Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Boquete

For one person, living is cheaper in Boquete: $1,459 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Boquete
Learn more

Boquete Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Boquete

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Boquete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,297 in Calgary versus $1,459 in Boquete.

Calgary $2,297
Boquete $1,459

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,378 in Calgary versus $2,245 in Boquete.

Calgary $3,378
Boquete $2,245

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Calgary versus $3,032 in Boquete.

Calgary $4,459
Boquete $3,032

Living in Calgary is roughly 57% more expensive than in Boquete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 70% above, Boquete 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 CA$25.15

$6.61 PAB 6.61

171.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.5

$39.63 PAB 39.63

73.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.33

$7.68 PAB 7.68

42.45%

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.19

$3.72 PAB 3.72

-0.54%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$1.40 PAB 1.40

47.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.86

$1.15 PAB 1.15

77.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.05

$2.28 PAB 2.28

151.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$7.99

$4.88 PAB 4.88

16.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.77

$1.82 PAB 1.82

8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$2.12 PAB 2.12

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 CA$8.18

$2.22 PAB 2.22

163.06%

Eggs

$3.81 CA$5.35

$2.49 PAB 2.49

53.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 CA$15.15

$9.25 PAB 9.25

16.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.02 CA$15.45

$7.45 PAB 7.45

47.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 CA$25.06

$15.49 PAB 15.49

15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 CA$6.84

$4.47 PAB 4.47

9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.02 PAB 1.02

42.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.82

$4.53 PAB 4.53

-8.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.59

$2.18 PAB 2.18

83.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.26 PAB 2.26

29.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$2.23 PAB 2.23

35.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.74

$2.22 PAB 2.22

20.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$1.66 PAB 1.66

-5.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.77

$5.15 PAB 5.15

173.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.66

$7.97 PAB 7.97

93.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.51

$1.16 PAB 1.16

115.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.45

$2.65 PAB 2.65

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 CA$3.99

$1.37 PAB 1.37

108.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 CA$126

$25.26 PAB 25.26

257.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 CA$4.43

$0.98 PAB 0.98

222.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$2.02 PAB 2.02

-30.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 CA$38.49

$30.30 PAB 30.30

-9.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.17 PAB 1.17

0.85%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$25.5K PAB 25.5K

9.08%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$22.4K PAB 22.4K

-6.16%

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

$182 CA$255

$58.6 PAB 58.6

210.24%

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

$36.01 CA$50.5

$25.83 PAB 25.83

39.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.80 CA$68.4

$41.71 PAB 41.71

17.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 CA$68.4

$83.2 PAB 83.2

-41.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.45

$17.84 PAB 17.84

1.74%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 CA$20.35

$6.57 PAB 6.57

121.00%

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

$542 CA$760

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K CA$29.7K

$6,105 PAB 6,105

246.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$82.8

$24.55 PAB 24.55

140.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 CA$59.4

$25.29 PAB 25.29

67.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 CA$132

$45.76 PAB 45.76

105.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 CA$1,702

$814 PAB 814

49.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 CA$1,453

$706 PAB 706

46.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 CA$2,867

$1,554 PAB 1,554

31.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CA$2,319

$1,303 PAB 1,303

26.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 CA$5,121

$1,163 PAB 1,163

213.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,183 CA$4,462

$1,152 PAB 1,152

176.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,512

$800 PAB 800

302.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.43

6.5

-31.85%

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

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Last update for Boquete: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45.1%

Boquete

$706 48.4% 31.9% $331

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$390 17%

Boquete

$294 20.2% 24.5% $96

Eating Out

Calgary

$277 12.1%

Boquete

$152 10.4% 45.2% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$267 11.6%

Boquete

$126 8.6% 52.7% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$137 6%

Boquete

$43 * 3% 68.6% $94

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 4.9%

Boquete

$42 2.9% 62.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$78 3.4%

Boquete

$96 6.6% 23.8% $19

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 $1,214 in Calgary and $814 in Boquete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Calgary vs $40 in Boquete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $294 per month, with Boquete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇵🇦 Boquete

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

04:44 4:44 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

7,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calgary Boquete 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Boquete

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

Calgary vs Boquete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boquete is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Calgary is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,214 in Calgary versus $814 in Boquete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Calgary. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,297 per month in Calgary versus $1,459 in Boquete – Boquete is about 36% 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 36% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.