Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Florianopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Florianopolis: $1,276 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Florianopolis
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Florianopolis Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Florianopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Panama City versus $1,276 in Florianopolis.

Panama City $1,837
Florianopolis $1,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Panama City versus $2,070 in Florianopolis.

Panama City $2,825
Florianopolis $2,070

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in Panama City versus $2,864 in Florianopolis.

Panama City $3,812
Florianopolis $2,864

Living in Panama City is roughly 44% more expensive than in Florianopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Florianopolis is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$9.55 R$47.68

18.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$45.58 R$228

4.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$7.95 R$39.69

1.51%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$2.40 R$11.98

67.50%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.36 R$6.78

42.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$1.08 R$5.40

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$2.96 R$14.78

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$3.50 R$17.48

14.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.03 R$5.17

77.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$1.62 R$8.10

58.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.27 R$6.34

162.20%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.63 R$13.14

2.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$9.71 R$48.47

26.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$4.16 R$20.75

60.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$10.04 R$50.1

3.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.32 R$11.57

79.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.30 R$6.51

41.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.48 R$7.38

182.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$1.65 R$8.23

147.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$1.04 R$5.20

236.54%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$0.99 R$4.96

341.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$0.81 R$4.06

188.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$0.70 R$3.52

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$2.93 R$14.63

106.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$10.14 R$50.6

15.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$1.47 R$7.35

-6.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$2.90 R$14.47

-2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$1.35 R$6.75

-73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

$81.9 R$409

-74.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.59 R$7.93

58.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$1.63 R$8.15

9.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$12.07 R$60.2

82.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.31 R$6.56

-4.58%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$24.1K R$120.3K

-10.63%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$34.3K R$171.0K

-38.13%

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

$131 PAB 131

$85.5 R$427

53.41%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$12.52 R$62.5

121.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$22.21 R$111

118.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$29.90 R$149

54.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$19.18 R$95.7

82.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$7.84 R$39.13

11.35%

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

$551 PAB 551

$771 R$3,851

-28.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$11.0K R$54.7K

-12.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$65.4 R$327

3.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$69.8 R$349

-31.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$113 R$566

-16.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$68.9 R$344

63.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$656 R$3,273

88.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$507 R$2,531

72.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$1,362 R$6,796

61.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$1,061 R$5,297

44.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$2,805 R$14.0K

11.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$1,584 R$7,905

8.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

$996 R$4,971

-6.17%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Florianopolis: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Florianopolis

$507 39.6% 41.9% $366

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Florianopolis

$206 16.1% 36.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Florianopolis

$120 9.4% 42% $87

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Florianopolis

$161 12.6% 20.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Florianopolis

$143 11.2% 1.8% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Florianopolis

$46 3.6% 28.3% $18

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Florianopolis

$97 7.6% 187% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,238 in Panama City and $656 in Florianopolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Florianopolis pays 7% 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 $46.00 in Florianopolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $206 per month, with Florianopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Florianopolis

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

537,211

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Florianopolis 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Florianopolis

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 Florianopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Florianopolis wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Panama City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Florianopolis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Florianopolis. 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: $1,238 in Panama City versus $656 in Florianopolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Florianopolis – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $48.00 in Panama City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Panama City versus $1,276 in Florianopolis – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,276 in Florianopolis versus $1,837 in Panama City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Florianopolis but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Florianopolis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Florianopolis delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,276 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Florianopolis hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Florianopolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.