Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Kelowna

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,837 a month against $2,351 in Kelowna, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Kelowna
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Kelowna Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kelowna

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Panama City versus $2,351 in Kelowna.

Panama City $1,837
Kelowna $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Panama City versus $3,444 in Kelowna.

Panama City $2,825
Kelowna $3,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in Panama City versus $4,536 in Kelowna.

Panama City $3,812
Kelowna $4,536

Living in Panama City costs roughly 22% less than in Kelowna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Panama City 37% above, Kelowna 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$16.53 CA$23.56

-31.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$58.2 CA$82.9

-17.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$11.36 CA$16.19

-28.96%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$3.91 CA$5.57

2.81%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.97 CA$2.80

-1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$1.70 CA$2.42

-4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$4.52 CA$6.44

-27.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$5.64 CA$8.04

-29.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.98 CA$2.82

-7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$2.74 CA$3.90

-6.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$3.52 CA$5.02

-5.40%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$3.14 CA$4.47

-14.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$9.04 CA$12.89

36.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$13.07 CA$18.63

-48.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$21.06 CA$30.03

-50.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$3.34 CA$4.76

24.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.54 CA$2.20

19.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$3.38 CA$4.82

23.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$4.76 CA$6.78

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$3.04 CA$4.33

15.13%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$3.11 CA$4.44

40.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$2.51 CA$3.58

-6.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$1.87 CA$2.66

-6.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$14.00 CA$19.96

-56.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$13.39 CA$19.08

-12.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$2.58 CA$3.68

-46.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$3.10 CA$4.42

-8.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$1.72 CA$2.46

-79.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

$48.15 CA$68.6

-56.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$2.79 CA$3.98

-9.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$1.71 CA$2.43

4.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$33.36 CA$47.55

-34.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.27 CA$1.82

-1.57%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$28.0K CA$39.9K

-23.14%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$17.9K CA$25.5K

18.52%

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

$131 PAB 131

$127 CA$181

3.27%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$44.36 CA$63.2

-37.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$55.9 CA$79.7

-13.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$55.1 CA$78.5

-16.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$30.27 CA$43.14

15.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$11.71 CA$16.69

-25.45%

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

$551 PAB 551

$1,006 CA$1,433

-45.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$15.9K CA$22.7K

-40.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$47.17 CA$67.2

43.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$40.66 CA$58.0

18.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$83.3 CA$119

13.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$96.8 CA$138

16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$1,353 CA$1,929

-8.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$1,197 CA$1,707

-27.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$2,267 CA$3,232

-3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$1,924 CA$2,742

-20.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$3,893 CA$5,549

-19.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$3,207 CA$4,571

-46.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

$3,012 CA$4,294

-68.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

4.69

36.25%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Kelowna: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Kelowna

$1.2K 51.2% 37.1% $324

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Kelowna

$386 16.5% 19.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Kelowna

$227 9.7% 9.6% $20

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Kelowna

$262 11.2% 29.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Kelowna

$121 5.2% 17.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Kelowna

$78 3.4% 23.5% $15

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Kelowna

$66 2.8% 95.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,238 in Panama City and $1,353 in Kelowna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kelowna pays 222% 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 $58.0 in Kelowna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $386 per month, with Panama City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇨🇦 Kelowna

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

144,576

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Kelowna 5,850 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Kelowna

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 Kelowna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City and Kelowna differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $2,351 including rent). Panama City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 222% lower in Kelowna. 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 $1,353 in Kelowna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Panama City versus $2,351 in Kelowna – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Panama City runs roughly 130% less than in Kelowna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,837 in Panama City versus $2,351 in Kelowna, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in Kelowna. The gap between the two cities makes Panama City 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.

Safety-wise, Panama City and Kelowna are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Panama City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Kelowna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.