Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Maceio - Alagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $851 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
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Maceio - Alagoas Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,855 in Panama City versus $851 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Panama City $1,855
Maceio - Alagoas $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,804 in Panama City versus $1,333 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Panama City $2,804
Maceio - Alagoas $1,333

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in Panama City versus $1,815 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Panama City $3,753
Maceio - Alagoas $1,815

Living in Panama City is roughly 118% more expensive than in Maceio - Alagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Maceio - Alagoas is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$5.92 R$29.77

96.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$29.81 R$150

60.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$5.87 R$29.49

35.60%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$1.77 R$8.89

138.42%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.09 R$5.46

84.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.48 R$2.44

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.64 R$8.23

106.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$4.18 R$21.02

-5.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.11 R$5.57

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$2.07 R$10.42

23.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.06 R$5.31

228.30%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$1.94 R$9.77

38.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$9.54 R$47.94

31.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$4.52 R$22.72

51.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$7.66 R$38.50

38.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.86 R$14.36

46.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.13 R$5.66

61.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.38 R$6.94

204.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.35 R$6.81

198.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.42 R$7.14

145.07%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$1.32 R$6.64

219.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$0.58 R$2.92

315.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.84 R$4.21

101.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$2.09 R$10.52

193.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$6.96 R$34.97

62.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.61 R$8.09

-11.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$1.45 R$7.30

88.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.79 R$3.97

-58.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$0.39 R$1.94

546.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$0.42 R$2.10

342.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.28 R$6.44

-2.34%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$21.7K R$109.3K

-2.31%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$31.4K R$157.7K

-32.98%

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

$130 PAB 130

$81.5 R$410

59.37%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$16.69 R$83.9

68.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$17.82 R$89.6

170.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$24.34 R$122

88.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$5.98 R$30.06

44.98%

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

$544 PAB 544

$219 R$1,102

148.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$7,075 R$35.6K

37.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$55.5 R$279

20.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$78.3 R$394

-37.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$94.0 R$472

-0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$79.2 R$398

40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$295 R$1,481

326.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$250 R$1,258

249.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$500 R$2,513

331.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$474 R$2,381

230.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$1,507 R$7,573

107.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

$698 R$3,508

144.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

$601 R$3,020

52.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

10.17

-37.17%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Maceio - Alagoas

$250 29.4% 71.4% $625

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Maceio - Alagoas

$195 23% 39.9% $130

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Maceio - Alagoas

$109 12.8% 47.2% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Maceio - Alagoas

$116 13.6% 43.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Maceio - Alagoas

$138 16.2% 4.5% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Maceio - Alagoas

$36 4.3% 42.5% $27

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.6 * 0.7% 83.6% $29

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 $295 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 52% 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 $30.00 in Maceio - Alagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $195 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

09:49 9:49 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

1,031,597

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.893 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.893 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Maceio - Alagoas 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maceio - Alagoas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Panama City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,257 in Panama City versus $295 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Panama City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,855 per month in Panama City versus $851 in Maceio - Alagoas – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $851 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,855 in Panama City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maceio - Alagoas 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.

Expats usually find Maceio - Alagoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.