Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerritos, CA and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,837 a month against $3,104 in Cerritos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Cerritos, CA
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Cerritos, CA Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Cerritos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,104

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,104 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $1,837 in Panama City, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,104
Panama City $1,837

A couple spends around $3,246 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $2,825 in Panama City, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,246
Panama City $2,825

A family of three spends $3,389 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $3,812 in Panama City, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,389
Panama City $3,812

Cerritos, CA costs about 69% more than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cerritos, CA and Panama City sit above the global median – Cerritos, CA by 132%, Panama City by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.23 $25.23

$11.34 PAB 11.34

122.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$47.85 PAB 47.85

112.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.93 $15.93

$8.07 PAB 8.07

97.40%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.02 PAB 4.02

39.55%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.94 PAB 1.94

60.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.62 PAB 1.62

66.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.26 PAB 3.26

151.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 $9.98

$3.99 PAB 3.99

150.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-27.32%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.57 PAB 2.57

90.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.33 PAB 3.33

37.24%

Eggs

$5.78 $5.78

$2.69 PAB 2.69

114.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 $11.63

$12.33 PAB 12.33

-5.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$6.69 PAB 6.69

32.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$10.40 PAB 10.40

85.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$4.16 PAB 4.16

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.84 PAB 1.84

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$4.18 PAB 4.18

7.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$4.08 PAB 4.08

35.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.50 PAB 3.50

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$4.37 PAB 4.37

-33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.34 PAB 2.34

-13.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.75 PAB 1.75

44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 $11.81

$6.06 PAB 6.06

94.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$11.72 PAB 11.72

27.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.37 PAB 1.37

82.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.84 PAB 2.84

-2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.52 PAB 2.52

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.79 PAB 1.79

2.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 $32.22

$22.01 PAB 22.01

46.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.25 PAB 1.25

28.80%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

69.52%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

21.04%

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

$221 $221

$131 PAB 131

68.32%

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

$76.4 $76.4

$27.68 PAB 27.68

175.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 $80.8

$48.59 PAB 48.59

66.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 $119

$46.11 PAB 46.11

157.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

Cinema Ticket

$20.17 $20.17

$8.73 PAB 8.73

131.04%

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

$1,157 $1,157

$551 PAB 551

110.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K $32.8K

$9,560 PAB 9,560

242.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$67.6 PAB 67.6

-7.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 $47.80

$48.03 PAB 48.03

-0.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$94.9 PAB 94.9

20.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$113 PAB 113

-9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 $1,968

$1,238 PAB 1,238

59.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 $1,624

$873 PAB 873

85.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,556 $3,556

$2,197 PAB 2,197

61.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

6.39

-1.25%

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

Last update for Cerritos, CA: 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

Cerritos, CA

$1.6K 51.6%

Panama City

$873 47.2% 46.2% $751

Groceries & Markets

Cerritos, CA

$427 13.6%

Panama City

$324 17.5% 24% $102

Eating Out

Cerritos, CA

$401 12.7%

Panama City

$202 10.9% 49.7% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerritos, CA

$378 12%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 45.1% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Cerritos, CA

$159 5.1%

Panama City

$64 3.4% 60% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Cerritos, CA

$147 4.7%

Panama City

$146 7.9% 1% $1.5

Getting Around

Cerritos, CA

$12 * 0.4%

Panama City

$34 1.8% 176% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,968 in Cerritos, CA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Cerritos, CA versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $427 vs $324 – making Panama City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cerritos, CA

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

12:48 12:48 PM

2 h ahead of Cerritos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,041

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

PAB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cerritos, CA Panama City 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cerritos, CA
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

Cerritos, CA vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,104 in Cerritos, CA, $1,837 in Panama City – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,655 per month in Cerritos, CA 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 Panama City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Cerritos, CA and $48.00 in Panama City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Cerritos, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Panama City, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Cerritos, CA at $3,104. In Panama City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cerritos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Panama City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Panama City to $3,104 in Cerritos, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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