Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Las Piedras

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Piedras: $961 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Las Piedras
Learn more

Las Piedras Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Las Piedras

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Las Piedras

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

A single person spends $1,857 per month in Panama City vs $961 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Panama City $1,857
Las Piedras $961

A couple spends around $2,815 per month in Panama City vs $1,577 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Panama City $2,815
Las Piedras $1,577

A family of three spends $3,773 per month in Panama City vs $2,193 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Panama City $3,773
Las Piedras $2,193

Panama City costs about 93% more than Las Piedras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Las Piedras is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$13.18 UYU 529

-11.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$43.97 UYU 1,765

8.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$13.86 UYU 556

-41.41%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$4.49 UYU 180

-5.79%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$2.38 UYU 95.4

-19.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$2.07 UYU 83.3

-23.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$3.04 UYU 122

8.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$3.56 UYU 143

11.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.17 UYU 46.88

64.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$2.70 UYU 108

-2.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.67 UYU 67.2

102.99%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$4.21 UYU 169

-36.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$11.89 UYU 477

2.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$11.26 UYU 452

-38.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$11.90 UYU 478

-11.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.83 UYU 114

47.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$2.76 UYU 111

-28.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$1.73 UYU 69.6

134.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$3.20 UYU 128

30.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$1.91 UYU 76.5

81.68%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$2.00 UYU 80.3

113.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$1.45 UYU 58.1

68.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$1.93 UYU 77.6

-12.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$5.32 UYU 214

9.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$8.23 UYU 330

38.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$2.25 UYU 90.3

-38.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.76 UYU 111

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$1.85 UYU 74.2

37.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$0.44 UYU 17.60

304.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$10.24 UYU 411

116.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$2.19 UYU 88.0

-43.38%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

-7.50%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-42.40%

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

$131 PAB 131

$113 UYU 4,552

15.76%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$20.83 UYU 836

33.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$44.70 UYU 1,794

10.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

$29.41 UYU 1,181

55.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

$74.8 UYU 3,002

-54.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$11.99 UYU 481

-29.36%

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

$553 PAB 553

$505 UYU 20.3K

9.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$6,551 UYU 262.9K

48.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$89.9 UYU 3,608

-26.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$38.05 UYU 1,527

24.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$127 UYU 5,081

-24.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$120 UYU 4,799

-5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$421 UYU 16.9K

411.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

27.80%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Las Piedras: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Las Piedras

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Las Piedras

$316 32.8% 3.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Las Piedras

$179 18.6% 14.1% $29

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Las Piedras

$241 25.1% 16.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Las Piedras

$168 17.5% 16.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Las Piedras

$53 5.6% 14.8% $9.2

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Las Piedras

$4 * 0.4% 87.9% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City versus $44.00 in Las Piedras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $316 – making Las Piedras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇺🇾 Las Piedras

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

71,268

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Las Piedras 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Las Piedras

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 Las Piedras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,786 per month in Panama City and $1,442 in Las Piedras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,857 in Panama City and $961 in Las Piedras. That's a gap of about 93%.

Kindergarten costs $553 per month in Panama City and $505 in Las Piedras. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Las Piedras, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Panama City at $1,857. In Las Piedras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Las Piedras – 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 Las Piedras. 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.