Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lages and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $931 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $931 per month in Lages vs $1,857 in Panama City, rent included.

Lages $931
Panama City $1,857

A couple spends around $1,494 per month in Lages vs $2,815 in Panama City, rent included.

Lages $1,494
Panama City $2,815

A family of three spends $2,058 per month in Lages vs $3,773 in Panama City, rent included.

Lages $2,058
Panama City $3,773

Lages is about 50% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lages sits 31% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.95 R$40.28

$11.68 PAB 11.68

-31.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.35 R$199

$47.76 PAB 47.76

-17.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 R$34.96

$8.12 PAB 8.12

-15.02%

Cappuccino

$2.52 R$12.77

$4.23 PAB 4.23

-40.43%

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

$1.42 R$7.22

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-26.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 R$5.39

$1.58 PAB 1.58

-32.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 R$12.56

$3.31 PAB 3.31

-25.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$15.10

$3.98 PAB 3.98

-25.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.07

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-47.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$8.52

$2.63 PAB 2.63

-36.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.51

$3.39 PAB 3.39

-67.85%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.45

$2.67 PAB 2.67

-7.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 R$52.1

$12.21 PAB 12.21

-15.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 R$24.73

$6.91 PAB 6.91

-29.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 R$50.2

$10.58 PAB 10.58

-6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 R$12.42

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-41.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R$7.69

$1.97 PAB 1.97

-22.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.16

$4.06 PAB 4.06

-65.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-61.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.34

$3.47 PAB 3.47

-63.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.47

$4.26 PAB 4.26

-74.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 R$4.79

$2.44 PAB 2.44

-61.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.11

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-52.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R$12.87

$5.83 PAB 5.83

-56.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 R$41.66

$11.43 PAB 11.43

-28.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$5.76

$1.38 PAB 1.38

-17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 R$11.47

$2.76 PAB 2.76

-18.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.09

$0.33 PAB 0.33

203.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.06 R$223

$20.63 PAB 20.63

113.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.51

$2.55 PAB 2.55

-49.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R$4.12

$1.78 PAB 1.78

-54.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 R$42.05

$22.17 PAB 22.17

-62.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.24 PAB 1.24

8.06%

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

$23.9K R$121.4K

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

-1.90%

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

$33.4K R$169.4K

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

56.89%

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

$77.0 R$390

$131 PAB 131

-41.34%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$27.83 PAB 27.83

-55.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.01 R$112

$49.32 PAB 49.32

-55.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.95 R$132

$45.69 PAB 45.69

-43.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.71 R$140

$34.10 PAB 34.10

-18.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R$38.02

$8.47 PAB 8.47

-11.45%

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

$282 R$1,428

$553 PAB 553

-49.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,318 R$37.1K

$9,719 PAB 9,719

-24.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 R$255

$66.4 PAB 66.4

-24.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 R$292

$47.39 PAB 47.39

21.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R$518

$95.7 PAB 95.7

6.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R$404

$113 PAB 113

-29.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 R$1,833

$1,322 PAB 1,322

-72.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 R$1,241

$874 PAB 874

-72.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 R$3,454

$2,153 PAB 2,153

-68.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,358

$1,580 PAB 1,580

-70.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,705 R$8,643

$3,097 PAB 3,097

-44.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 R$6,164

$1,698 PAB 1,698

-28.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

6.39

79.97%

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

Last update for Lages: 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

Lages

$245 26.3%

Panama City

$874 47.1% 257% $629

Groceries & Markets

Lages

$207 22.3%

Panama City

$327 17.6% 57.7% $120

Eating Out

Lages

$143 15.3%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 45% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Lages

$130 14%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 11.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lages

$111 12%

Panama City

$208 11.2% 87.2% $97

Getting Around

Lages

$53 5.7%

Panama City

$33 1.8% 37.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lages

$41 4.4%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 52.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $362 in Lages 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Lages versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $327 – making Lages the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Lages

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

16:39 4:39 PM

2 h behind Lages

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,981

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 21, 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 21, 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

Lages Panama City 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lages
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $931 in Lages, $1,857 in Panama City – roughly 100% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,396 per month in Lages 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 Lages, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Lages and $553 in Panama City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Panama City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lages, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Panama City at $1,857. In Lages 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 $931 in Lages to $1,857 in Panama City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Lages. 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.