Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Vancouver and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,855 a month against $2,736 in North Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in North Vancouver
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North Vancouver Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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North Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,736

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,736 in North Vancouver versus $1,855 in Panama City.

North Vancouver $2,736
Panama City $1,855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,277 in North Vancouver versus $2,804 in Panama City.

North Vancouver $4,277
Panama City $2,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,818 in North Vancouver versus $3,753 in Panama City.

North Vancouver $5,818
Panama City $3,753

Living in North Vancouver is roughly 47% more expensive than in Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Vancouver 103% above, Panama City 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.85 CA$29.48

$11.63 PAB 11.63

79.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 CA$88.1

$47.92 PAB 47.92

29.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 CA$12.76

$7.96 PAB 7.96

13.44%

Cappuccino

$4.18 CA$5.90

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-0.95%

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

$2.23 CA$3.15

$2.01 PAB 2.01

10.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.45

$1.56 PAB 1.56

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 CA$6.79

$3.39 PAB 3.39

41.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 CA$8.22

$3.94 PAB 3.94

47.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.85 PAB 1.85

8.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 CA$3.92

$2.56 PAB 2.56

8.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.76

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-3.16%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$2.69 PAB 2.69

20.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.61 CA$19.23

$12.57 PAB 12.57

8.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.55 CA$19.16

$6.83 PAB 6.83

98.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 CA$21.94

$10.58 PAB 10.58

46.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.75

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-20.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 CA$5.97

$4.20 PAB 4.20

0.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.62

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-1.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.91

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-32.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$2.41 PAB 2.41

11.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.98

$1.69 PAB 1.69

24.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.85

$6.14 PAB 6.14

128.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 CA$19.88

$11.30 PAB 11.30

24.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$1.42 PAB 1.42

47.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 CA$3.94

$2.73 PAB 2.73

2.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.87 CA$4.05

$0.33 PAB 0.33

769.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.6 CA$139

$21.23 PAB 21.23

364.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$2.52 PAB 2.52

1.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.10

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-19.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.23 CA$38.49

$21.78 PAB 21.78

25.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.25 PAB 1.25

3.20%

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

$28.3K CA$39.9K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

33.02%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

-10.03%

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

$128 CA$182

$130 PAB 130

-1.11%

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

$37.29 CA$52.7

$28.13 PAB 28.13

32.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$48.21 PAB 48.21

6.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 CA$42.21

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-34.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.65 CA$33.43

$34.92 PAB 34.92

-32.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 CA$16.75

$8.67 PAB 8.67

36.68%

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

$1,049 CA$1,483

$544 PAB 544

92.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K CA$14.8K

$9,697 PAB 9,697

7.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 CA$88.0

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-6.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.14 CA$52.5

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-24.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 CA$114

$93.9 PAB 93.9

-14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$112 PAB 112

-1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 CA$2,487

$1,257 PAB 1,257

39.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 CA$2,163

$875 PAB 875

74.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,049 CA$4,310

$2,155 PAB 2,155

41.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,089 CA$4,366

$1,564 PAB 1,564

97.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,065 CA$11.4K

$3,122 PAB 3,122

158.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,724 CA$9,506

$1,709 PAB 1,709

293.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,119 CA$4,409

$916 PAB 916

240.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

6.39

-26.60%

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

Last update for North Vancouver: October 12, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Vancouver

$1.5K 55.9%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 42.8% $655

Groceries & Markets

North Vancouver

$389 14.2%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 16.4% $64

Eating Out

North Vancouver

$296 10.8%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 30.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Vancouver

$217 7.9%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

North Vancouver

$130 4.8%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 10.9% $14

Getting Around

North Vancouver

$120 4.4%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 71.4% $86

Sport & Entertainment

North Vancouver

$54 2%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 17.8% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in North Vancouver and $1,257 in Panama City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Vancouver pays 241% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in North Vancouver vs $48.00 in Panama City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $325 per month, with Panama City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 North Vancouver

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

15:27 3:27 PM

2 h ahead of North Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,200

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

North Vancouver Panama City 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

North Vancouver
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

North Vancouver vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Vancouver and Panama City differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,736 vs $1,855 including rent). Panama City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 241% higher in North Vancouver, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in North Vancouver versus $1,257 in Panama City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Panama City – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $62.0 in North Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,736 per month in North Vancouver versus $1,855 in Panama City – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,855 in Panama City versus $2,736 in North Vancouver, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in North Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Panama City 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.

Safety-wise, North Vancouver and Panama City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Panama City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in North Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.