Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Menlo Park, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,857 a month against $3,601 in Menlo Park, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
173

Cost of Living Index in Menlo Park, CA
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Menlo Park, CA Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Menlo Park, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Menlo Park, CA

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 Menlo Park, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,857 in Panama City versus $3,601 in Menlo Park, CA.

Panama City $1,857
Menlo Park, CA $3,601

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,815 in Panama City versus $6,632 in Menlo Park, CA.

Panama City $2,815
Menlo Park, CA $6,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Panama City versus $9,663 in Menlo Park, CA.

Panama City $3,773
Menlo Park, CA $9,663

Living in Panama City costs roughly 48% less than in Menlo Park, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Panama City 37% above, Menlo Park, CA 166% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$25.36 $25.36

-53.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$108 $108

-55.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$12.13 $12.13

-33.06%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$5.81 $5.81

-27.19%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$3.08 $3.08

-37.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$2.35 $2.35

-32.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$8.06 $8.06

-58.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$7.97 $7.97

-50.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.39 $1.39

38.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$4.19 $4.19

-37.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$4.90 $4.90

-30.82%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$6.46 $6.46

-58.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$24.57 $24.57

-50.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$11.73 $11.73

-41.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$13.02 $13.02

-18.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$5.58 $5.58

-25.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$2.29 $2.29

-13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$4.92 $4.92

-17.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$5.80 $5.80

-27.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$3.27 $3.27

6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$3.09 $3.09

37.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$2.46 $2.46

-0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$2.63 $2.63

-35.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$11.55 $11.55

-49.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$13.00 $13.00

-12.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$1.70 $1.70

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.49 $2.49

10.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$4.63 $4.63

-92.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$3.27 $3.27

-22.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$2.42 $2.42

-26.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$39.80 $39.80

-44.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$1.54 $1.54

-19.48%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.32%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$26.9K $26.9K

-20.87%

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

$131 PAB 131

$187 $187

-29.75%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$38.24 $38.24

-27.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$68.5 $68.5

-28.03%

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

$16.11 $16.11

-47.42%

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

$553 PAB 553

$2,684 $2,684

-79.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$37.1K $37.1K

-73.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$51.1 $51.1

30.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$39.52 $39.52

19.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$88.5 $88.5

8.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$59.9 $59.9

88.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

$3,223 $3,223

-58.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

$2,287 $2,287

-61.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$6,145 $6,145

-64.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

$6,562 $6,562

-75.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

$21.9K $21.9K

-85.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

$16.5K $16.5K

-89.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

$4,887 $4,887

-81.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

6.69

-4.48%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Menlo Park, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Menlo Park, CA

$2.3K 63.5% 162% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Menlo Park, CA

$460 12.8% 40.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Menlo Park, CA

$294 8.2% 40.9% $85

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Menlo Park, CA

$387 10.7% 86.8% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Menlo Park, CA

$108 3% 25.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Menlo Park, CA

$32 * 0.9% 48.6% $30

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Menlo Park, CA

$34 * 0.9% 1.4% $0.5

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 $1,322 in Panama City and $3,223 in Menlo Park, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Menlo Park, CA pays 435% 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 $108 in Menlo Park, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $460 per month, with Panama City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇺🇸 Menlo Park, CA

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

33,780

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

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Panama City Menlo Park, CA 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Menlo Park, CA

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 Menlo Park, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 94% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 435% lower in Menlo Park, CA. 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: $1,322 in Panama City versus $3,223 in Menlo Park, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $553 in Panama City versus $2,684 in Menlo Park, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Panama City – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $108 in Menlo Park, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,857 in Panama City versus $3,601 in Menlo Park, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in Menlo Park, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Panama City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Panama City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Menlo Park, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Panama City and Menlo Park, CA 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 94% less than in Menlo Park, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.