Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Paso de los Libres

For one person, living is cheaper in Paso de los Libres: $1,164 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
Learn more

Panama City Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Paso de los Libres
Learn more

Paso de los Libres Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Paso de los Libres

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Paso de los Libres

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 Paso de los Libres actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Panama City vs $1,164 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Panama City $1,837
Paso de los Libres $1,164

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Panama City vs $1,891 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Panama City $2,825
Paso de los Libres $1,891

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Panama City vs $2,618 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Panama City $3,812
Paso de los Libres $2,618

Panama City costs about 58% more than Paso de los Libres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Paso de los Libres is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$15.24 ARS 23.1K

-25.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$56.4 ARS 85.4K

-15.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$12.96 ARS 19.6K

-37.73%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$3.73 ARS 5,653

7.77%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$2.31 ARS 3,503

-16.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$1.79 ARS 2,719

-9.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$3.90 ARS 5,920

-16.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$4.04 ARS 6,129

-1.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.33 ARS 2,022

37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$2.21 ARS 3,354

16.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.88 ARS 2,858

77.13%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.57 ARS 3,891

4.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$10.45 ARS 15.9K

17.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$7.24 ARS 11.0K

-7.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$11.90 ARS 18.1K

-12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.46 ARS 3,735

69.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$2.23 ARS 3,385

-17.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.47 ARS 2,223

184.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$2.52 ARS 3,823

61.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$1.15 ARS 1,749

280.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$3.45 ARS 5,230

75.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$5.09 ARS 7,722

130.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$1.04 ARS 1,581

-65.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.63 ARS 2,471

54.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.22 ARS 1,854

2.46%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

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

$131 PAB 131

$109 ARS 164.7K

20.81%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$17.50 ARS 26.5K

58.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$28.45 ARS 43.1K

70.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$30.99 ARS 47.0K

48.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$9.22 ARS 14.0K

-5.31%

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

$551 PAB 551

$297 ARS 450.9K

85.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$101 ARS 153.0K

-33.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$120 ARS 181.7K

-20.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$133 ARS 201.6K

-15.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$481 ARS 729.9K

157.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$316 ARS 479.7K

176.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$918 ARS 1.4M

139.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$739 ARS 1.1M

108.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Paso de los Libres: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Paso de los Libres

$316 27.6% 63.8% $557

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Paso de los Libres

$213 * 18.6% 34.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Paso de los Libres

$155 13.5% 25.5% $53

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Paso de los Libres

$250 21.7% 23.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Paso de los Libres

$159 * 13.9% 9.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Paso de los Libres

$49 4.3% 22.2% $14

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Paso de los Libres

$5.8 * 0.5% 82.9% $28

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 $481 in Paso de los Libres. 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 $56.0 in Paso de los Libres. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Panama City vs $213 in Paso de los Libres – so Paso de los Libres wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇦🇷 Paso de los Libres

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

43,251

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Paso de los Libres 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Paso de los Libres

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 Paso de los Libres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Panama City and $1,746 in Paso de los Libres. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Panama City and $1,164 in Paso de los Libres. That's a gap of about 58%.

Kindergarten costs $551 per month in Panama City and $297 in Paso de los Libres. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Paso de los Libres, where all-in costs run around $1,164, than in Panama City at $1,837. In Paso de los Libres it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Paso de los Libres – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Paso de los Libres. 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.