Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Itajai

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajai: $1,002 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
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Itajai Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,855 per month in Panama City vs $1,002 in Itajai, rent included.

Panama City $1,855
Itajai $1,002

A couple spends around $2,804 per month in Panama City vs $1,225 in Itajai, rent included.

Panama City $2,804
Itajai $1,225

A family of three spends $3,753 per month in Panama City vs $1,448 in Itajai, rent included.

Panama City $3,753
Itajai $1,448

Panama City costs about 85% more than Itajai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Itajai is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$5.87 R$29.75

98.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$40.47 R$205

18.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$9.05 R$45.86

-12.04%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$2.52 R$12.77

67.46%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.16 R$5.88

73.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.96 R$4.87

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$2.73 R$13.83

24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$3.08 R$15.63

27.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$0.97 R$4.93

90.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$1.57 R$7.95

63.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.03 R$5.22

237.86%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.19 R$11.12

22.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$9.78 R$49.60

28.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$4.51 R$22.87

51.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$7.78 R$39.44

35.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.84 R$9.30

127.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$0.96 R$4.84

90.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.00 R$5.09

320.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.36 R$6.92

196.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$0.83 R$4.20

319.28%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$0.58 R$2.95

627.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$0.75 R$3.79

221.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.78 R$3.94

116.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$2.95 R$14.97

108.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$7.31 R$37.03

54.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$0.85 R$4.30

67.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$1.90 R$9.65

43.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.88 R$4.45

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.28 R$6.46

96.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$0.83 R$4.21

124.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$6.10 R$30.93

257.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.34 R$6.81

-6.72%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$23.6K R$119.8K

-10.13%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$33.4K R$169.3K

-37.07%

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

$130 PAB 130

$101 R$514

28.17%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$11.17 R$56.6

151.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$23.25 R$118

107.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$27.46 R$139

66.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$7.69 R$38.96

12.74%

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

$544 PAB 544

$283 R$1,435

92.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$5,139 R$26.1K

88.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$72.7 R$369

-8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$74.0 R$375

-33.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$97.9 R$496

-4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$80.9 R$410

37.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$498 R$2,524

152.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$357 R$1,812

144.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$1,427 R$7,232

51.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$2,324 R$11.8K

34.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

$632 R$3,201

45.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

10.68

-40.17%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Itajai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Itajai

$357 35.7% 59.2% $518

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Itajai

$178 17.8% 45.3% $147

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Itajai

$133 13.2% 35.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Itajai

$136 13.6% 34.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Itajai

$146 14.6% 1.3% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Itajai

$43 4.3% 32.1% $20

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Itajai

$8.9 * 0.9% 74% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,257 in Panama City versus $498 in Itajai. 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 45% 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 $48.00 in Panama City versus $40.00 in Itajai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $178 – making Itajai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Itajai

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

04:10 4:10 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

264,054

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Itajai 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Itajai

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 Itajai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,855 in Panama City, $1,002 in Itajai – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,783 per month in Panama City and $1,503 in Itajai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,855 in Panama City and $1,002 in Itajai. That's a gap of about 85%.

Kindergarten costs $544 per month in Panama City and $283 in Itajai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itajai, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Itajai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Panama City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,002 in Itajai to $1,855 in Panama City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Itajai. 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.