Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Franco da Rocha and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Franco da Rocha: $921 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Franco da Rocha
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Franco da Rocha Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Franco da Rocha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$921

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $921 in Franco da Rocha versus $1,857 in Panama City.

Franco da Rocha $921
Panama City $1,857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Franco da Rocha versus $2,815 in Panama City.

Franco da Rocha $1,501
Panama City $2,815

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,082 in Franco da Rocha versus $3,773 in Panama City.

Franco da Rocha $2,082
Panama City $3,773

Living in Franco da Rocha costs roughly 50% less than in Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Franco da Rocha is 32% below, Panama City is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.14 R$36.22

$11.68 PAB 11.68

-38.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.83 R$207

$47.76 PAB 47.76

-14.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 R$45.58

$8.12 PAB 8.12

10.71%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.63

$4.23 PAB 4.23

-45.86%

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

$1.69 R$8.58

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-11.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 R$6.15

$1.58 PAB 1.58

-23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 R$14.40

$3.31 PAB 3.31

-14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 R$22.51

$3.98 PAB 3.98

11.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.13

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-36.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 R$10.08

$2.63 PAB 2.63

-24.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.87

$3.39 PAB 3.39

-65.78%

Eggs

$2.69 R$13.64

$2.67 PAB 2.67

0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 R$46.01

$12.21 PAB 12.21

-25.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 R$23.35

$6.91 PAB 6.91

-33.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.71 R$54.3

$10.58 PAB 10.58

1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 R$14.65

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-30.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.38

$1.97 PAB 1.97

-6.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 R$9.41

$4.06 PAB 4.06

-54.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-56.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.04

$3.47 PAB 3.47

-59.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.96

$4.26 PAB 4.26

-67.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 R$4.84

$2.44 PAB 2.44

-60.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 R$3.83

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-55.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 R$14.36

$5.83 PAB 5.83

-51.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.77 R$44.45

$11.43 PAB 11.43

-23.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 R$8.38

$1.38 PAB 1.38

19.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 R$10.65

$2.76 PAB 2.76

-23.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.23

$0.33 PAB 0.33

212.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.86 R$222

$20.63 PAB 20.63

112.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 R$6.82

$2.55 PAB 2.55

-47.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 R$7.00

$1.78 PAB 1.78

-22.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.48 R$48.06

$22.17 PAB 22.17

-57.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.59

$1.24 PAB 1.24

4.84%

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

$24.1K R$122.3K

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

-1.13%

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

$33.5K R$169.8K

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

57.32%

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

$44.25 R$224

$131 PAB 131

-66.30%

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

$14.27 R$72.3

$27.83 PAB 27.83

-48.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 R$94.8

$49.32 PAB 49.32

-62.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.88 R$131

$45.69 PAB 45.69

-43.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 R$142

$34.10 PAB 34.10

-17.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 R$41.08

$8.47 PAB 8.47

-4.37%

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

$429 R$2,175

$553 PAB 553

-22.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,811 R$39.6K

$9,719 PAB 9,719

-19.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 R$283

$66.4 PAB 66.4

-16.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 R$304

$47.39 PAB 47.39

26.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 R$480

$95.7 PAB 95.7

-0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 R$429

$113 PAB 113

-24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 R$1,809

$1,322 PAB 1,322

-73.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 R$1,241

$874 PAB 874

-72.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,411

$2,153 PAB 2,153

-68.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 R$2,354

$1,580 PAB 1,580

-70.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,687 R$8,554

$3,097 PAB 3,097

-45.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,183 R$5,998

$1,698 PAB 1,698

-30.33%

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 Franco da Rocha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Franco da Rocha

$245 26.6%

Panama City

$874 47.1% 257% $630

Groceries & Markets

Franco da Rocha

$222 24.1%

Panama City

$327 17.6% 47.3% $105

Eating Out

Franco da Rocha

$146 15.9%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 41.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Franco da Rocha

$133 14.4%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 9.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Franco da Rocha

$77 8.4%

Panama City

$208 11.2% 170% $131

Getting Around

Franco da Rocha

$56 6.1%

Panama City

$33 1.8% 40.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Franco da Rocha

$42 4.6%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 48.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $357 in Franco da Rocha and $1,322 in Panama City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $41.00 in Franco da Rocha vs $48.00 in Panama City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $327 per month, with Franco da Rocha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Franco da Rocha

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

2 h behind Franco da Rocha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,849

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

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Highest

Between locations

Franco da Rocha Panama City 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Franco da Rocha
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

Franco da Rocha vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Franco da Rocha and Panama City differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($921 vs $1,857 including rent). Franco da Rocha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,382 in Franco da Rocha and $2,786 in Panama City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $357 in Franco da Rocha versus $1,322 in Panama City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $921 per month in Franco da Rocha versus $1,857 in Panama City – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Franco da Rocha runs roughly 113% less than in Panama City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $921 in Franco da Rocha versus $1,857 in Panama City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Franco da Rocha but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Franco da Rocha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Franco da Rocha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.