Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Contenda

For one person, living is cheaper in Contenda: $870 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Contenda
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Contenda Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Contenda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,855 per month in Panama City vs $870 in Contenda, rent included.

Panama City $1,855
Contenda $870

A couple spends around $2,804 per month in Panama City vs $1,325 in Contenda, rent included.

Panama City $2,804
Contenda $1,325

A family of three spends $3,753 per month in Panama City vs $1,780 in Contenda, rent included.

Panama City $3,753
Contenda $1,780

Panama City costs about 113% more than Contenda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Contenda is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$3.92 R$19.65

196.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$11.83 R$59.4

305.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$8.16 R$40.93

-2.45%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$2.40 R$12.05

75.83%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.38 R$6.94

45.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.61 R$3.07

155.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.96 R$9.82

72.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$1.96 R$9.83

101.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.07 R$5.36

72.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$1.63 R$8.17

57.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.34 R$6.71

159.70%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.57 R$12.88

4.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$9.99 R$50.1

25.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$3.96 R$19.86

72.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$8.05 R$40.41

31.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.44 R$12.25

71.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.19 R$5.97

53.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.18 R$5.90

255.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.38 R$6.94

192.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$0.97 R$4.89

258.76%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$0.93 R$4.68

353.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$0.82 R$4.11

193.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.72 R$3.60

134.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$3.02 R$15.16

103.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$3.96 R$19.86

185.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.48 R$7.40

-4.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$2.02 R$10.13

35.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.99 R$4.98

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

$43.35 R$218

-51.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.19 R$5.96

111.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.03 R$5.16

80.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$10.19 R$51.1

113.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.22 R$6.12

2.46%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$18.3K R$91.7K

16.23%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$21.8K R$109.4K

-3.62%

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

$130 PAB 130

$84.0 R$422

54.50%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$8.20 R$41.16

243.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$20.25 R$102

138.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$26.41 R$133

73.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

$27.34 R$137

27.72%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$8.14 R$40.85

6.51%

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

$544 PAB 544

$284 R$1,425

91.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$11.1K R$55.7K

-12.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$66.3 R$332

0.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$71.0 R$356

-30.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$114 R$573

-17.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$70.9 R$356

57.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$343 R$1,719

267.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$226 R$1,133

287.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$743 R$3,725

190.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$424 R$2,129

268.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$1,493 R$7,488

109.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

$1,359 R$6,819

25.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

10.61

-39.77%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Contenda: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Contenda

$226 26% 74.2% $649

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Contenda

$183 21.1% 43.6% $142

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Contenda

$106 12.2% 48.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Contenda

$113 12.9% 45.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Contenda

$145 16.7% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Contenda

$43 4.9% 32.4% $20

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Contenda

$54 6.2% 56% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,257 in Panama City versus $343 in Contenda. 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 $12.00 in Contenda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $183 – making Contenda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Contenda

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

19,128

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.893 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.893 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Contenda 5,040 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Contenda

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 Contenda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City costs about 113% more than Contenda, 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 $2,783 per month in Panama City and $1,304 in Contenda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $544 per month in Panama City and $284 in Contenda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 77% 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 Contenda, where all-in costs run around $870, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Contenda 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. Contenda costs $870 versus $1,855 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 Contenda. 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.