Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nogales and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,138 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,138

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Nogales versus $1,837 in Panama City.

Nogales $1,138
Panama City $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,854 in Nogales versus $2,825 in Panama City.

Nogales $1,854
Panama City $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,570 in Nogales versus $3,812 in Panama City.

Nogales $2,570
Panama City $3,812

Living in Nogales costs roughly 38% less than in Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nogales is 15% below, Panama City is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 MX$199

$11.34 PAB 11.34

-3.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.05 MX$820

$47.85 PAB 47.85

-5.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$152

$8.07 PAB 8.07

3.72%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$65.8

$4.02 PAB 4.02

-9.95%

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

$1.35 MX$24.56

$1.94 PAB 1.94

-30.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.83

$1.62 PAB 1.62

-35.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MX$46.86

$3.26 PAB 3.26

-20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 MX$74.6

$3.99 PAB 3.99

2.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$28.83

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-13.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$47.77

$2.57 PAB 2.57

2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.56

$3.33 PAB 3.33

-48.05%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$46.34

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-5.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 MX$154

$12.33 PAB 12.33

-31.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 MX$155

$6.69 PAB 6.69

27.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 MX$215

$10.40 PAB 10.40

13.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$49.58

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-34.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$28.89

$1.84 PAB 1.84

-13.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MX$34.83

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-54.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$33.73

$4.08 PAB 4.08

-54.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$35.68

$3.50 PAB 3.50

-44.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 MX$34.86

$4.37 PAB 4.37

-56.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.30

$2.34 PAB 2.34

-38.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.12

$1.75 PAB 1.75

-36.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MX$78.7

$6.06 PAB 6.06

-28.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 MX$194

$11.72 PAB 11.72

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 MX$33.40

$1.37 PAB 1.37

34.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MX$59.2

$2.84 PAB 2.84

14.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.54

$0.36 PAB 0.36

91.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MX$47.00

$2.52 PAB 2.52

2.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 MX$37.44

$1.79 PAB 1.79

15.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.28 MX$205

$22.01 PAB 22.01

-48.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$26.89

$1.25 PAB 1.25

18.40%

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

$21.2K MX$385.8K

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

-1.52%

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

$24.9K MX$452.4K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

17.35%

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

$62.4 MX$1,136

$131 PAB 131

-52.40%

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

$22.44 MX$408

$27.68 PAB 27.68

-18.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 MX$553

$48.59 PAB 48.59

-37.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.79 MX$633

$46.11 PAB 46.11

-24.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.65 MX$376

$35.01 PAB 35.01

-41.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MX$94.9

$8.73 PAB 8.73

-40.21%

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

$224 MX$4,067

$551 PAB 551

-59.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,654 MX$84.7K

$9,560 PAB 9,560

-51.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 MX$1,002

$67.6 PAB 67.6

-18.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$771

$48.03 PAB 48.03

-11.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,874

$94.9 PAB 94.9

8.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 MX$1,681

$113 PAB 113

-18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 MX$11.2K

$1,238 PAB 1,238

-50.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 MX$7,273

$873 PAB 873

-54.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 MX$19.5K

$2,197 PAB 2,197

-51.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 MX$14.3K

$1,538 PAB 1,538

-48.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,927 MX$35.1K

$3,116 PAB 3,116

-38.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 MX$20.9K

$1,725 PAB 1,725

-33.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

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 Nogales: October 3, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nogales

$400 34.4%

Panama City

$873 47.2% 118% $473

Groceries & Markets

Nogales

$269 23.1%

Panama City

$324 17.5% 20.7% $56

Eating Out

Nogales

$187 16.1%

Panama City

$202 10.9% 7.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nogales

$132 11.3%

Panama City

$146 7.9% 10.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nogales

$115 9.9%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 79.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Nogales

$45 3.9%

Panama City

$64 3.4% 40.6% $18

Getting Around

Nogales

$16 * 1.3%

Panama City

$34 1.8% 117% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $614 in Nogales and $1,238 in Panama City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Nogales vs $48.00 in Panama City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $324 per month, with Nogales cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Nogales

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

2 h ahead of Nogales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,137

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nogales Panama City 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nogales
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

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

Nogales and Panama City differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,138 vs $1,837 including rent). Nogales is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,707 in Nogales and $2,756 in Panama City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $614 in Nogales versus $1,238 in Panama City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Nogales versus $551 in Panama City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nogales – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $48.00 in Panama City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,138 in Nogales versus $1,837 in Panama City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nogales but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Nogales the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Nogales gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.