Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort St John, BC and Panama City

For one person, living costs are similar in Fort St John, BC and in Panama City: $1,913 and $1,855 a month, rent and utilities included.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,913

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,913 in Fort St John, BC versus $1,855 in Panama City.

Fort St John, BC $1,913
Panama City $1,855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,956 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,804 in Panama City.

Fort St John, BC $2,956
Panama City $2,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,000 in Fort St John, BC versus $3,753 in Panama City.

Fort St John, BC $4,000
Panama City $3,753

Living in Fort St John, BC is roughly 3% more expensive than in Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort St John, BC 42% above, Panama City 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 CA$24.37

$11.63 PAB 11.63

48.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.68 CA$58.9

$47.92 PAB 47.92

-13.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 CA$13.11

$7.96 PAB 7.96

16.58%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-9.00%

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

$1.71 CA$2.42

$2.01 PAB 2.01

-14.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.56 PAB 1.56

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.20 CA$8.76

$3.39 PAB 3.39

82.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 CA$6.51

$3.94 PAB 3.94

17.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.36 CA$4.75

$1.85 PAB 1.85

81.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 CA$3.91

$2.56 PAB 2.56

8.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.48 PAB 3.48

6.32%

Eggs

$3.93 CA$5.56

$2.69 PAB 2.69

46.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 CA$16.69

$12.57 PAB 12.57

-6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.63 CA$19.27

$6.83 PAB 6.83

99.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 CA$26.23

$10.58 PAB 10.58

75.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 CA$8.06

$4.18 PAB 4.18

36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 CA$0.95

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-63.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.30

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-10.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.95

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-13.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.86

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-21.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-33.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 CA$2.87

$2.41 PAB 2.41

-15.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$1.69 PAB 1.69

48.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$6.14 PAB 6.14

136.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 CA$29.44

$11.30 PAB 11.30

84.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.98 CA$7.04

$1.42 PAB 1.42

250.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 CA$7.80

$2.73 PAB 2.73

101.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$0.33 PAB 0.33

315.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.24 CA$39.92

$21.23 PAB 21.23

33.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.25 PAB 1.25

-6.40%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

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

$124 CA$175

$130 PAB 130

-4.60%

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

$96.6 CA$137

$28.13 PAB 28.13

243.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.4 CA$83.9

$48.21 PAB 48.21

23.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.11 CA$18.53

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-71.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.93

$8.67 PAB 8.67

21.80%

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

$707 CA$1,000

$544 PAB 544

29.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 CA$101

$66.8 PAB 66.8

6.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.86 CA$66.3

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-4.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 CA$149

$93.9 PAB 93.9

12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 CA$197

$112 PAB 112

24.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 CA$1,041

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-41.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 CA$979

$875 PAB 875

-20.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 CA$2,149

$2,155 PAB 2,155

-29.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 CA$1,951

$1,564 PAB 1,564

-11.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,001 CA$4,243

$916 PAB 916

227.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

6.39

-4.54%

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

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 10, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort St John, BC

$692 36.2%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 26.4% $183

Groceries & Markets

Fort St John, BC

$446 23.3%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 27% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort St John, BC

$280 14.6%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 26.3% $74

Eating Out

Fort St John, BC

$264 13.8%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 21.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Fort St John, BC

$163 8.5%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 11.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Fort St John, BC

$34 1.8%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 84.4% $29

Getting Around

Fort St John, BC

$34 * 1.8%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 2% $0.7

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 $737 in Fort St John, BC and $1,257 in Panama City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort St John, BC pays 228% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42.00 in Fort St John, BC vs $48.00 in Panama City. Groceries flip the comparison at $446 vs $325, with Panama City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

2 h ahead of Fort St John, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,609

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 = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fort St John, BC Panama City 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort St John, BC
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

Fort St John, BC vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 228% higher in Fort St John, BC, 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: $737 in Fort St John, BC versus $1,257 in Panama City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Panama City – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,913 per month in Fort St John, BC versus $1,855 in Panama City – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,855 in Panama City versus $1,913 in Fort St John, BC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in Fort St John, BC. The gap between the two cities makes Panama City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Panama City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fort St John, BC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Panama City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Fort St John, BC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.