Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,855 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,855 in Panama City versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Panama City $1,855
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,804 in Panama City versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Panama City $2,804
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in Panama City versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Panama City $3,753
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Panama City costs roughly 17% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Panama City 37% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$16.50 €14.67

-29.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$61.3 €54.5

-21.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$11.27 €10.03

-29.37%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$3.06 €2.72

37.91%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$2.26 €2.01

-11.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$1.73 €1.54

-9.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$3.39 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$3.40 €3.02

15.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.12 €1.00

65.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$1.86 €1.65

37.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.53 €1.36

127.45%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$3.96 €3.53

-32.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$12.76 €11.35

-1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$7.90 €7.02

-13.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$16.97 €15.09

-37.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.27 €2.02

84.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.75 €1.55

4.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.85 €1.64

127.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$2.57 €2.28

56.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.86 €1.65

87.10%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$2.02 €1.80

108.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$1.44 €1.28

67.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.82 €0.73

106.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$6.56 €5.83

-6.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$5.62 €5.00

101.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.28 €1.14

10.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$2.07 €1.84

31.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$2.35 €2.09

-85.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

$44.18 €39.30

-51.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$3.99 €3.55

-36.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.09 €0.97

70.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$16.64 €14.81

30.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$2.28 €2.03

-45.18%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

-36.93%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-46.50%

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

$130 PAB 130

$167 €149

-22.48%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$18.80 €16.72

49.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$33.09 €29.43

45.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$46.01 €40.93

-0.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

$19.19 €17.07

81.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$9.84 €8.75

-11.89%

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

$544 PAB 544

$677 €602

-19.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$16.9K €15.1K

-42.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$101 €90.1

-34.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$45.76 €40.70

7.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$100.0 €88.9

-6.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$123 €109

-9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$1,614 €1,436

-22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$1,197 €1,065

-26.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$2,862 €2,545

-24.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$1,990 €1,770

-21.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$7,577 €6,740

-58.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

$4,307 €3,831

-60.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

$1,588 €1,412

-42.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.85

65.97%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 36.8% $322

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 17.1% $56

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 17.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 6.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 15.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 4.1% $2.6

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 83.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,257 in Panama City and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 73% 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 $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

15:47 3:47 PM

6 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Lisbon 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City and Lisbon differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,855 vs $2,223 including rent). Panama City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,257 in Panama City versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $544 in Panama City versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,855 in Panama City versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon 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 20% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.