Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City, FL and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,281 in Panama City, FL, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Panama City, FL
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Panama City, FL Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Panama City, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,281

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City, FL and in Lima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Panama City, FL and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,281 in Panama City, FL versus $1,042 in Lima.

Panama City, FL $2,281
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,192 in Panama City, FL versus $1,651 in Lima.

Panama City, FL $3,192
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,103 in Panama City, FL versus $2,259 in Lima.

Panama City, FL $4,103
Lima $2,259

Living in Panama City, FL is roughly 119% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City, FL is 69% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.45 $18.45

$4.64 PEN 15.95

297.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.4 $54.4

$34.34 PEN 118

58.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.81 $11.81

$7.01 PEN 24.12

68.47%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$3.22 PEN 11.09

68.01%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.13 PEN 3.90

161.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$0.61 PEN 2.09

168.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.93 PEN 10.07

75.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 $6.85

$4.25 PEN 14.63

61.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-47.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.61 PEN 8.98

34.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.30 PEN 4.46

110.00%

Eggs

$3.15 $3.15

$2.92 PEN 10.04

7.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 $10.62

$9.54 PEN 32.82

11.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$5.71 PEN 19.66

101.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 $14.53

$9.47 PEN 32.57

53.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.01 PEN 6.91

105.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.02 PEN 3.52

49.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.45 PEN 4.99

87.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.49 PEN 5.14

180.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$0.91 PEN 3.14

240.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.89 PEN 3.07

222.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.86 PEN 2.97

144.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.89 PEN 3.05

148.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 $9.28

$5.47 PEN 18.83

69.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.94 $11.94

$10.17 PEN 34.99

17.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.81 PEN 6.21

-7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.15 PEN 10.83

19.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.66 PEN 2.28

122.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.84 $34.84

$31.89 PEN 110

9.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.43 PEN 11.79

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-23.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.29 $26.29

$9.60 PEN 33.03

173.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-46.20%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

26.32%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

-9.28%

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

$174 $174

$65.8 PEN 227

164.47%

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

$43.20 $43.20

$15.26 PEN 52.5

183.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 $59.7

$26.87 PEN 92.5

122.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.83 $23.83

$32.91 PEN 113

-27.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 $13.22

$7.12 PEN 24.49

85.67%

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

$590 $590

$309 PEN 1,063

90.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K $11.1K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-47.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.70 $48.70

$52.0 PEN 179

-6.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.96 $39.96

$35.69 PEN 123

11.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 $84.1

$81.8 PEN 281

2.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 $96.5

$78.0 PEN 268

23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 $921

$727 PEN 2,501

26.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 $1,125

$373 PEN 1,284

201.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 $1,641

$1,249 PEN 4,296

31.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 $1,615

$739 PEN 2,543

118.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$2,380 PEN 8,190

37.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,762 $2,762

$1,365 PEN 4,696

102.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,957 $3,957

$650 PEN 2,237

508.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.38

-21.60%

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

Last update for Panama City, FL: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City, FL

$1.1K 49.3%

Lima

$373 35.8% 66.8% $752

Groceries & Markets

Panama City, FL

$351 15.4%

Lima

$228 21.9% 35.1% $123

Eating Out

Panama City, FL

$306 13.4%

Lima

$127 12.2% 58.5% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City, FL

$277 12.1%

Lima

$108 10.4% 61% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City, FL

$121 5.3%

Lima

$111 10.7% 8.1% $9.8

Getting Around

Panama City, FL

$51 2.2%

Lima

$48 4.6% 5.7% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City, FL

$50 2.2%

Lima

$47 4.5% 6.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $921 in Panama City, FL and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City, FL pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in Panama City, FL vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Panama City, FL

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h ahead of Panama City, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,484

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Panama City, FL Lima 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City, FL
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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

Panama City, FL vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,281 in Panama City, FL and $1,042 in Lima, so Lima is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Panama City, FL is about 6.1 times higher, 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: $921 in Panama City, FL versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $590 in Panama City, FL versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Panama City, FL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,281 in Panama City, FL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Panama City, FL. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Panama City, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.