Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and La Serena

For one person, living is cheaper in La Serena: $1,094 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
54

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in La Serena

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Panama City vs $1,094 in La Serena, rent included.

Panama City $1,837
La Serena $1,094

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Panama City vs $1,814 in La Serena, rent included.

Panama City $2,825
La Serena $1,814

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Panama City vs $2,534 in La Serena, rent included.

Panama City $3,812
La Serena $2,534

Panama City costs about 68% more than La Serena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while La Serena is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$7.53 CLP 7,339

50.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$48.88 CLP 47.7K

-2.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$8.16 CLP 7,956

-1.10%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$2.91 CLP 2,835

38.14%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.10 CLP 1,074

76.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$0.64 CLP 626

153.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$2.11 CLP 2,053

54.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$3.82 CLP 3,727

4.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.25 CLP 1,216

46.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$2.38 CLP 2,320

7.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.53 CLP 1,492

117.65%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$3.86 CLP 3,761

-30.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$12.43 CLP 12.1K

-0.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$5.99 CLP 5,836

11.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$12.72 CLP 12.4K

-18.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$1.82 CLP 1,777

128.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.78 CLP 1,733

3.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.28 CLP 1,251

226.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$1.43 CLP 1,391

185.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$1.15 CLP 1,118

204.35%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$1.22 CLP 1,191

258.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$1.02 CLP 999

129.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$0.92 CLP 896

90.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$5.30 CLP 5,164

14.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$5.18 CLP 5,055

126.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$0.96 CLP 939

42.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$2.08 CLP 2,028

36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$1.04 CLP 1,015

-65.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

$35.64 CLP 34.8K

-41.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$0.70 CLP 680

260.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$2.04 CLP 1,994

-12.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$12.37 CLP 12.1K

77.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.43 CLP 1,391

-12.59%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$20.4K CLP 19.9M

5.47%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$12.6K CLP 12.3M

67.58%

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

$131 PAB 131

$89.2 CLP 86.9K

47.11%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$11.07 CLP 10.8K

150.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$21.51 CLP 21.0K

125.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$86.5 CLP 84.3K

-46.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$20.92 CLP 20.4K

67.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$8.13 CLP 7,929

7.38%

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

$551 PAB 551

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$44.32 CLP 43.2K

52.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$61.4 CLP 59.9K

-21.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$92.2 CLP 89.9K

2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$105 CLP 102.0K

7.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$429 CLP 418.2K

188.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$323 CLP 314.8K

170.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$898 CLP 876.1K

144.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$728 CLP 709.8K

111.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$2,070 CLP 2.0M

50.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$1,353 CLP 1.3M

27.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

$718 CLP 700.2K

30.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

6.5

-1.69%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for La Serena: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

La Serena

$323 29% 63% $550

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

La Serena

$236 21.1% 27.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

La Serena

$122 10.9% 41.3% $86

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

La Serena

$145 13% 28.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

La Serena

$136 12.2% 6.5% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

La Serena

$103 9.2% 61.6% $39

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

La Serena

$51 4.6% 49.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,238 in Panama City versus $429 in La Serena. 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 30% 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 $49.00 in La Serena. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Panama City vs $236 in La Serena – so La Serena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇨🇱 La Serena

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

195,382

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City La Serena 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
La Serena

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 La Serena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Panama City and $1,642 in La Serena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Serena, 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 $1,837 in Panama City and $1,094 in La Serena. That's a gap of about 68%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City and $49.00 in La Serena. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Serena, where all-in costs run around $1,094, than in Panama City at $1,837. In La Serena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Serena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with La Serena. 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.