Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Cambridge Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,972 a month against $2,280 in Cambridge Bay, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge Bay
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Cambridge Bay Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,972

/mo nomad

Cambridge Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,280

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Cambridge Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,972 in Panama City versus $2,280 in Cambridge Bay.

Panama City $1,972
Cambridge Bay $2,280

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,930 in Panama City versus $3,269 in Cambridge Bay.

Panama City $2,930
Cambridge Bay $3,269

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,888 in Panama City versus $4,258 in Cambridge Bay.

Panama City $3,888
Cambridge Bay $4,258

Living in Panama City costs roughly 14% less than in Cambridge Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Panama City 46% above, Cambridge Bay 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 PAB 11.37

$22.30 CA$31.37

-49.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.69 PAB 46.69

$63.4 CA$89.2

-26.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 PAB 7.98

$10.54 CA$14.82

-24.29%

Cappuccino

$4.12 PAB 4.12

$3.79 CA$5.33

8.71%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$2.08 CA$2.93

-3.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 PAB 1.57

$1.62 CA$2.28

-3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 PAB 3.28

$5.15 CA$7.25

-36.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 PAB 3.88

$5.60 CA$7.87

-30.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PAB 1.82

$2.12 CA$2.99

-14.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PAB 2.61

$2.48 CA$3.49

5.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 PAB 3.45

$3.51 CA$4.94

-1.71%

Eggs

$2.68 PAB 2.68

$3.42 CA$4.81

-21.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 PAB 12.42

$10.04 CA$14.12

23.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 PAB 6.73

$11.39 CA$16.02

-40.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 PAB 10.44

$14.79 CA$20.80

-29.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 PAB 4.21

$3.89 CA$5.47

8.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 PAB 1.95

$1.37 CA$1.92

42.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 PAB 4.07

$3.61 CA$5.08

12.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$3.93 CA$5.52

2.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 PAB 3.46

$2.41 CA$3.39

43.57%

Onion (1kg)

$4.42 PAB 4.42

$2.26 CA$3.18

95.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 PAB 2.43

$2.39 CA$3.36

1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 PAB 1.72

$1.58 CA$2.22

8.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 PAB 6.04

$14.17 CA$19.93

-57.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$12.93 CA$18.18

-9.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 PAB 1.41

$2.80 CA$3.93

-49.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 PAB 2.74

$3.19 CA$4.49

-14.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$2.35 CA$3.30

-85.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.65 PAB 20.65

$62.7 CA$88.1

-67.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 PAB 2.45

$2.87 CA$4.03

-14.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 PAB 1.76

$1.48 CA$2.09

18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.86 PAB 21.86

$23.95 CA$33.68

-8.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 PAB 1.20

$1.18 CA$1.65

1.69%

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

$24.6K PAB 24.6K

$28.1K CA$39.6K

-12.74%

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

$20.9K PAB 20.9K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

-0.42%

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

$132 PAB 132

$140 CA$197

-5.78%

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

$27.89 PAB 27.89

$38.56 CA$54.2

-27.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.10 PAB 49.10

$54.0 CA$75.9

-8.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 PAB 44.53

$37.08 CA$52.1

20.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 PAB 34.01

$18.53 CA$26.06

83.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 PAB 8.70

$10.51 CA$14.77

-17.22%

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

$537 PAB 537

$644 CA$906

-16.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K PAB 20.5K

$13.3K CA$18.7K

54.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.8 PAB 65.8

$54.3 CA$76.4

21.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.45 PAB 48.45

$38.98 CA$54.8

24.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 PAB 95.4

$86.4 CA$121

10.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 PAB 114

$102 CA$143

11.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 PAB 1,405

$1,301 CA$1,830

8.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 PAB 994

$1,120 CA$1,575

-11.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,221 PAB 2,221

$1,968 CA$2,767

12.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 PAB 1,714

$1,647 CA$2,316

4.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,139 PAB 3,139

$4,314 CA$6,067

-27.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,724 PAB 1,724

$3,537 CA$4,974

-51.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 PAB 936

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

4.68

36.54%

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

Last update for Panama City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cambridge Bay: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$994 50.4%

Cambridge Bay

$1.1K 49.1% 12.6% $126

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$326 16.5%

Cambridge Bay

$353 15.5% 8.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$209 10.6%

Cambridge Bay

$232 10.2% 11.3% $24

Eating Out

Panama City

$203 10.3%

Cambridge Bay

$307 13.5% 51.4% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.4%

Cambridge Bay

$127 5.6% 12.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$62 3.1%

Cambridge Bay

$58 2.6% 6.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.7%

Cambridge Bay

$82 3.6% 148% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,405 in Panama City and $1,301 in Cambridge Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Panama City vs $63 in Cambridge Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $353 per month, with Panama City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇨🇦 Cambridge Bay

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

12:43 12:43 PM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

1,800

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.895 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.895 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Cambridge Bay 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Cambridge Bay

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 Cambridge Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,972 in Panama City and $2,280 in Cambridge Bay, so Panama City is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,958 in Panama City and $3,420 in Cambridge Bay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,405 in Panama City versus $1,301 in Cambridge Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,972 per month in Panama City versus $2,280 in Cambridge Bay – Panama City is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Panama City runs roughly 67% less than in Cambridge Bay. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.