

$112 PAB 112

-0.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 CA$1,774

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-0.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 CA$1,607

$875 PAB 875

29.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 CA$2,739

$2,155 PAB 2,155

-10.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 CA$2,432

$1,564 PAB 1,564

10.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,807 CA$6,795

$3,122 PAB 3,122

53.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 CA$4,424

$1,709 PAB 1,709

83.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

6.39

-27.07%

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

Last update for Burns Lake: October 12, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burns Lake

$1.1K 51.4%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 23% $262

Groceries & Markets

Burns Lake

$331 15%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 1.7% $5.7

Eating Out

Burns Lake

$249 11.3%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 17.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burns Lake

$223 10.1%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 7.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Burns Lake

$134 6%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 8.2% $11

Getting Around

Burns Lake

$76 3.4%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 54.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Burns Lake

$62 2.8%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,255 in Burns Lake versus $1,257 in Panama City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Burns Lake versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $325 – making Panama City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burns Lake

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

15:58 3:58 PM

2 h ahead of Burns Lake

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,779

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burns Lake Panama City 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Burns Lake
Panama City

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

Burns Lake vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burns Lake costs about 19% more than Panama City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,318 per month in Burns Lake and $2,783 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Panama City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Burns Lake, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Burns Lake and $48.00 in Panama City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Panama City, where all-in costs run around $1,855, than in Burns Lake at $2,212. In Panama City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burns Lake it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Panama City costs $1,855 versus $2,212 in Burns Lake. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Panama City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burns Lake makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.