Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Great Falls, MT and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,972 a month against $2,223 in Great Falls, MT, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Great Falls, MT
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Great Falls, MT Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Great Falls, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,223

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $1,972 in Panama City, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $2,223
Panama City $1,972

A couple spends around $3,105 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $2,930 in Panama City, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $3,105
Panama City $2,930

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $3,888 in Panama City, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $3,987
Panama City $3,888

Great Falls, MT costs about 13% more than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Great Falls, MT and Panama City sit above the global median – Great Falls, MT by 64%, Panama City by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$11.37 PAB 11.37

32.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.24 $39.24

$46.69 PAB 46.69

-15.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.70 $9.70

$7.98 PAB 7.98

21.55%

Cappuccino

$4.38 $4.38

$4.12 PAB 4.12

6.31%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$2.01 PAB 2.01

21.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.57 PAB 1.57

24.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.28 PAB 3.28

82.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.88 PAB 3.88

56.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.82 PAB 1.82

-39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.61 PAB 2.61

27.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$3.45 PAB 3.45

44.93%

Eggs

$3.27 $3.27

$2.68 PAB 2.68

22.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$12.42 PAB 12.42

33.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$6.73 PAB 6.73

51.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 $12.15

$10.44 PAB 10.44

16.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$4.21 PAB 4.21

17.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.95 PAB 1.95

-28.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$4.07 PAB 4.07

1.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$4.02 PAB 4.02

-45.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.46 PAB 3.46

-30.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$4.42 PAB 4.42

-34.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.43 PAB 2.43

-1.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.72 PAB 1.72

90.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.47 $8.47

$6.04 PAB 6.04

40.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.94 $17.94

$11.68 PAB 11.68

53.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.41 PAB 1.41

42.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.74 PAB 2.74

61.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$20.65 PAB 20.65

44.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.45 PAB 2.45

151.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.76 PAB 1.76

-23.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.70 $39.70

$21.86 PAB 21.86

81.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.20 PAB 1.20

-18.33%

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

$32.7K $32.7K

$24.6K PAB 24.6K

33.30%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$20.9K PAB 20.9K

15.31%

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

$131 $131

$132 PAB 132

-0.68%

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

$39.45 $39.45

$27.89 PAB 27.89

41.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$49.10 PAB 49.10

39.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 $63.4

$44.53 PAB 44.53

42.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 PAB 34.01

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 $11.57

$8.70 PAB 8.70

32.99%

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

$927 $927

$537 PAB 537

72.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$20.5K PAB 20.5K

-13.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.14 $25.14

$65.8 PAB 65.8

-61.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.60 $29.60

$48.45 PAB 48.45

-38.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 $80.7

$95.4 PAB 95.4

-15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 $64.4

$114 PAB 114

-43.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$1,405 PAB 1,405

1.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 $1,111

$994 PAB 994

11.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,626 $2,626

$2,221 PAB 2,221

18.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 $1,655

$1,714 PAB 1,714

-3.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,207 $2,207

$3,139 PAB 3,139

-29.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,724 PAB 1,724

27.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,555 $3,555

$936 PAB 936

279.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

6.39

-2.97%

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

Last update for Great Falls, MT: November 3, 2026

Last update for Panama City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Great Falls, MT

$1.1K 50%

Panama City

$994 50.4% 10.5% $117

Groceries & Markets

Great Falls, MT

$392 17.7%

Panama City

$326 16.5% 17% $67

Eating Out

Great Falls, MT

$262 11.8%

Panama City

$203 10.3% 22.5% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Great Falls, MT

$239 10.7%

Panama City

$209 10.6% 12.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Great Falls, MT

$90 4.1%

Panama City

$145 7.4% 61.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Great Falls, MT

$87 3.9%

Panama City

$62 3.1% 28.4% $25

Getting Around

Great Falls, MT

$43 * 1.9%

Panama City

$33 1.7% 22.2% $9.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,420 in Great Falls, MT versus $1,405 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 Great Falls, MT are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Great Falls, MT versus $47 in Panama City. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Great Falls, MT vs $326 in Panama City – so Panama City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Great Falls, MT

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

2 h ahead of Great Falls, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,442

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

PAB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Great Falls, MT Panama City 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Great Falls, MT
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

Great Falls, MT vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Great Falls, MT costs about 13% more than Panama City, 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 $3,334 per month in Great Falls, MT and $2,958 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,420 in Great Falls, MT and $1,405 in Panama City. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Great Falls, MT, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Great Falls, MT and $47 in Panama City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,223 in Great Falls, MT and $1,972 in Panama City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Panama City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,972 in Panama City to $2,223 in Great Falls, MT. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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