Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Lanus

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanus: $1,089 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Lanus
Learn more

Lanus Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Lanus

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,855 in Panama City versus $1,089 in Lanus.

Panama City $1,855
Lanus $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,804 in Panama City versus $1,793 in Lanus.

Panama City $2,804
Lanus $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in Panama City versus $2,497 in Lanus.

Panama City $3,753
Lanus $2,497

Living in Panama City is roughly 70% more expensive than in Lanus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Lanus is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$10.15 ARS 15.4K

14.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$37.97 ARS 57.6K

26.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$12.89 ARS 19.6K

-38.25%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$3.83 ARS 5,805

10.18%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.98 ARS 3,009

1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$1.60 ARS 2,434

-2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$3.84 ARS 5,833

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$2.29 ARS 3,470

72.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.30 ARS 1,978

42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$2.41 ARS 3,655

6.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.59 ARS 2,417

118.87%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.53 ARS 3,843

6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$6.86 ARS 10.4K

83.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$9.15 ARS 13.9K

-25.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

-21.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.74 ARS 4,156

52.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.98 ARS 3,010

-7.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.05 ARS 1,595

300.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.84 ARS 2,787

119.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$0.97 ARS 1,476

258.76%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$0.69 ARS 1,048

511.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$1.63 ARS 2,478

47.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$1.71 ARS 2,600

-1.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$3.34 ARS 5,066

83.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$5.85 ARS 8,883

93.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.51 ARS 2,296

-5.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$2.73 ARS 4,140

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$1.07 ARS 1,625

-69.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.59 ARS 2,411

58.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$0.98 ARS 1,482

89.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$8.06 ARS 12.2K

170.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.15 ARS 1,741

8.70%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$28.1K ARS 42.7M

-24.44%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$29.7K ARS 45.1M

-29.32%

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

$130 PAB 130

$60.6 ARS 92.0K

114.26%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$20.24 ARS 30.7K

38.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$27.37 ARS 41.5K

76.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$31.46 ARS 47.7K

45.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$4.89 ARS 7,423

77.30%

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

$544 PAB 544

$468 ARS 710.3K

16.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$8,856 ARS 13.4M

9.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$37.57 ARS 57.0K

77.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$60.4 ARS 91.6K

-18.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$116 ARS 176.2K

-19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$100 ARS 152.0K

11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$470 ARS 713.4K

167.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$328 ARS 497.1K

167.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$881 ARS 1.3M

144.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$767 ARS 1.2M

103.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

57.25

-88.84%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lanus: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Lanus

$328 30.1% 62.6% $547

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Lanus

$256 23.5% 21.4% $69

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Lanus

$204 18.7% 1.3% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Lanus

$108 9.9% 47.5% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Lanus

$141 13% 2.2% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Lanus

$41 3.8% 34.6% $22

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Lanus

$11 * 1% 68.7% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,257 in Panama City and $470 in Lanus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Panama City vs $38.00 in Lanus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $256 per month, with Lanus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇦🇷 Lanus

🕒 Local time

13:57 1:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

459,263

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.889 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.889 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Lanus 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Lanus

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 Lanus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lanus is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,783 in Panama City and $1,633 in Lanus to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,257 in Panama City versus $470 in Lanus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $544 in Panama City versus $468 in Lanus. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lanus – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $48.00 in Panama City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,089 in Lanus versus $1,855 in Panama City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanus but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Lanus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lanus 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.

Safety-wise, Panama City and Lanus 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 Lanus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.