Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Ciudad Juarez

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Juarez: $1,126 a month against $1,972 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Juarez
Learn more

Ciudad Juarez Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,972

/mo nomad

Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,126

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Ciudad Juarez

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

A single person spends $1,972 per month in Panama City vs $1,126 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Panama City $1,972
Ciudad Juarez $1,126

A couple spends around $2,930 per month in Panama City vs $1,818 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Panama City $2,930
Ciudad Juarez $1,818

A family of three spends $3,888 per month in Panama City vs $2,510 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Panama City $3,888
Ciudad Juarez $2,510

Panama City costs about 75% more than Ciudad Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 46% above the global median, while Ciudad Juarez is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 PAB 11.37

$8.89 MX$166

27.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.69 PAB 46.69

$32.11 MX$601

45.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 PAB 7.98

$10.05 MX$188

-20.60%

Cappuccino

$4.12 PAB 4.12

$2.82 MX$52.7

46.10%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.08 MX$20.18

86.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 PAB 1.57

$0.68 MX$12.77

130.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 PAB 3.28

$2.06 MX$38.49

59.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 PAB 3.88

$4.34 MX$81.1

-10.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PAB 1.82

$1.65 MX$30.93

10.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PAB 2.61

$2.18 MX$40.86

19.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 PAB 3.45

$1.58 MX$29.47

118.35%

Eggs

$2.68 PAB 2.68

$2.22 MX$41.48

20.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 PAB 12.42

$12.19 MX$228

1.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 PAB 6.73

$6.51 MX$122

3.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 PAB 10.44

$11.89 MX$222

-12.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 PAB 4.21

$2.67 MX$50.0

57.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 PAB 1.95

$2.06 MX$38.45

-5.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 PAB 4.07

$1.76 MX$32.97

131.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$1.99 MX$37.15

102.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 PAB 3.46

$1.62 MX$30.28

113.58%

Onion (1kg)

$4.42 PAB 4.42

$2.27 MX$42.55

94.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 PAB 2.43

$1.48 MX$27.65

64.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 PAB 1.72

$1.05 MX$19.62

63.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 PAB 6.04

$4.40 MX$82.3

37.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$10.94 MX$205

6.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 PAB 1.41

$1.23 MX$22.96

14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 PAB 2.74

$3.20 MX$59.9

-14.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.64 MX$11.88

-48.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.65 PAB 20.65

$27.34 MX$511

-24.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 PAB 2.45

$3.97 MX$74.3

-38.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 PAB 1.76

$1.10 MX$20.54

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.86 PAB 21.86

$15.97 MX$299

36.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 PAB 1.20

$1.29 MX$24.07

-6.98%

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

$24.6K PAB 24.6K

$20.7K MX$387.6K

18.45%

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

$20.9K PAB 20.9K

$24.7K MX$462.7K

-15.56%

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

$132 PAB 132

$83.4 MX$1,561

57.94%

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

$27.89 PAB 27.89

$22.37 MX$418

24.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.10 PAB 49.10

$28.08 MX$525

74.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 PAB 44.53

$32.09 MX$600

38.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 PAB 34.01

$15.08 MX$282

125.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 PAB 8.70

$4.21 MX$78.8

106.65%

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

$537 PAB 537

$213 MX$3,983

152.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K PAB 20.5K

$2,746 MX$51.4K

647.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.8 PAB 65.8

$57.7 MX$1,079

14.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.45 PAB 48.45

$32.46 MX$607

49.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 PAB 95.4

$74.3 MX$1,389

28.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 PAB 114

$80.6 MX$1,508

40.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 PAB 1,405

$591 MX$11.1K

137.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 PAB 994

$377 MX$7,055

163.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,221 PAB 2,221

$1,001 MX$18.7K

121.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 PAB 1,714

$842 MX$15.7K

103.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,139 PAB 3,139

$934 MX$17.5K

235.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,724 PAB 1,724

$678 MX$12.7K

154.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 PAB 936

$567 MX$10.6K

65.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.32

-43.55%

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

Last update for Panama City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Juarez: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$994 50.4%

Ciudad Juarez

$377 33.5% 62.1% $617

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$326 16.5%

Ciudad Juarez

$263 23.4% 19.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$209 10.6%

Ciudad Juarez

$134 11.9% 35.9% $75

Eating Out

Panama City

$203 10.3%

Ciudad Juarez

$161 14.3% 20.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.4%

Ciudad Juarez

$110 9.8% 24.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$62 3.1%

Ciudad Juarez

$41 3.6% 34.6% $21

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.7%

Ciudad Juarez

$39 3.5% 18.4% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,405 in Panama City versus $591 in Ciudad Juarez. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 65% higher in Panama City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Panama City versus $32 in Ciudad Juarez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $263 – making Ciudad Juarez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇲🇽 Ciudad Juarez

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

10:43 10:43 AM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

1,501,551

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Ciudad Juarez 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Ciudad Juarez

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 Ciudad Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,972 in Panama City, $1,126 in Ciudad Juarez – Ciudad Juarez comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,958 per month in Panama City and $1,689 in Ciudad Juarez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ciudad Juarez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $591 there versus $1,405 in Panama City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Panama City and $32 in Ciudad Juarez. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,972 in Panama City and $1,126 in Ciudad Juarez. That makes Ciudad Juarez about 43% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Ciudad Juarez – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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