Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Alamos, Sonora

For one person, living is cheaper in Alamos, Sonora: $1,169 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Alamos, Sonora
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Alamos, Sonora Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Alamos, Sonora

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Alamos, Sonora

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Panama City vs $1,169 in Alamos, Sonora, rent included.

Panama City $1,837
Alamos, Sonora $1,169

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Panama City vs $1,871 in Alamos, Sonora, rent included.

Panama City $2,825
Alamos, Sonora $1,871

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Panama City vs $2,573 in Alamos, Sonora, rent included.

Panama City $3,812
Alamos, Sonora $2,573

Panama City costs about 57% more than Alamos, Sonora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Alamos, Sonora is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$11.17 MX$203

1.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$44.19 MX$804

8.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$8.40 MX$153

-3.93%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$3.65 MX$66.5

10.14%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.41 MX$25.68

37.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$1.03 MX$18.72

57.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$2.69 MX$49.00

21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$4.05 MX$73.7

-1.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.65 MX$30.08

10.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$2.62 MX$47.59

-1.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.68 MX$30.54

98.21%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.56 MX$46.65

5.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$8.27 MX$150

49.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$8.35 MX$152

-19.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$11.75 MX$214

-11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.73 MX$49.65

52.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.54 MX$27.96

19.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.98 MX$35.93

111.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$1.79 MX$32.60

127.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$1.99 MX$36.15

75.88%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$1.91 MX$34.73

128.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$1.44 MX$26.11

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$1.09 MX$19.87

60.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$4.36 MX$79.4

38.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$10.36 MX$188

13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$1.76 MX$31.97

-22.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$3.11 MX$56.5

-8.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$0.69 MX$12.56

-47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$2.57 MX$46.83

-1.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$1.98 MX$36.01

-9.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$11.17 MX$203

97.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.49 MX$27.14

-16.11%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$21.7K MX$395.2K

-0.87%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$24.8K MX$451.8K

-14.67%

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

$131 PAB 131

$61.1 MX$1,112

114.56%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$22.63 MX$412

22.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$30.53 MX$555

59.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$34.41 MX$626

34.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$20.52 MX$373

70.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$5.14 MX$93.5

69.84%

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

$551 PAB 551

$222 MX$4,038

148.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$4,726 MX$86.0K

102.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$54.8 MX$996

23.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$42.36 MX$771

13.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$101 MX$1,844

-6.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$91.2 MX$1,660

23.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$627 MX$11.4K

97.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$387 MX$7,044

125.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$1,063 MX$19.3K

106.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$785 MX$14.3K

95.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$1,904 MX$34.6K

63.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$1,181 MX$21.5K

46.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.3

-43.45%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Alamos, Sonora: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Alamos, Sonora

$387 33.8% 55.7% $486

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Alamos, Sonora

$266 23.2% 18.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Alamos, Sonora

$114 10% 44.9% $93

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Alamos, Sonora

$190 16.5% 5.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Alamos, Sonora

$130 11.4% 10.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Alamos, Sonora

$45 3.9% 29.7% $19

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Alamos, Sonora

$15 * 1.3% 55% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,238 in Panama City versus $627 in Alamos, Sonora. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City versus $44.00 in Alamos, Sonora. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $266 – making Alamos, Sonora the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇲🇽 Alamos, Sonora

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

23:44 11:44 PM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

10,961

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

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).

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).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Alamos, Sonora 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Alamos, Sonora

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

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

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Panama City and $1,753 in Alamos, Sonora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alamos, Sonora, 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 $48.00 in Panama City and $44.00 in Alamos, Sonora. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Alamos, Sonora, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in Panama City at $1,837. In Alamos, Sonora it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alamos, Sonora – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Alamos, Sonora. 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.