Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Catanduva

For one person, living is cheaper in Catanduva: $915 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Catanduva
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Catanduva Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Catanduva

🇧🇷 Brazil

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,857 in Panama City versus $915 in Catanduva.

Panama City $1,857
Catanduva $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,815 in Panama City versus $1,473 in Catanduva.

Panama City $2,815
Catanduva $1,473

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Panama City versus $2,031 in Catanduva.

Panama City $3,773
Catanduva $2,031

Living in Panama City is roughly 103% more expensive than in Catanduva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Catanduva is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$9.78 R$49.56

19.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$35.49 R$180

34.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$9.17 R$46.47

-11.45%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$2.41 R$12.21

75.52%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.27 R$6.44

51.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$0.93 R$4.69

69.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$2.37 R$12.01

39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$3.94 R$19.99

1.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.06 R$5.37

81.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$2.10 R$10.63

25.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.39 R$7.03

143.88%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$1.95 R$9.86

36.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$11.01 R$55.8

10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$4.83 R$24.51

43.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$10.75 R$54.5

-1.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.29 R$11.62

81.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$1.44 R$7.28

36.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$1.52 R$7.69

167.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$0.82 R$4.14

409.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$1.02 R$5.16

240.20%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$1.02 R$5.15

317.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$0.94 R$4.77

159.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.85 R$4.33

98.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$2.48 R$12.55

135.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$8.01 R$40.62

42.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$1.50 R$7.60

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.63 R$13.33

4.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$1.04 R$5.28

-68.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

$44.88 R$228

-54.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$1.19 R$6.02

114.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$0.78 R$3.96

128.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$8.67 R$43.96

155.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$1.16 R$5.86

6.90%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$24.0K R$121.6K

1.74%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$32.7K R$165.6K

-34.81%

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

$131 PAB 131

$65.0 R$330

101.92%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$7.19 R$36.44

287.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$18.08 R$91.7

172.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

$25.68 R$130

77.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

$28.01 R$142

21.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$6.81 R$34.52

24.38%

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

$553 PAB 553

$440 R$2,230

25.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$11.1K R$56.5K

-12.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$59.5 R$302

11.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$39.73 R$201

19.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$88.6 R$449

7.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$59.7 R$303

88.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

$363 R$1,838

264.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

$244 R$1,236

258.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$682 R$3,457

215.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

$477 R$2,416

231.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

$1,706 R$8,649

81.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

$1,185 R$6,006

43.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

10.81

-40.89%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Catanduva: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Catanduva

$244 26.7% 72.1% $630

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Catanduva

$212 23.2% 35% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Catanduva

$90 9.9% 56.7% $118

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Catanduva

$163 17.8% 21.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Catanduva

$111 12.2% 23.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Catanduva

$39 4.3% 37.3% $23

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Catanduva

$54 5.9% 62% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,322 in Panama City and $363 in Catanduva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Panama City vs $35.00 in Catanduva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $212 per month, with Catanduva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Catanduva

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

115,791

💱 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

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Between locations

Panama City Catanduva 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Catanduva

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 Catanduva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City and Catanduva differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($1,857 vs $915 including rent). Catanduva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,786 in Panama City and $1,372 in Catanduva 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: $1,322 in Panama City versus $363 in Catanduva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Panama City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Catanduva – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $48.00 in Panama City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Catanduva versus $1,857 in Panama City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Catanduva but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Catanduva 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 Catanduva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.