Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itu and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $747 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$747

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $747 per month in Itu vs $1,857 in Panama City, rent included.

Itu $747
Panama City $1,857

A couple spends around $1,375 per month in Itu vs $2,815 in Panama City, rent included.

Itu $1,375
Panama City $2,815

A family of three spends $2,003 per month in Itu vs $3,773 in Panama City, rent included.

Itu $2,003
Panama City $3,773

Itu is about 60% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Itu sits 45% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.85 R$29.63

$11.68 PAB 11.68

-49.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.82 R$207

$47.76 PAB 47.76

-14.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.36 R$32.23

$8.12 PAB 8.12

-21.67%

Cappuccino

$1.93 R$9.77

$4.23 PAB 4.23

-54.37%

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

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-56.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.66

$1.58 PAB 1.58

-67.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.52

$3.31 PAB 3.31

-25.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 R$22.05

$3.98 PAB 3.98

9.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.73

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$7.43

$2.63 PAB 2.63

-44.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.79

$3.39 PAB 3.39

-66.37%

Eggs

$2.70 R$13.71

$2.67 PAB 2.67

1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 R$44.49

$12.21 PAB 12.21

-28.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 R$20.58

$6.91 PAB 6.91

-41.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.17 R$31.29

$10.58 PAB 10.58

-41.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.34

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-55.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.30

$1.97 PAB 1.97

-26.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.18

$4.06 PAB 4.06

-79.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-56.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.15

$3.47 PAB 3.47

-70.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.21

$4.26 PAB 4.26

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.18

$2.44 PAB 2.44

-65.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.48

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-71.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 R$14.64

$5.83 PAB 5.83

-50.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 R$31.38

$11.43 PAB 11.43

-45.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 R$8.65

$1.38 PAB 1.38

23.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 R$10.50

$2.76 PAB 2.76

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.04

$0.33 PAB 0.33

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.71 R$222

$20.63 PAB 20.63

111.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 R$4.94

$2.55 PAB 2.55

-61.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.15

$1.78 PAB 1.78

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.46 R$47.96

$22.17 PAB 22.17

-57.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.18

$1.24 PAB 1.24

-17.74%

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

$24.1K R$122.2K

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

-1.24%

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

$28.4K R$143.8K

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

33.26%

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

$43.68 R$221

$131 PAB 131

-66.73%

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

$12.01 R$60.9

$27.83 PAB 27.83

-56.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.17 R$87.1

$49.32 PAB 49.32

-65.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.62 R$130

$45.69 PAB 45.69

-43.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 R$142

$34.10 PAB 34.10

-17.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 R$25.72

$8.47 PAB 8.47

-40.14%

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

$432 R$2,188

$553 PAB 553

-22.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,615 R$38.6K

$9,719 PAB 9,719

-21.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 R$256

$66.4 PAB 66.4

-24.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 R$205

$47.39 PAB 47.39

-14.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 R$351

$95.7 PAB 95.7

-27.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.27 R$250

$113 PAB 113

-56.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 R$1,639

$1,322 PAB 1,322

-75.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 R$1,003

$874 PAB 874

-77.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R$4,125

$2,153 PAB 2,153

-62.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,339

$1,580 PAB 1,580

-58.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,739 R$8,813

$3,097 PAB 3,097

-43.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,190 R$6,031

$1,698 PAB 1,698

-29.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$296 R$1,501

$914 PAB 914

-67.61%

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 Itu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itu

$198 26.5%

Panama City

$874 47.1% 342% $676

Groceries & Markets

Itu

$177 23.7%

Panama City

$327 17.6% 84.7% $150

Eating Out

Itu

$115 15.5%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 79.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Itu

$94 12.6%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 53.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itu

$73 9.8%

Panama City

$208 11.2% 186% $136

Getting Around

Itu

$54 7.2%

Panama City

$33 1.8% 37.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Itu

$36 4.8%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 75.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $323 in Itu versus $1,322 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 run about 209% higher in Panama City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Itu versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $327 – making Itu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itu

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

2 h behind Itu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,240

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

Itu Panama City 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Itu
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $747 in Itu, $1,857 in Panama City – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,120 per month in Itu and $2,786 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itu, 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 $41.00 in Itu and $48.00 in Panama City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $747 in Itu and $1,857 in Panama City. That's a gap of about 149%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itu, where all-in costs run around $747, than in Panama City at $1,857. In Itu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City 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 $747 in Itu to $1,857 in Panama City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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