Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukuoka and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukuoka: $1,306 a month against $1,982 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,306

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,306 per month in Fukuoka vs $1,982 in Panama City, rent included.

Fukuoka $1,306
Panama City $1,982

A couple spends around $2,035 per month in Fukuoka vs $2,933 in Panama City, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,035
Panama City $2,933

A family of three spends $2,764 per month in Fukuoka vs $3,885 in Panama City, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,764
Panama City $3,885

Fukuoka is about 34% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Fukuoka sits 2% below the global median, while Panama City is 48% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.79 ¥1,244

$11.56 PAB 11.56

-32.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.28 ¥6,914

$48.33 PAB 48.33

-10.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 ¥1,063

$8.06 PAB 8.06

-17.49%

Cappuccino

$3.71 ¥593

$4.01 PAB 4.01

-7.48%

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

$1.01 ¥161

$2.02 PAB 2.02

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$1.55 PAB 1.55

-54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥590

$3.20 PAB 3.20

15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥343

$4.01 PAB 4.01

-46.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥259

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-12.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 ¥308

$2.63 PAB 2.63

-26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.03 ¥964

$3.39 PAB 3.39

77.88%

Eggs

$2.18 ¥348

$2.81 PAB 2.81

-22.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.25 ¥2,915

$12.17 PAB 12.17

49.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 ¥884

$6.94 PAB 6.94

-20.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.74 ¥2,994

$10.66 PAB 10.66

75.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 ¥588

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-11.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ¥301

$1.87 PAB 1.87

0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥460

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-31.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 ¥535

$4.17 PAB 4.17

-19.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 ¥351

$3.45 PAB 3.45

-36.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ¥402

$4.36 PAB 4.36

-42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ¥171

$2.35 PAB 2.35

-54.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥146

$1.79 PAB 1.79

-49.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥609

$6.04 PAB 6.04

-36.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.14 ¥981

$11.55 PAB 11.55

-46.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥274

$1.37 PAB 1.37

25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥302

$2.84 PAB 2.84

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ¥212

$0.34 PAB 0.34

291.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.7 ¥8,414

$20.79 PAB 20.79

153.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ¥625

$2.46 PAB 2.46

58.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 ¥358

$1.82 PAB 1.82

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 ¥3,415

$22.06 PAB 22.06

-3.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥169

$1.20 PAB 1.20

-11.67%

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

$22.1K ¥3.5M

$25.0K PAB 25.0K

-11.79%

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

$15.4K ¥2.5M

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

-26.39%

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

$216 ¥34.5K

$132 PAB 132

63.79%

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

$25.20 ¥4,026

$27.98 PAB 27.98

-9.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.81 ¥5,241

$48.32 PAB 48.32

-32.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.18 ¥6,738

$41.34 PAB 41.34

2.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.94 ¥1,587

$35.19 PAB 35.19

-71.75%

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 ¥1,983

$8.67 PAB 8.67

43.14%

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

$690 ¥110.2K

$546 PAB 546

26.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ¥2.8M

$20.7K PAB 20.7K

-15.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 ¥7,911

$65.7 PAB 65.7

-24.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.22 ¥4,189

$48.51 PAB 48.51

-45.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 ¥10.8K

$95.2 PAB 95.2

-29.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.67 ¥7,615

$114 PAB 114

-58.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥84.1K

$1,375 PAB 1,375

-61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥53.2K

$1,005 PAB 1,005

-66.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 ¥180.9K

$2,279 PAB 2,279

-50.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 ¥114.1K

$1,700 PAB 1,700

-57.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,475 ¥714.9K

$3,146 PAB 3,146

42.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,646 ¥422.6K

$1,773 PAB 1,773

49.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,204 ¥352.1K

$879 PAB 879

150.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

6.39

-69.17%

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

Last update for Fukuoka: November 7, 2026

Last update for Panama City: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fukuoka

$333 25.5%

Panama City

$1K 50.7% 202% $672

Groceries & Markets

Fukuoka

$317 24.2%

Panama City

$328 16.6% 3.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukuoka

$274 21%

Panama City

$208 10.5% 24% $66

Eating Out

Fukuoka

$156 12%

Panama City

$203 10.3% 29.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Fukuoka

$86 6.6%

Panama City

$145 7.3% 69.2% $59

Getting Around

Fukuoka

$73 5.6%

Panama City

$34 1.7% 53.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Fukuoka

$67 5.1%

Panama City

$59 3% 12.4% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Fukuoka versus $1,375 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.

Salaries in Fukuoka are about 2.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Fukuoka versus $48 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $328 – making Fukuoka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

00:31 12:31 AM

14 h behind Fukuoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,612,392

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.26 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 12, 2026: 1 USD = 160 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.26 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of November 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.11 PAB (1 PAB = 0.898 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fukuoka Panama City 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Fukuoka
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,306 in Fukuoka, $1,982 in Panama City – Fukuoka comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,959 per month in Fukuoka and $2,973 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fukuoka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $1,375 in Panama City.

Kindergarten costs $690 per month in Fukuoka and $546 in Panama City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Panama City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fukuoka costs $1,306 versus $1,982 in Panama City. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.