Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Palmas

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $834 a month against $1,857 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,857

/mo nomad

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,857 per month in Panama City vs $834 in Palmas, rent included.

Panama City $1,857
Palmas $834

A couple spends around $2,815 per month in Panama City vs $1,292 in Palmas, rent included.

Panama City $2,815
Palmas $1,292

A family of three spends $3,773 per month in Panama City vs $1,751 in Palmas, rent included.

Panama City $3,773
Palmas $1,751

Panama City costs about 123% more than Palmas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Palmas is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$3.96 R$20.06

194.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.76 PAB 47.76

$20.09 R$102

137.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.12 PAB 8.12

$8.07 R$40.93

0.62%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PAB 4.23

$1.43 R$7.27

195.80%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.82 R$9.21

5.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$1.12 R$5.69

41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 PAB 3.31

$1.42 R$7.22

133.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$3.10 R$15.70

28.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.08 R$5.47

77.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 PAB 2.63

$1.47 R$7.45

78.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.24 R$6.28

173.39%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$2.67 R$13.52

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 PAB 12.21

$7.12 R$36.11

71.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 PAB 6.91

$3.12 R$15.80

121.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$6.31 R$31.98

67.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.17 R$10.98

91.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 PAB 1.97

$1.75 R$8.85

12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 PAB 4.06

$1.23 R$6.25

230.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.22 R$6.21

242.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$1.27 R$6.42

173.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$1.07 R$5.43

298.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 PAB 2.44

$0.77 R$3.91

216.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.77 R$3.91

119.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PAB 5.83

$2.46 R$12.48

136.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 PAB 11.43

$7.16 R$36.30

59.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 PAB 1.38

$1.32 R$6.71

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.10 R$10.66

31.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.73 R$3.72

-54.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.63 PAB 20.63

$43.43 R$220

-52.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$1.32 R$6.71

93.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$0.84 R$4.28

111.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 PAB 22.17

$7.84 R$39.74

182.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PAB 1.24

$1.20 R$6.08

3.33%

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

$24.4K PAB 24.4K

$23.9K R$121.4K

1.95%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$33.0K R$167.3K

-35.48%

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

$131 PAB 131

$115 R$581

14.47%

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

$27.83 PAB 27.83

$11.64 R$59.0

139.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 PAB 49.32

$19.99 R$101

146.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 PAB 45.69

$23.48 R$119

94.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.10 PAB 34.10

$27.34 R$139

24.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 PAB 8.47

$6.58 R$33.36

28.72%

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

$553 PAB 553

$155 R$785

257.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,719 PAB 9,719

$7,304 R$37.0K

33.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 PAB 66.4

$36.91 R$187

80.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 PAB 47.39

$50.5 R$256

-6.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PAB 95.7

$115 R$583

-16.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$72.5 R$368

55.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 PAB 1,322

$299 R$1,514

342.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 PAB 874

$204 R$1,035

328.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 PAB 2,153

$624 R$3,162

245.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 PAB 1,580

$427 R$2,165

269.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 PAB 3,097

$1,718 R$8,707

80.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 PAB 1,698

$1,207 R$6,116

40.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 PAB 914

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

-41.91%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Palmas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$874 47.1%

Palmas

$204 24.5% 76.7% $670

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$327 17.6%

Palmas

$173 20.7% 47.1% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$208 11.2%

Palmas

$146 17.6% 29.8% $62

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Palmas

$98 11.8% 52.6% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Palmas

$124 14.8% 14.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Palmas

$37 4.4% 41.5% $26

Getting Around

Panama City

$33 1.8%

Palmas

$52 6.2% 55.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,322 in Panama City versus $299 in Palmas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City versus $20.00 in Palmas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $173 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Palmas

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

302,692

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Palmas 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Palmas

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 Palmas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,857 in Panama City, $834 in Palmas – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,786 per month in Panama City and $1,250 in Palmas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palmas, 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 $20.00 in Palmas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,857 in Panama City and $834 in Palmas. That's a gap of about 123%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palmas, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Panama City at $1,857. In Palmas 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 $834 in Palmas to $1,857 in Panama City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Palmas. 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.