Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Libertad

For one person, living is cheaper in Libertad: $1,074 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Panama City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Libertad
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Libertad Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Libertad

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,857 in Panama City versus $1,074 in Libertad.

Panama City $1,857
Libertad $1,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,815 in Panama City versus $1,735 in Libertad.

Panama City $2,815
Libertad $1,735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Panama City versus $2,396 in Libertad.

Panama City $3,773
Libertad $2,396

Living in Panama City is roughly 73% more expensive than in Libertad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$14.93 UYU 599

-21.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$68.4 UYU 2,746

-30.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$14.39 UYU 578

-43.57%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$4.67 UYU 187

-9.42%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$2.74 UYU 110

-29.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$2.03 UYU 81.3

-22.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$4.99 UYU 200

-33.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$3.70 UYU 148

7.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.34 UYU 53.7

43.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$2.86 UYU 115

-8.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.70 UYU 68.2

99.41%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$4.67 UYU 187

-42.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$13.88 UYU 557

-12.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$11.99 UYU 481

-42.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$11.88 UYU 477

-10.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.78 UYU 112

49.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$2.83 UYU 113

-30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$1.71 UYU 68.7

137.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$3.22 UYU 129

29.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$2.02 UYU 80.9

71.78%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$2.08 UYU 83.3

104.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$1.38 UYU 55.4

76.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$1.94 UYU 77.9

-12.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$5.64 UYU 226

3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$8.84 UYU 355

29.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$2.24 UYU 89.9

-38.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.73 UYU 110

1.10%

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

$1.89 UYU 75.9

34.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$0.40 UYU 16.15

345.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$10.65 UYU 427

108.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-41.51%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-8.44%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$36.9K UYU 1.5M

-42.31%

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

$131 PAB 131

$193 UYU 7,748

-32.00%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$20.77 UYU 834

33.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$44.35 UYU 1,780

11.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$12.17 UYU 488

-30.40%

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

$553 PAB 553

$621 UYU 24.9K

-10.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$10.8K UYU 435.3K

-10.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$102 UYU 4,104

-35.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$57.3 UYU 2,298

-17.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$124 UYU 4,977

-22.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$129 UYU 5,181

-12.74%

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

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

5.74

11.32%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Libertad: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Libertad

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Libertad

$332 30.9% 1.6% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Libertad

$258 24% 23.9% $50

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Libertad

$270 25.1% 30.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Libertad

$186 17.3% 28.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Libertad

$24 * 2.3% 61.2% $38

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Libertad

$3.9 * 0.4% 88.3% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48.00 in Panama City vs $68.0 in Libertad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $332 per month, with Panama City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇺🇾 Libertad

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

16:52 4:52 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

10,166

💱 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 Libertad 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Libertad

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 Libertad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City and Libertad differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($1,857 vs $1,074 including rent). Libertad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,786 in Panama City and $1,611 in Libertad 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.

Shoppers in Panama City pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,857 per month in Panama City versus $1,074 in Libertad – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,074 in Libertad versus $1,857 in Panama City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Libertad but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Libertad 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 Libertad 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 Libertad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.