Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Antofagasta

For one person, living is cheaper in Antofagasta: $888 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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 Antofagasta
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Antofagasta Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Antofagasta

🇨🇱 Chile

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,855 in Panama City versus $888 in Antofagasta.

Panama City $1,855
Antofagasta $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,804 in Panama City versus $1,416 in Antofagasta.

Panama City $2,804
Antofagasta $1,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in Panama City versus $1,944 in Antofagasta.

Panama City $3,753
Antofagasta $1,944

Living in Panama City is roughly 109% more expensive than in Antofagasta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Antofagasta is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$7.05 CLP 6,935

64.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$35.93 CLP 35.4K

33.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$7.29 CLP 7,179

9.19%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$2.57 CLP 2,528

64.20%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.28 CLP 1,264

57.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.88 CLP 862

77.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.51 CLP 1,488

124.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$1.79 CLP 1,765

120.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.07 CLP 1,054

72.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$1.86 CLP 1,834

37.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.22 CLP 1,199

185.25%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.59 CLP 2,553

3.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$9.02 CLP 8,878

39.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$3.31 CLP 3,260

106.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$7.72 CLP 7,599

37.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.03 CLP 1,996

105.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$2.26 CLP 2,223

-19.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$2.85 CLP 2,809

47.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.10 CLP 1,081

266.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$0.88 CLP 864

295.45%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$0.78 CLP 772

441.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$1.30 CLP 1,283

85.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$1.12 CLP 1,102

50.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$5.29 CLP 5,209

16.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$5.13 CLP 5,048

120.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.35 CLP 1,328

5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$1.01 CLP 992

170.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.62 CLP 613

-46.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$2.63 CLP 2,584

-4.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.34 CLP 1,318

-6.72%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$17.5K CLP 17.2M

20.11%

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

$130 PAB 130

$46.23 CLP 45.5K

180.86%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$9.82 CLP 9,669

186.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$12.54 CLP 12.3K

284.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$41.34 CLP 40.7K

10.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

$25.15 CLP 24.8K

38.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$5.17 CLP 5,086

67.70%

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

$544 PAB 544

$255 CLP 250.6K

113.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$3,160 CLP 3.1M

206.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$39.01 CLP 38.4K

71.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$15.18 CLP 14.9K

223.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$58.3 CLP 57.4K

61.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$67.7 CLP 66.6K

64.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$437 CLP 430.0K

187.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$359 CLP 352.9K

144.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$811 CLP 798.7K

165.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$659 CLP 648.9K

137.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

$711 CLP 700.2K

28.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Antofagasta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Antofagasta

$359 40.4% 59% $516

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Antofagasta

$194 21.8% 40.4% $131

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Antofagasta

$129 14.5% 37.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Antofagasta

$69 7.7% 66.7% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Antofagasta

$81 9.1% 43.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Antofagasta

$52 5.8% 18.1% $11

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Antofagasta

$5.1 * 0.6% 85.1% $29

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 $1,257 in Panama City and $437 in Antofagasta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 29% 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 $36.00 in Antofagasta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $194 per month, with Antofagasta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇨🇱 Antofagasta

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

348,517

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Antofagasta 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Antofagasta

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 Antofagasta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antofagasta wins on cost – living expenses run 109% lower than in Panama City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Antofagasta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% 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: $1,257 in Panama City versus $437 in Antofagasta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $544 in Panama City versus $255 in Antofagasta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Antofagasta – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $48.00 in Panama City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $888 in Antofagasta versus $1,855 in Panama City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Antofagasta but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Antofagasta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Antofagasta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $888 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Antofagasta hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Antofagasta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.