Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Mochis and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Mochis: $1,111 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Los Mochis
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Los Mochis Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Los Mochis

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,111

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,111 per month in Los Mochis vs $1,855 in Panama City, rent included.

Los Mochis $1,111
Panama City $1,855

A couple spends around $1,768 per month in Los Mochis vs $2,804 in Panama City, rent included.

Los Mochis $1,768
Panama City $2,804

A family of three spends $2,424 per month in Los Mochis vs $3,753 in Panama City, rent included.

Los Mochis $2,424
Panama City $3,753

Los Mochis is about 40% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Los Mochis sits 18% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.87 MX$127

$11.63 PAB 11.63

-40.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.35 MX$598

$47.92 PAB 47.92

-32.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 MX$203

$7.96 PAB 7.96

38.32%

Cappuccino

$3.17 MX$58.6

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-24.88%

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

$1.10 MX$20.34

$2.01 PAB 2.01

-45.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.71

$1.56 PAB 1.56

-35.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 MX$46.20

$3.39 PAB 3.39

-26.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 MX$63.0

$3.94 PAB 3.94

-13.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.02

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-17.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 MX$50.8

$2.56 PAB 2.56

7.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.61

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-50.86%

Eggs

$2.35 MX$43.44

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-12.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$159

$12.57 PAB 12.57

-31.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.83 PAB 6.83

40.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 MX$237

$10.58 PAB 10.58

21.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 MX$46.55

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-39.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.79

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-14.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.31

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-55.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.88

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-57.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.99

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-45.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.47

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-57.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.36

$2.41 PAB 2.41

-40.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$17.81

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-43.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.74 MX$69.2

$6.14 PAB 6.14

-39.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 MX$207

$11.30 PAB 11.30

-1.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$33.72

$1.42 PAB 1.42

28.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$57.2

$2.73 PAB 2.73

13.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.73

$0.33 PAB 0.33

109.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 MX$48.45

$2.52 PAB 2.52

3.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 MX$36.02

$1.86 PAB 1.86

4.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.87 MX$201

$21.78 PAB 21.78

-50.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.34

$1.25 PAB 1.25

14.40%

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

$21.3K MX$393.0K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

0.13%

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

$23.9K MX$441.4K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

13.62%

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

$57.0 MX$1,053

$130 PAB 130

-56.12%

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

$22.38 MX$414

$28.13 PAB 28.13

-20.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.97 MX$554

$48.21 PAB 48.21

-37.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.05 MX$629

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-25.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 MX$369

$34.92 PAB 34.92

-42.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MX$96.5

$8.67 PAB 8.67

-39.79%

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

$222 MX$4,108

$544 PAB 544

-59.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,159 MX$95.3K

$9,697 PAB 9,697

-46.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 MX$992

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-19.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.77 MX$753

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-17.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,881

$93.9 PAB 93.9

8.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 MX$1,625

$112 PAB 112

-21.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 MX$11.4K

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-50.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 MX$7,153

$875 PAB 875

-55.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 MX$19.0K

$2,155 PAB 2,155

-52.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 MX$14.4K

$1,564 PAB 1,564

-50.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,913 MX$35.4K

$3,122 PAB 3,122

-38.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,292 MX$23.9K

$1,709 PAB 1,709

-24.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 MX$12.0K

$916 PAB 916

-28.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.39

76.84%

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

Last update for Los Mochis: October 11, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Mochis

$387 34.8%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 126% $488

Groceries & Markets

Los Mochis

$273 24.6%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 18.9% $52

Eating Out

Los Mochis

$154 13.8%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 34.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Los Mochis

$128 11.5%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 13% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Mochis

$109 9.8%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 88.6% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Los Mochis

$44 4%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 41.9% $19

Getting Around

Los Mochis

$15 * 1.4%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 128% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in Los Mochis versus $1,257 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 40% 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 $32.00 in Los Mochis versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $325 – making Los Mochis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Los Mochis

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

2 h ahead of Los Mochis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

298,009

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Los Mochis Panama City 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Mochis
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 Mochis vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City costs about 67% more than Los Mochis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Los Mochis and $2,783 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 Mochis, 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 $32.00 in Los Mochis and $48.00 in Panama City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Mochis, where all-in costs run around $1,111, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Los Mochis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Mochis costs $1,111 versus $1,855 in Panama City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Los Mochis. 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.