Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $1,972 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Panama City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,065 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $1,972 in Panama City, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,065
Panama City $1,972

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $2,930 in Panama City, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,652
Panama City $2,930

A family of three spends $2,239 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $3,888 in Panama City, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $2,239
Panama City $3,888

Los Alamos, NM is about 46% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Los Alamos, NM sits 21% below the global median, while Panama City is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.06 $17.06

$11.37 PAB 11.37

50.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.31 $40.31

$46.69 PAB 46.69

-13.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$7.98 PAB 7.98

23.81%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.12 PAB 4.12

21.12%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$2.01 PAB 2.01

27.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.57 PAB 1.57

-6.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.28 PAB 3.28

85.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 $6.99

$3.88 PAB 3.88

80.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.82 PAB 1.82

-47.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.61 PAB 2.61

-18.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.45 PAB 3.45

31.30%

Eggs

$3.98 $3.98

$2.68 PAB 2.68

48.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 $11.84

$12.42 PAB 12.42

-4.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 $9.66

$6.73 PAB 6.73

43.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.42 $17.42

$10.44 PAB 10.44

66.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$4.21 PAB 4.21

15.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.95 PAB 1.95

-23.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$4.07 PAB 4.07

-28.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$4.02 PAB 4.02

8.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$3.46 PAB 3.46

-68.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$4.42 PAB 4.42

-23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.43 PAB 2.43

-19.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.72 PAB 1.72

-72.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.03 $11.03

$6.04 PAB 6.04

82.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 $14.19

$11.68 PAB 11.68

21.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.41 PAB 1.41

69.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.74 PAB 2.74

30.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.65 PAB 20.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.45 PAB 2.45

62.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.76 PAB 1.76

22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.85 $34.85

$21.86 PAB 21.86

59.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.20 PAB 1.20

-27.50%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$24.6K PAB 24.6K

20.08%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$20.9K PAB 20.9K

22.17%

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

$159 $159

$132 PAB 132

20.57%

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

$39.48 $39.48

$27.89 PAB 27.89

41.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$49.10 PAB 49.10

44.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 PAB 44.53

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 PAB 34.01

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 $13.22

$8.70 PAB 8.70

51.95%

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

$1,343 $1,343

$537 PAB 537

150.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$20.5K PAB 20.5K

12.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.01 $20.01

$65.8 PAB 65.8

-69.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 $42.97

$48.45 PAB 48.45

-11.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$95.4 PAB 95.4

7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$114 PAB 114

5.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 $1,089

$1,405 PAB 1,405

-22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 PAB 994

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,868 $1,868

$2,221 PAB 2,221

-15.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 PAB 1,714

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,337 $3,337

$3,139 PAB 3,139

6.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 $3,316

$1,724 PAB 1,724

92.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,290 $8,290

$936 PAB 936

785.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

6.39

5.79%

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

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 31, 2026

Last update for Panama City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$339 31.8%

Panama City

$326 16.5% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$287 26.9%

Panama City

$203 10.3% 29.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$269 25.3%

Panama City

$209 10.6% 22.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$128 12.1%

Panama City

$145 7.4% 13.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5%

Panama City

$62 3.1% 134% $35

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$15 * 1.4%

Panama City

$33 1.7% 125% $18

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Panama City

$994 50.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,089 in Los Alamos, NM 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 Los Alamos, NM are about 8.9 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 $40 in Los Alamos, NM versus $47 in Panama City. Groceries tell a different story – $339 in Los Alamos, NM vs $326 in Panama City – so Panama City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

18:59 6:59 PM

2 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.895 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 = 0.895 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 = 0.895 EUR).

PAB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Los Alamos, NM Panama City 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
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

Los Alamos, NM vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,597 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $2,958 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Alamos, NM, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,089 there versus $1,405 in Panama City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM and $1,972 in Panama City. That makes Los Alamos, NM about 46% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,343 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $537 in Panama City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Alamos, NM, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in Panama City at $1,972. In Los Alamos, NM 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 $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM to $1,972 in Panama City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.