Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Ciudad Obregon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon: $1,183 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Obregon
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Ciudad Obregon Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Ciudad Obregon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,857 in Panama City versus $1,183 in Ciudad Obregon.

Panama City $1,857
Ciudad Obregon $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,815 in Panama City versus $1,868 in Ciudad Obregon.

Panama City $2,815
Ciudad Obregon $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Panama City versus $2,553 in Ciudad Obregon.

Panama City $3,773
Ciudad Obregon $2,553

Living in Panama City is roughly 57% more expensive than in Ciudad Obregon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Ciudad Obregon is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$10.31 MX$191

13.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$48.41 MX$895

-1.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$8.32 MX$154

-2.40%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$3.94 MX$72.7

7.36%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.24 MX$22.87

54.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$1.13 MX$20.93

39.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$2.56 MX$47.31

29.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$4.33 MX$80.1

-8.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.57 MX$29.02

22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$2.57 MX$47.49

2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.73 MX$32.05

95.95%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$2.39 MX$44.10

11.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$8.27 MX$153

47.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$8.07 MX$149

-14.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$11.24 MX$208

-5.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.65 MX$48.92

56.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$1.49 MX$27.48

32.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$1.85 MX$34.15

119.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.78 MX$32.82

134.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$2.01 MX$37.20

72.64%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$1.74 MX$32.07

144.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$1.47 MX$27.18

65.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$1.11 MX$20.57

52.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$4.25 MX$78.6

37.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$11.44 MX$211

-0.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$1.70 MX$31.39

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$3.09 MX$57.1

-10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.68 MX$12.48

-51.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$2.53 MX$46.69

0.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$1.67 MX$30.81

6.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$9.65 MX$178

129.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$1.35 MX$25.00

-8.15%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$25.9K MX$478.2K

-5.67%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$25.4K MX$469.7K

-16.23%

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

$131 PAB 131

$65.9 MX$1,218

99.26%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$19.30 MX$357

44.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$28.95 MX$535

70.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

$33.67 MX$622

35.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

$20.00 MX$370

70.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$5.07 MX$93.7

67.06%

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

$553 PAB 553

$215 MX$3,980

156.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$4,644 MX$85.8K

109.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$53.4 MX$987

24.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$40.86 MX$755

15.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$101 MX$1,862

-5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$89.8 MX$1,659

25.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

$684 MX$12.6K

93.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

$436 MX$8,053

100.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$1,160 MX$21.4K

85.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

$786 MX$14.5K

101.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

$1,931 MX$35.7K

60.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

$1,120 MX$20.7K

51.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

$1,189 MX$22.0K

-23.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.3

-43.45%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Ciudad Obregon

$436 36.9% 50.1% $438

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Ciudad Obregon

$261 22.1% 19.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Ciudad Obregon

$114 9.7% 45.2% $94

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Ciudad Obregon

$186 15.7% 10.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Ciudad Obregon

$128 10.8% 11.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Ciudad Obregon

$44 3.7% 30% $19

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Ciudad Obregon

$14 * 1.2% 59.4% $20

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 $684 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ciudad Obregon pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Panama City vs $48.00 in Ciudad Obregon. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $261, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇲🇽 Ciudad Obregon

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

329,404

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 20, 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Ciudad Obregon 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Ciudad Obregon

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 Obregon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ciudad Obregon wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Panama City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Obregon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Ciudad Obregon. 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: $1,322 in Panama City versus $684 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $553 in Panama City versus $215 in Ciudad Obregon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,183 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,857 in Panama City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Obregon but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Obregon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ciudad Obregon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,183 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ciudad Obregon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Panama City and Ciudad Obregon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ciudad Obregon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.