Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Joao Pessoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $1,059 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Joao Pessoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Panama City versus $1,059 in Joao Pessoa.

Panama City $1,837
Joao Pessoa $1,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Panama City versus $1,635 in Joao Pessoa.

Panama City $2,825
Joao Pessoa $1,635

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in Panama City versus $2,210 in Joao Pessoa.

Panama City $3,812
Joao Pessoa $2,210

Living in Panama City is roughly 74% more expensive than in Joao Pessoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Joao Pessoa is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$7.18 R$35.82

57.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$29.50 R$147

62.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$7.99 R$39.91

1.00%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$1.60 R$7.98

151.25%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.02 R$5.07

90.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$0.69 R$3.43

134.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$1.88 R$9.41

73.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$3.52 R$17.56

13.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.23 R$6.13

48.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$2.13 R$10.61

20.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.54 R$7.69

116.23%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.13 R$10.62

26.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$8.63 R$43.08

42.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$5.02 R$25.04

33.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$7.43 R$37.08

39.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$3.26 R$16.29

27.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.02 R$5.10

80.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$0.92 R$4.61

354.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$1.18 R$5.87

245.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$1.64 R$8.17

113.41%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$1.26 R$6.31

246.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$0.76 R$3.78

207.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$0.86 R$4.27

103.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$2.99 R$14.92

102.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$8.95 R$44.69

30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$1.56 R$7.78

-12.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$3.31 R$16.54

-14.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$1.02 R$5.10

-64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

$70.5 R$352

-70.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$2.01 R$10.04

25.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$1.97 R$9.86

-9.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$3.25 R$16.24

577.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.28 R$6.37

-2.34%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$23.7K R$118.5K

-9.26%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$33.2K R$165.5K

-36.08%

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

$131 PAB 131

$131 R$652

0.48%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$23.38 R$117

18.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$24.22 R$121

100.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$38.84 R$194

18.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$29.64 R$148

18.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$10.88 R$54.3

-19.76%

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

$551 PAB 551

$441 R$2,204

24.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$6,925 R$34.6K

38.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$54.6 R$272

23.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$68.7 R$343

-30.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$89.5 R$447

6.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$77.3 R$386

46.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$404 R$2,014

206.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$266 R$1,328

228.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$662 R$3,303

232.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$523 R$2,609

194.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$2,432 R$12.1K

28.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$1,189 R$5,935

45.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

$505 R$2,521

85.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

-41.91%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Joao Pessoa

$266 25.3% 69.5% $607

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Joao Pessoa

$207 19.6% 36.3% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Joao Pessoa

$178 16.9% 14.1% $29

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Joao Pessoa

$124 11.8% 38.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Joao Pessoa

$131 12.4% 10.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Joao Pessoa

$61 5.8% 4.7% $3

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Joao Pessoa

$86 8.2% 155% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,238 in Panama City and $404 in Joao Pessoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 85% 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 $29.00 in Joao Pessoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $207 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

833,932

💱 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 Joao Pessoa 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Joao Pessoa

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 Joao Pessoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City and Joao Pessoa differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,059 including rent). Joao Pessoa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% 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: $1,238 in Panama City versus $404 in Joao Pessoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $551 in Panama City versus $441 in Joao Pessoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Panama City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,837 in Panama City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Joao Pessoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.