Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $787 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Paulista
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Paulista Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,855 per month in Panama City vs $787 in Paulista, rent included.

Panama City $1,855
Paulista $787

A couple spends around $2,804 per month in Panama City vs $1,225 in Paulista, rent included.

Panama City $2,804
Paulista $1,225

A family of three spends $3,753 per month in Panama City vs $1,663 in Paulista, rent included.

Panama City $3,753
Paulista $1,663

Panama City costs about 136% more than Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Paulista is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$7.05 R$35.72

64.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$15.92 R$80.7

201.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$8.24 R$41.79

-3.40%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$1.58 R$8.03

167.09%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.07 R$5.43

87.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.42 R$2.13

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.92 R$9.71

76.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$3.54 R$17.94

11.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.02 R$5.16

81.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$1.82 R$9.20

40.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.03 R$5.22

237.86%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.17 R$11.02

23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$2.89 R$14.64

334.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$2.96 R$15.01

130.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$5.69 R$28.86

85.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.02 R$10.25

106.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$0.95 R$4.80

92.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$0.92 R$4.64

356.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.18 R$5.97

241.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.37 R$6.95

154.01%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$0.84 R$4.26

402.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$0.41 R$2.09

487.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.86 R$4.37

96.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$2.27 R$11.52

170.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$3.74 R$18.95

202.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.55 R$7.87

-8.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$3.29 R$16.70

-17.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$1.04 R$5.28

-68.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

$48.16 R$244

-55.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.97 R$9.99

27.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.17 R$5.95

58.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$3.25 R$16.46

570.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.09 R$5.51

14.68%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$14.2K R$72.2K

49.12%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$30.0K R$151.9K

-29.86%

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

$130 PAB 130

$46.71 R$237

177.97%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$23.42 R$119

20.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$23.62 R$120

104.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$25.85 R$131

77.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

$27.58 R$140

26.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$5.88 R$29.81

47.45%

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

$544 PAB 544

$69.7 R$353

680.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$6,903 R$35.0K

40.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$18.37 R$93.1

263.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$68.6 R$348

-28.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$50.4 R$256

86.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$59.7 R$303

86.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$354 R$1,796

254.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$237 R$1,201

269.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$688 R$3,485

213.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$464 R$2,353

236.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$1,798 R$9,115

73.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

$1,346 R$6,824

26.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

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 10, 2026

Last update for Paulista: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Paulista

$237 30.1% 72.9% $638

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Paulista

$147 18.6% 54.9% $178

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Paulista

$123 15.6% 40.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Paulista

$94 11.9% 54.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Paulista

$89 11.3% 38.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Paulista

$38 4.8% 40.4% $26

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Paulista

$60 7.7% 74.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,257 in Panama City versus $354 in Paulista. 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 $16.00 in Paulista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $147 – making Paulista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Paulista

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

342,167

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Paulista 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Paulista

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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,783 per month in Panama City and $1,180 in Paulista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 122% more in Panama City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City and $16.00 in Paulista. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Paulista, where all-in costs run around $787, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Paulista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Paulista. 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.