Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Missoula, MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,972 a month against $2,609 in Missoula, MT, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Missoula, MT
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Missoula, MT Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,972

/mo nomad

Missoula, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Missoula, MT

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,972 in Panama City versus $2,609 in Missoula, MT.

Panama City $1,972
Missoula, MT $2,609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,930 in Panama City versus $4,087 in Missoula, MT.

Panama City $2,930
Missoula, MT $4,087

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,888 in Panama City versus $5,565 in Missoula, MT.

Panama City $3,888
Missoula, MT $5,565

Living in Panama City costs roughly 24% less than in Missoula, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Panama City 46% above, Missoula, MT 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 PAB 11.37

$16.73 $16.73

-32.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.69 PAB 46.69

$75.3 $75.3

-37.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 PAB 7.98

$9.27 $9.27

-13.92%

Cappuccino

$4.12 PAB 4.12

$4.37 $4.37

-5.72%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$3.10 $3.10

-35.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 PAB 1.57

$2.34 $2.34

-32.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 PAB 3.28

$5.86 $5.86

-44.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 PAB 3.88

$5.93 $5.93

-34.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PAB 1.82

$1.12 $1.12

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PAB 2.61

$3.44 $3.44

-24.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 PAB 3.45

$4.98 $4.98

-30.72%

Eggs

$2.68 PAB 2.68

$4.27 $4.27

-37.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 PAB 12.42

$24.81 $24.81

-49.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 PAB 6.73

$9.67 $9.67

-30.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 PAB 10.44

$18.98 $18.98

-44.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 PAB 4.21

$4.81 $4.81

-12.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 PAB 1.95

$1.46 $1.46

33.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 PAB 4.07

$6.51 $6.51

-37.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$3.73 $3.73

7.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 PAB 3.46

$2.33 $2.33

48.50%

Onion (1kg)

$4.42 PAB 4.42

$2.96 $2.96

49.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 PAB 2.43

$2.41 $2.41

0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 PAB 1.72

$3.90 $3.90

-55.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 PAB 6.04

$10.50 $10.50

-42.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$24.82 $24.82

-52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 PAB 1.41

$1.98 $1.98

-28.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 PAB 2.74

$4.38 $4.38

-37.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.65 PAB 20.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 PAB 2.45

$5.13 $5.13

-52.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 PAB 1.76

$4.99 $4.99

-64.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.86 PAB 21.86

$39.29 $39.29

-44.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 PAB 1.20

$1.09 $1.09

10.09%

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

$24.6K PAB 24.6K

$32.3K $32.3K

-24.02%

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

$20.9K PAB 20.9K

$24.5K $24.5K

-14.89%

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

$132 PAB 132

$139 $139

-5.08%

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

$27.89 PAB 27.89

$52.7 $52.7

-47.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.10 PAB 49.10

$69.2 $69.2

-28.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 PAB 44.53

$49.22 $49.22

-9.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 PAB 34.01

$22.25 $22.25

52.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 PAB 8.70

$13.75 $13.75

-36.73%

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

$537 PAB 537

$2,009 $2,009

-73.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K PAB 20.5K

$17.7K $17.7K

15.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.8 PAB 65.8

$66.4 $66.4

-0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.45 PAB 48.45

$44.46 $44.46

8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 PAB 95.4

$104 $104

-8.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 PAB 114

$149 $149

-23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 PAB 1,405

$1,522 $1,522

-7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 PAB 994

$1,324 $1,324

-24.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,221 PAB 2,221

$2,992 $2,992

-25.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 PAB 1,714

$2,649 $2,649

-35.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,139 PAB 3,139

$4,211 $4,211

-25.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,724 PAB 1,724

$3,475 $3,475

-50.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 PAB 936

$3,666 $3,666

-74.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

6.84

-6.58%

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

Last update for Panama City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Missoula, MT: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$994 50.4%

Missoula, MT

$1.3K 50.7% 33.1% $329

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$326 16.5%

Missoula, MT

$477 18.3% 46.6% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$209 10.6%

Missoula, MT

$261 10% 24.8% $52

Eating Out

Panama City

$203 10.3%

Missoula, MT

$277 10.6% 36.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.4%

Missoula, MT

$164 6.3% 12.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$62 3.1%

Missoula, MT

$77 2.9% 23.9% $15

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.7%

Missoula, MT

$30 * 1.2% 9.4% $3.1

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 $1,405 in Panama City and $1,522 in Missoula, MT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Missoula, MT pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Panama City vs $75 in Missoula, MT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $477 per month, with Panama City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇺🇸 Missoula, MT

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

73,489

💱 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 November 6, 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Missoula, MT 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Missoula, MT

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 Missoula, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Panama City. 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: $1,405 in Panama City versus $1,522 in Missoula, MT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Panama City versus $2,009 in Missoula, MT. 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 $47 versus $75 in Missoula, MT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,972 in Panama City versus $2,609 in Missoula, MT, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Panama City but tight or insufficient in Missoula, MT. 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 Missoula, MT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Panama City wins on affordability, Missoula, MT on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.