Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Los Mochis

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Mochis: $1,111 a month against $1,855 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
Learn more

Panama City Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Los Mochis
Learn more

Los Mochis Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Los Mochis

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Los Mochis

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

A single person spends $1,855 per month in Panama City vs $1,111 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Panama City $1,855
Los Mochis $1,111

A couple spends around $2,804 per month in Panama City vs $1,768 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Panama City $2,804
Los Mochis $1,768

A family of three spends $3,753 per month in Panama City vs $2,424 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Panama City $3,753
Los Mochis $2,424

Panama City costs about 67% more than Los Mochis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$6.87 MX$127

69.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$32.35 MX$598

48.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$11.01 MX$203

-27.70%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$3.17 MX$58.6

33.12%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.10 MX$20.34

82.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$1.01 MX$18.71

54.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$2.50 MX$46.20

35.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$3.41 MX$63.0

15.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.52 MX$28.02

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$2.75 MX$50.8

-6.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.71 MX$31.61

103.51%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.35 MX$43.44

14.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$8.61 MX$159

45.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$9.59 MX$177

-28.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$12.84 MX$237

-17.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.52 MX$46.55

65.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.56 MX$28.79

17.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.86 MX$34.31

125.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.73 MX$31.88

132.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.89 MX$34.99

84.13%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$1.81 MX$33.47

133.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$1.43 MX$26.36

68.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.96 MX$17.81

76.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$3.74 MX$69.2

64.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$11.17 MX$207

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.82 MX$33.72

-21.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$3.09 MX$57.2

-11.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.69 MX$12.73

-52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$2.62 MX$48.45

-3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.95 MX$36.02

-4.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$10.87 MX$201

100.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.43 MX$26.34

-12.59%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$21.3K MX$393.0K

-0.13%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$23.9K MX$441.4K

-11.99%

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

$130 PAB 130

$57.0 MX$1,053

127.87%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$22.38 MX$414

25.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$29.97 MX$554

60.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$34.05 MX$629

34.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

$19.97 MX$369

74.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$5.22 MX$96.5

66.09%

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

$544 PAB 544

$222 MX$4,108

144.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$5,159 MX$95.3K

87.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$53.7 MX$992

24.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$40.77 MX$753

20.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$102 MX$1,881

-7.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$88.0 MX$1,625

26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$617 MX$11.4K

103.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$387 MX$7,153

126.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$1,026 MX$19.0K

110.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$777 MX$14.4K

101.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$1,913 MX$35.4K

63.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

$1,292 MX$23.9K

32.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

$652 MX$12.0K

40.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.3

-43.45%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Los Mochis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Los Mochis

$387 34.8% 55.8% $488

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Los Mochis

$273 24.6% 15.9% $52

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Los Mochis

$154 13.8% 25.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Los Mochis

$109 9.8% 47% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Los Mochis

$128 11.5% 11.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Los Mochis

$44 4% 29.5% $19

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Los Mochis

$15 * 1.4% 56% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,257 in Panama City versus $617 in Los Mochis. 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 40% 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 $32.00 in Los Mochis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $273 – making Los Mochis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇲🇽 Los Mochis

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

298,009

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Los Mochis 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Los Mochis

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 Los Mochis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City costs about 67% more than Los Mochis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,783 per month in Panama City and $1,667 in Los Mochis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Mochis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City and $32.00 in Los Mochis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Panama City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Mochis, where all-in costs run around $1,111, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Los Mochis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Mochis costs $1,111 versus $1,855 in Panama City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Los Mochis. 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.