Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Mazatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,436 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Panama City vs $1,436 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Panama City $1,837
Mazatlan $1,436

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Panama City vs $2,041 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Panama City $2,825
Mazatlan $2,041

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Panama City vs $2,645 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Panama City $3,812
Mazatlan $2,645

Panama City costs about 28% more than Mazatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Panama City and Mazatlan sit above the global median – Panama City by 37%, Mazatlan by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$10.96 MX$199

3.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$46.29 MX$842

3.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$8.37 MX$152

-3.58%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$3.40 MX$61.8

18.24%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.45 MX$26.29

33.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$1.10 MX$19.94

47.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$2.13 MX$38.67

53.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$2.83 MX$51.5

40.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.64 MX$29.86

11.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$2.59 MX$47.05

-0.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.33 MX$24.22

150.38%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.74 MX$49.92

-1.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$8.06 MX$147

52.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$6.94 MX$126

-3.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$7.67 MX$140

35.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.72 MX$49.43

52.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.70 MX$30.88

8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.62 MX$29.51

158.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$0.52 MX$9.43

684.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$1.63 MX$29.72

114.72%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$1.37 MX$24.89

218.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$1.60 MX$29.17

46.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$4.20 MX$76.4

44.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$15.98 MX$291

-26.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$2.03 MX$36.89

-32.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$3.09 MX$56.2

-8.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$0.69 MX$12.60

-47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

$41.84 MX$761

-49.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$3.71 MX$67.4

-32.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$2.45 MX$44.58

-26.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.53 MX$27.91

-18.30%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$21.4K MX$389.3K

0.62%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$24.8K MX$450.8K

-14.49%

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

$131 PAB 131

$59.0 MX$1,074

122.19%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$46.93 MX$854

-41.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$43.53 MX$792

11.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$45.05 MX$819

2.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$4.39 MX$79.9

98.86%

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

$551 PAB 551

$88.4 MX$1,609

522.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$2,007 MX$36.5K

376.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$63.9 MX$1,162

5.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$27.58 MX$502

74.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$112 MX$2,036

-15.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$84.1 MX$1,530

34.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$788 MX$14.3K

57.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$619 MX$11.3K

41.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$1,241 MX$22.6K

77.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$840 MX$15.3K

83.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$1,579 MX$28.7K

97.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$1,051 MX$19.1K

64.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

$533 MX$9,694

75.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.6

-44.91%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mazatlan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Mazatlan

$619 43.4% 29.1% $254

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Mazatlan

$236 * 16.5% 27.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Mazatlan

$150 10.5% 27.9% $58

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Mazatlan

$180 12.6% 10.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Mazatlan

$129 9.1% 11.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Mazatlan

$54 3.8% 15.3% $9.7

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Mazatlan

$61 4.2% 78.8% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,238 in Panama City versus $788 in Mazatlan. 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 75% 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 $46.00 in Mazatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $236 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

23:37 11:37 PM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

441,975

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Mazatlan 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Mazatlan

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 Mazatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Panama City, $1,436 in Mazatlan – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Panama City and $2,155 in Mazatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 100% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $551 per month in Panama City and $88.4 in Mazatlan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mazatlan, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in Panama City at $1,837. In Mazatlan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Panama City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,436 in Mazatlan to $1,837 in Panama City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mazatlan. 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.