Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: $1,661 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,661

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Panama City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,661 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,837 in Panama City, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,661
Panama City $1,837

A couple spends around $2,454 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,825 in Panama City, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,454
Panama City $2,825

A family of three spends $3,248 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $3,812 in Panama City, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,248
Panama City $3,812

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is about 10% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Panama City sit above the global median – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 24%, Panama City by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MX$188

$11.34 PAB 11.34

-9.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.6 MX$920

$47.85 PAB 47.85

5.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 MX$185

$8.07 PAB 8.07

25.65%

Cappuccino

$3.53 MX$64.2

$4.02 PAB 4.02

-12.19%

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

$1.49 MX$27.18

$1.94 PAB 1.94

-23.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$17.99

$1.62 PAB 1.62

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 MX$45.60

$3.26 PAB 3.26

-23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$81.3

$3.99 PAB 3.99

12.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.19

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-3.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 MX$57.8

$2.57 PAB 2.57

23.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 MX$46.61

$3.33 PAB 3.33

-23.12%

Eggs

$2.35 MX$42.81

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-12.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 MX$211

$12.33 PAB 12.33

-5.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 MX$184

$6.69 PAB 6.69

51.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 MX$249

$10.40 PAB 10.40

31.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$49.60

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-34.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.14

$1.84 PAB 1.84

-15.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 MX$28.97

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-61.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.52

$4.08 PAB 4.08

-57.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 MX$22.88

$3.50 PAB 3.50

-64.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 MX$33.58

$4.37 PAB 4.37

-57.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 MX$50.5

$2.34 PAB 2.34

18.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.17

$1.75 PAB 1.75

-27.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.06 MX$92.1

$6.06 PAB 6.06

-16.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 MX$204

$11.72 PAB 11.72

-4.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.11

$1.37 PAB 1.37

8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 MX$64.2

$2.84 PAB 2.84

24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$15.83

$0.36 PAB 0.36

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 MX$967

$20.96 PAB 20.96

153.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MX$79.4

$2.52 PAB 2.52

73.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 MX$55.6

$1.79 PAB 1.79

70.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 MX$193

$22.01 PAB 22.01

-51.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$1.25 PAB 1.25

16.80%

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

$21.5K MX$390.4K

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

-0.34%

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

$24.4K MX$443.9K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

15.15%

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

$86.9 MX$1,580

$131 PAB 131

-33.79%

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

$25.56 MX$465

$27.68 PAB 27.68

-7.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.06 MX$583

$48.59 PAB 48.59

-34.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.89 MX$835

$46.11 PAB 46.11

-0.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.59 MX$557

$35.01 PAB 35.01

-12.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MX$77.1

$8.73 PAB 8.73

-51.43%

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

$231 MX$4,207

$551 PAB 551

-57.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,373 MX$152.3K

$9,560 PAB 9,560

-12.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MX$1,323

$67.6 PAB 67.6

7.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 MX$970

$48.03 PAB 48.03

11.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 MX$1,768

$94.9 PAB 94.9

2.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.5 MX$1,229

$113 PAB 113

-40.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 MX$21.8K

$1,238 PAB 1,238

-3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 MX$13.8K

$873 PAB 873

-13.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 MX$46.3K

$2,197 PAB 2,197

15.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 MX$22.1K

$1,538 PAB 1,538

-21.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,814 MX$69.4K

$3,116 PAB 3,116

22.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,196 MX$39.9K

$1,725 PAB 1,725

27.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.8K

$934 PAB 934

-19.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

6.39

81.53%

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

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 5, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$758 45.8%

Panama City

$873 47.2% 15.1% $115

Groceries & Markets

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$304 18.4%

Panama City

$324 17.5% 6.6% $20

Eating Out

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$187 11.3%

Panama City

$202 10.9% 8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$144 8.7%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 43.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$131 7.9%

Panama City

$146 7.9% 11.2% $15

Getting Around

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$76 4.6%

Panama City

$34 1.8% 55.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$54 3.3%

Panama City

$64 3.4% 16.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,197 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $1,238 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.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Panama City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $48.00 in Panama City. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $324 in Panama City – so Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

01:03 1:03 AM

2 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Panama City 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,491 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $2,756 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 154% less in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $231 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $551 in Panama City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,661, than in Panama City at $1,837. In Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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