Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Cayenne

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,837 a month against $2,348 in Cayenne, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Cayenne
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Cayenne Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Cayenne

🇬🇫 French Guiana

$2,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Panama City versus $2,348 in Cayenne.

Panama City $1,837
Cayenne $2,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Panama City versus $3,903 in Cayenne.

Panama City $2,825
Cayenne $3,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in Panama City versus $5,458 in Cayenne.

Panama City $3,812
Cayenne $5,458

Living in Panama City costs roughly 22% less than in Cayenne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Panama City 37% above, Cayenne 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$13.05 €11.64

-13.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$114 €102

-58.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$10.81 €9.65

-25.35%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$4.02 €3.58

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$3.48 €3.11

-44.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$3.01 €2.69

-46.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$3.78 €3.37

-13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$4.66 €4.16

-14.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$3.11 €2.77

-41.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$5.27 €4.70

-51.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$3.08 €2.75

8.12%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$7.72 €6.89

-65.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$28.46 €25.40

-56.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$16.80 €14.99

-60.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$33.69 €30.07

-69.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$4.84 €4.32

-14.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$5.25 €4.68

-64.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$5.53 €4.93

-24.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$9.96 €8.89

-59.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$5.23 €4.67

-33.08%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$6.55 €5.84

-33.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$3.87 €3.45

-39.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$1.87 €1.67

-6.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$9.33 €8.33

-35.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$8.14 €7.26

43.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$2.77 €2.47

-50.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$2.30 €2.05

23.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$2.26 €2.02

-84.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

$33.55 €29.94

-37.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$5.82 €5.20

-56.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$3.98 €3.55

-55.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$8.19 €7.31

168.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$2.25 €2.01

-44.44%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$44.6K €39.8K

-51.75%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$45.3K €40.5K

-53.25%

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

$131 PAB 131

$222 €198

-40.79%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$45.27 €40.40

-38.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$69.1 €61.7

-29.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$43.52 €38.84

5.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$28.38 €25.32

23.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$10.32 €9.21

-15.41%

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

$551 PAB 551

$674 €601

-18.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$10.5K €9,395

-9.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$102 €90.8

-33.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$68.3 €61.0

-29.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$129 €115

-26.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$101 €90.2

11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$885 €790

39.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$867 €774

0.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$1,541 €1,375

42.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$1,844 €1,646

-16.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$3,109 €2,774

0.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$3,523 €3,144

-51.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

$2,261 €2,018

-58.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

4.5

42.00%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cayenne: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Cayenne

$867 36.4% 0.7% $6.4

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Cayenne

$626 26.3% 93.2% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Cayenne

$336 14.1% 61.9% $128

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Cayenne

$239 10.1% 18.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Cayenne

$180 7.6% 23.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Cayenne

$64 2.7% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Cayenne

$68 2.9% 102% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,238 in Panama City and $885 in Cayenne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayenne pays 142% 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 $114 in Cayenne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $626 per month, with Panama City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇬🇫 Cayenne

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

65,493 Capital

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

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

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Cayenne 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Cayenne

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 Cayenne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 142% lower in Cayenne. 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: $1,238 in Panama City versus $885 in Cayenne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Panama City – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $114 in Cayenne. 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 $2,348 in Cayenne – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Panama City versus $2,348 in Cayenne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in Cayenne. The gap between the two cities makes Panama City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Panama City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cayenne, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Panama City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Cayenne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.