Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Guararema

For one person, living is cheaper in Guararema: $797 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
Learn more

Panama City Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Guararema
Learn more

Guararema Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Guararema

🇧🇷 Brazil

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,857 in Panama City versus $797 in Guararema.

Panama City $1,857
Guararema $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,815 in Panama City versus $1,308 in Guararema.

Panama City $2,815
Guararema $1,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Panama City versus $1,818 in Guararema.

Panama City $3,773
Guararema $1,818

Living in Panama City is roughly 133% more expensive than in Guararema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Guararema is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$6.12 R$31.03

90.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$36.21 R$184

31.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$8.91 R$45.16

-8.87%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$1.28 R$6.49

230.47%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.27 R$6.45

51.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$0.89 R$4.50

77.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$2.00 R$10.12

65.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$3.24 R$16.44

22.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.01 R$5.10

90.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$1.47 R$7.44

78.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.38 R$7.01

145.65%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$2.58 R$13.08

3.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$10.59 R$53.7

15.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$4.98 R$25.26

38.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$10.52 R$53.3

0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.27 R$11.50

83.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$1.70 R$8.63

15.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$1.51 R$7.67

168.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.38 R$7.02

202.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$1.25 R$6.33

177.60%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$1.23 R$6.25

246.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$0.97 R$4.92

151.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.79 R$4.02

113.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$2.55 R$12.94

128.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$7.89 R$40.02

44.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$1.55 R$7.83

-10.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.48 R$12.55

11.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$1.15 R$5.84

-71.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

$20.62 R$105

0.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$1.16 R$5.86

119.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$0.77 R$3.91

131.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$8.33 R$42.25

166.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$1.30 R$6.57

-4.62%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$15.4K R$78.0K

58.66%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$23.4K R$118.6K

-9.01%

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

$131 PAB 131

$40.18 R$204

226.75%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$7.83 R$39.69

255.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$15.58 R$79.0

216.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

$26.20 R$133

74.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

$20.79 R$105

64.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$3.95 R$20.03

114.43%

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

$553 PAB 553

$436 R$2,210

26.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$10.7K R$54.1K

-8.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$50.5 R$256

31.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$30.99 R$157

52.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$89.1 R$451

7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$58.5 R$297

92.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

$359 R$1,820

268.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

$238 R$1,208

267.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$674 R$3,415

219.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

$469 R$2,376

237.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

$1,681 R$8,524

84.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

$1,171 R$5,934

45.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

$300 R$1,519

205.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

-29.00%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Guararema: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Guararema

$238 29.9% 72.8% $636

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Guararema

$211 26.5% 35.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Guararema

$64 8% 69.5% $145

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Guararema

$116 14.6% 43.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Guararema

$103 12.9% 28.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Guararema

$34 4.3% 45.6% $29

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Guararema

$30 3.8% 9.5% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,322 in Panama City and $359 in Guararema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 205% 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 $36.00 in Guararema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $211 per month, with Guararema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Guararema

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

31,236

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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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Between locations

Panama City Guararema 5,120 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Guararema

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 Guararema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guararema is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 133% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 205% 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 $359 in Guararema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,857 per month in Panama City versus $797 in Guararema – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Guararema runs roughly 0% less than in Panama City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $797 in Guararema versus $1,857 in Panama City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Guararema but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Guararema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Guararema is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Panama City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Guararema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.