Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $994 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$994

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Panama City versus $994 in Brasilia.

Panama City $1,837
Brasilia $994

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Panama City versus $1,593 in Brasilia.

Panama City $2,825
Brasilia $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in Panama City versus $2,193 in Brasilia.

Panama City $3,812
Brasilia $2,193

Living in Panama City is roughly 85% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Brasilia is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$9.18 R$45.81

23.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$40.43 R$202

18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$8.44 R$42.12

-4.38%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$2.73 R$13.62

47.25%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.51 R$7.55

28.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$0.99 R$4.96

63.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$2.37 R$11.83

37.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$3.95 R$19.72

1.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.11 R$5.52

64.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$2.06 R$10.27

24.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.34 R$6.68

148.51%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.56 R$12.79

5.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$11.60 R$57.9

6.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$4.15 R$20.69

61.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$9.27 R$46.27

12.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.39 R$11.92

74.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.55 R$7.73

18.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.30 R$6.51

221.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$1.65 R$8.25

147.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$1.19 R$5.96

194.12%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$1.04 R$5.19

320.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$0.83 R$4.12

181.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$0.96 R$4.77

82.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$2.43 R$12.11

149.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$8.15 R$40.66

43.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$1.29 R$6.43

6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$2.50 R$12.50

13.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$1.07 R$5.33

-66.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

$35.76 R$179

-41.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.10 R$5.50

129.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$0.86 R$4.32

108.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$6.56 R$32.73

235.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.29 R$6.44

-3.10%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$23.9K R$119.5K

-10.04%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-36.88%

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

$131 PAB 131

$97.6 R$487

34.39%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$12.78 R$63.8

116.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$22.79 R$114

113.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$34.48 R$172

33.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$28.17 R$141

24.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$7.80 R$38.93

11.92%

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

$551 PAB 551

$844 R$4,211

-34.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$16.8K R$83.6K

-42.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$56.7 R$283

19.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$43.89 R$219

9.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$86.3 R$431

9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$89.3 R$446

26.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$498 R$2,484

148.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$282 R$1,406

210.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$1,156 R$5,772

90.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$574 R$2,863

168.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$2,497 R$12.5K

24.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$1,735 R$8,660

-0.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

$848 R$4,233

10.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

12.12

-47.28%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Brasilia

$282 27.9% 67.7% $592

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Brasilia

$213 21.2% 34.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Brasilia

$133 13.2% 35.8% $74

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Brasilia

$161 16% 20.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Brasilia

$124 12.3% 14.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Brasilia

$50 5% 21.2% $13

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 34.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,238 in Panama City and $498 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 10% 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 $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $213 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Brasilia 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Brasilia

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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City and Brasilia differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $994 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% 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: $1,238 in Panama City versus $498 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $48.00 in Panama City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Panama City versus $994 in Brasilia – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $994 in Brasilia versus $1,837 in Panama City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.