Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerquilho and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerquilho: $805 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Cerquilho
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Cerquilho Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
Learn more

Panama City Living Index

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Cerquilho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$805

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cerquilho 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 Cerquilho and in Panama City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $805 per month in Cerquilho vs $1,857 in Panama City, rent included.

Cerquilho $805
Panama City $1,857

A couple spends around $1,302 per month in Cerquilho vs $2,815 in Panama City, rent included.

Cerquilho $1,302
Panama City $2,815

A family of three spends $1,799 per month in Cerquilho vs $3,773 in Panama City, rent included.

Cerquilho $1,799
Panama City $3,773

Cerquilho is about 57% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cerquilho sits 41% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.97 R$35.32

$11.68 PAB 11.68

-40.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 R$160

$47.76 PAB 47.76

-34.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 R$40.92

$8.12 PAB 8.12

-0.62%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R$9.92

$4.23 PAB 4.23

-53.66%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-16.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 R$5.83

$1.58 PAB 1.58

-27.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 R$5.94

$3.31 PAB 3.31

-64.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$15.10

$3.98 PAB 3.98

-25.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.34

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-34.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.29

$2.63 PAB 2.63

-37.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.06

$3.39 PAB 3.39

-64.60%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.27

$2.67 PAB 2.67

5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 R$45.18

$12.21 PAB 12.21

-27.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.98 R$10.04

$6.91 PAB 6.91

-71.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.03 R$30.58

$10.58 PAB 10.58

-43.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 R$10.01

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-52.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R$9.60

$1.97 PAB 1.97

-4.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.98

$4.06 PAB 4.06

-70.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.21

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-56.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.89

$3.47 PAB 3.47

-60.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 R$3.12

$4.26 PAB 4.26

-85.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 R$4.61

$2.44 PAB 2.44

-62.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.99

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-65.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.42 R$7.20

$5.83 PAB 5.83

-75.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.79 R$44.55

$11.43 PAB 11.43

-23.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.91

$1.38 PAB 1.38

-15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R$10.36

$2.76 PAB 2.76

-26.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.33 PAB 0.33

206.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.66 R$221

$20.63 PAB 20.63

111.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 R$6.76

$2.55 PAB 2.55

-47.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 R$7.20

$1.78 PAB 1.78

-20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.47 R$48.03

$22.17 PAB 22.17

-57.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$5.97

$1.24 PAB 1.24

-4.84%

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

$24.4K R$123.5K

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

-0.18%

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

$34.7K R$175.9K

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

62.98%

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

$43.05 R$218

$131 PAB 131

-67.21%

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

$14.29 R$72.4

$27.83 PAB 27.83

-48.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.76 R$79.9

$49.32 PAB 49.32

-68.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.01 R$132

$45.69 PAB 45.69

-43.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.01 R$142

$34.10 PAB 34.10

-17.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.79 R$39.49

$8.47 PAB 8.47

-8.03%

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

$434 R$2,200

$553 PAB 553

-21.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,823 R$39.7K

$9,719 PAB 9,719

-19.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.52 R$175

$66.4 PAB 66.4

-48.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.94 R$101

$47.39 PAB 47.39

-57.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 R$305

$95.7 PAB 95.7

-37.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 R$429

$113 PAB 113

-24.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,794

$1,322 PAB 1,322

-73.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 R$1,218

$874 PAB 874

-72.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 R$3,443

$2,153 PAB 2,153

-68.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 R$2,388

$1,580 PAB 1,580

-70.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 R$8,696

$3,097 PAB 3,097

-44.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 R$6,209

$1,698 PAB 1,698

-27.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

6.39

74.02%

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

Last update for Cerquilho: October 19, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cerquilho

$240 29.8%

Panama City

$874 47.1% 264% $634

Groceries & Markets

Cerquilho

$178 22.1%

Panama City

$327 17.6% 83.3% $148

Eating Out

Cerquilho

$126 15.7%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 63.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Cerquilho

$90 11.1%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 61.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerquilho

$73 9.1%

Panama City

$208 11.2% 185% $135

Getting Around

Cerquilho

$56 7%

Panama City

$33 1.8% 40.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cerquilho

$42 5.2%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 50.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $354 in Cerquilho versus $1,322 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 $31.00 in Cerquilho versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $327 – making Cerquilho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cerquilho

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

2 h behind Cerquilho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,695

1,086,990 Capital

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cerquilho Panama City 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cerquilho
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

Cerquilho vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City costs about 131% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,208 per month in Cerquilho and $2,786 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Cerquilho and $553 in Panama City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Panama City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerquilho, where all-in costs run around $805, than in Panama City at $1,857. In Cerquilho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cerquilho costs $805 versus $1,857 in Panama City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cerquilho. 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.