Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,855 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
Learn more

Panama City Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,855 in Panama City versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Panama City $1,855
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,804 in Panama City versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Panama City $2,804
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in Panama City versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Panama City $3,753
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Panama City costs roughly 23% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Panama City 37% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$17.94 €15.96

-35.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$68.1 €60.5

-29.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$13.28 €11.81

-40.06%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$3.25 €2.89

29.85%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$3.01 €2.67

-33.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$1.87 €1.66

-16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$3.85 €3.42

-11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$4.48 €3.98

-12.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.29 €1.15

43.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$2.04 €1.81

25.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.72 €1.53

102.33%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$4.77 €4.24

-43.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$16.77 €14.92

-25.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$8.93 €7.94

-23.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$19.88 €17.68

-46.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.98 €2.65

40.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$2.03 €1.80

-9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$2.73 €2.43

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$2.68 €2.38

50.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$2.10 €1.87

65.71%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$2.08 €1.85

102.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$1.45 €1.29

66.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.89 €0.79

89.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$6.94 €6.17

-11.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$7.78 €6.92

45.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.45 €1.29

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$2.57 €2.29

6.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$2.99 €2.66

-88.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

$25.20 €22.41

-15.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$3.12 €2.77

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.44 €1.28

29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$33.50 €29.80

-34.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.79 €1.59

-30.17%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$34.6K €30.8K

-38.68%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

-30.08%

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

$130 PAB 130

$178 €158

-26.99%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$13.32 €11.85

111.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$34.88 €31.03

38.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$53.3 €47.37

-14.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

$16.01 €14.24

118.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$11.06 €9.84

-21.61%

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

$544 PAB 544

$957 €851

-43.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$16.6K €14.7K

-41.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$88.2 €78.4

-24.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$39.49 €35.12

24.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$103 €91.5

-8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$121 €108

-8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$1,653 €1,470

-23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$1,302 €1,158

-32.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$2,557 €2,275

-15.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$1,915 €1,703

-18.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$7,286 €6,481

-57.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

$5,080 €4,519

-66.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

$2,281 €2,029

-59.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.28

94.82%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 48.8% $427

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 1.6% $5

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 30.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 9.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 9.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 19.4% $12

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 38% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,257 in Panama City and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 149% 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 $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

7 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Barcelona 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City and Barcelona differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,855 vs $2,399 including rent). Panama City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 149% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,257 in Panama City versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $544 in Panama City versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,855 in Panama City versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. 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, Panama City and Barcelona 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 29% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.