Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Chapeco

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapeco: $980 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Chapeco
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Chapeco Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Chapeco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,857 in Panama City versus $980 in Chapeco.

Panama City $1,857
Chapeco $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,815 in Panama City versus $1,454 in Chapeco.

Panama City $2,815
Chapeco $1,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Panama City versus $1,927 in Chapeco.

Panama City $3,773
Chapeco $1,927

Living in Panama City is roughly 90% more expensive than in Chapeco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Chapeco is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$5.53 R$28.05

111.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$35.46 R$180

34.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$8.92 R$45.20

-8.97%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$1.92 R$9.76

120.31%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$0.75 R$3.80

156.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$0.59 R$2.98

167.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$1.45 R$7.33

128.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$2.31 R$11.73

72.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$0.90 R$4.56

113.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$1.14 R$5.78

130.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$2.14 R$10.85

58.41%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$1.86 R$9.44

43.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$8.24 R$41.75

48.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$7.53 R$38.20

-8.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$10.95 R$55.5

-3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.34 R$11.88

77.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$0.99 R$5.02

98.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$0.53 R$2.68

666.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$0.70 R$3.54

497.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$0.53 R$2.70

554.72%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$0.53 R$2.70

703.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$0.95 R$4.83

156.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.70 R$3.53

141.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$2.32 R$11.75

151.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$9.31 R$47.19

22.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$0.88 R$4.48

56.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$1.48 R$7.49

86.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.97 R$4.94

-65.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

$36.44 R$185

-43.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$1.28 R$6.50

99.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$1.17 R$5.93

5.98%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$22.9K R$116.0K

6.71%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$30.5K R$154.6K

-30.19%

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

$131 PAB 131

$172 R$873

-23.73%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$10.47 R$53.1

165.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$18.84 R$95.5

161.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

$26.24 R$133

74.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

$33.45 R$170

1.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$6.68 R$33.86

26.80%

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

$553 PAB 553

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$26.98 R$137

146.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$18.26 R$92.6

159.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$36.87 R$187

159.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$53.6 R$272

110.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

$415 R$2,103

218.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

$329 R$1,668

165.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$851 R$4,313

153.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

$536 R$2,718

194.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

$1,509 R$7,649

105.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

$987 R$5,005

72.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

$414 R$2,097

120.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chapeco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Chapeco

$329 33.6% 62.4% $545

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Chapeco

$196 20% 40.1% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Chapeco

$201 20.6% 3.3% $7

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Chapeco

$111 11.4% 46.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Chapeco

$61 6.2% 57.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Chapeco

$40 4% 36.8% $23

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Chapeco

$42 * 4.3% 24.5% $8.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,322 in Panama City and $415 in Chapeco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 121% 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 $35.00 in Chapeco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $196 per month, with Chapeco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Chapeco

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

243,477

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Chapeco 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Chapeco

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 Chapeco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chapeco wins on cost – living expenses run 90% lower than in Panama City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chapeco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 121% 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: $1,322 in Panama City versus $415 in Chapeco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Panama City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,857 per month in Panama City versus $980 in Chapeco – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $980 in Chapeco versus $1,857 in Panama City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chapeco but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Chapeco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chapeco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $980 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chapeco hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chapeco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.