Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Americana

For one person, living is cheaper in Americana: $886 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Americana
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Americana Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Americana

🇧🇷 Brazil

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Americana

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 Americana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,857 in Panama City versus $886 in Americana.

Panama City $1,857
Americana $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,815 in Panama City versus $1,400 in Americana.

Panama City $2,815
Americana $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Panama City versus $1,914 in Americana.

Panama City $3,773
Americana $1,914

Living in Panama City is roughly 110% more expensive than in Americana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Americana is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$5.84 R$29.61

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$24.19 R$123

97.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$8.10 R$41.07

0.25%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$2.08 R$10.54

103.37%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.83 R$9.26

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$1.26 R$6.39

25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$1.47 R$7.44

125.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$2.46 R$12.46

61.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.03 R$5.20

86.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$1.73 R$8.78

52.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.30 R$6.57

160.77%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$2.18 R$11.07

22.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$9.17 R$46.48

33.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$4.34 R$22.02

59.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$8.33 R$42.21

27.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.24 R$11.36

85.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$1.25 R$6.35

57.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$1.23 R$6.24

230.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.47 R$7.43

184.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$1.21 R$6.15

186.78%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$1.09 R$5.52

290.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$0.84 R$4.25

190.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.78 R$3.97

116.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$2.30 R$11.64

153.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$8.93 R$45.26

28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$1.35 R$6.83

2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.07 R$10.49

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$1.01 R$5.11

-67.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

$43.79 R$222

-52.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$1.31 R$6.64

94.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$0.86 R$4.34

106.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$7.94 R$40.25

179.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$1.22 R$6.17

1.64%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$23.7K R$120.2K

2.94%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$33.7K R$171.1K

-36.90%

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

$131 PAB 131

$55.8 R$283

135.50%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$12.50 R$63.3

122.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$22.40 R$114

120.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

$18.79 R$95.3

143.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

$27.75 R$141

22.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$7.15 R$36.27

18.46%

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

$553 PAB 553

$280 R$1,417

98.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$7,188 R$36.4K

35.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$78.7 R$399

-15.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$66.5 R$337

-28.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$111 R$562

-13.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$85.5 R$433

31.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

$355 R$1,799

272.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

$241 R$1,220

263.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$681 R$3,452

216.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

$467 R$2,366

238.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

$1,734 R$8,792

78.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

$1,215 R$6,160

39.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

$748 R$3,792

22.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

-41.91%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Americana: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Americana

$241 27.2% 72.5% $634

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Americana

$194 21.9% 40.6% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Americana

$91 10.2% 56.5% $118

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Americana

$121 13.6% 41.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Americana

$154 17.3% 6% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Americana

$33 3.7% 47.1% $30

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Americana

$53 6% 59.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,322 in Panama City and $355 in Americana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 22% 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: $48.00 in Panama City vs $24.00 in Americana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $194 per month, with Americana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Americana

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

00:16 12:16 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

237,240

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Americana 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Americana

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 Americana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Americana wins on cost – living expenses run 110% lower than in Panama City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Americana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Panama City, 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: $1,322 in Panama City versus $355 in Americana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Americana runs roughly 112% less than in Panama City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $553 in Panama City versus $280 in Americana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $886 in Americana versus $1,857 in Panama City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Americana but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Americana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Americana delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $886 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Americana hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Americana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.