Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Cerquilho

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerquilho: $805 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Cerquilho
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Cerquilho Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Cerquilho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,857 per month in Panama City vs $805 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Panama City $1,857
Cerquilho $805

A couple spends around $2,815 per month in Panama City vs $1,302 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Panama City $2,815
Cerquilho $1,302

A family of three spends $3,773 per month in Panama City vs $1,799 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Panama City $3,773
Cerquilho $1,799

Panama City costs about 131% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Cerquilho is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$6.97 R$35.32

67.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$31.49 R$160

51.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$8.07 R$40.92

0.62%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$1.96 R$9.92

115.82%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.61 R$8.18

19.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$1.15 R$5.83

37.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$1.17 R$5.94

182.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$2.98 R$15.10

33.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.25 R$6.34

53.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$1.64 R$8.29

60.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.20 R$6.06

182.50%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$2.82 R$14.27

-5.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$8.91 R$45.18

37.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$1.98 R$10.04

248.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$6.03 R$30.58

75.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$1.97 R$10.01

111.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$1.89 R$9.60

4.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$1.18 R$5.98

244.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.82 R$9.21

129.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$1.36 R$6.89

155.15%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$0.62 R$3.12

587.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$0.91 R$4.61

168.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.59 R$2.99

186.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$1.42 R$7.20

310.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$8.79 R$44.55

30.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$1.17 R$5.91

17.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.04 R$10.36

35.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$1.01 R$5.10

-67.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

$43.66 R$221

-52.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$1.33 R$6.76

91.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$1.42 R$7.20

25.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$9.47 R$48.03

134.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$1.18 R$5.97

5.08%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$24.4K R$123.5K

0.18%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$34.7K R$175.9K

-38.64%

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

$131 PAB 131

$43.05 R$218

204.97%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$14.29 R$72.4

94.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$15.76 R$79.9

212.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

$26.01 R$132

75.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

$28.01 R$142

21.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$7.79 R$39.49

8.73%

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

$553 PAB 553

$434 R$2,200

27.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$7,823 R$39.7K

24.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$34.52 R$175

92.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$19.94 R$101

137.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$60.2 R$305

58.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$84.6 R$429

33.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

$354 R$1,794

273.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

$240 R$1,218

263.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$679 R$3,443

217.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

$471 R$2,388

235.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

$1,715 R$8,696

80.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

$1,225 R$6,209

38.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.12

-42.54%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cerquilho: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Cerquilho

$240 29.8% 72.5% $634

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Cerquilho

$178 22.1% 45.4% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Cerquilho

$73 9.1% 64.9% $135

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Cerquilho

$126 15.7% 39% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Cerquilho

$90 11.1% 38.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Cerquilho

$42 5.2% 33.6% $21

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Cerquilho

$56 7% 67.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,322 in Panama City versus $354 in Cerquilho. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City versus $31.00 in Cerquilho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $178 – making Cerquilho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Cerquilho

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

44,695

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Cerquilho 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Cerquilho

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 Cerquilho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City costs about 131% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,786 per month in Panama City and $1,208 in Cerquilho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cerquilho, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $553 per month in Panama City and $434 in Cerquilho. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Panama City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerquilho, where all-in costs run around $805, than in Panama City at $1,857. In Cerquilho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cerquilho costs $805 versus $1,857 in Panama City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cerquilho. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Panama City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.