Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Quellón

For one person, living is cheaper in Quellón: $568 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Quellón
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Quellón Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Quellón

🇨🇱 Chile

$568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,855 per month in Panama City vs $568 in Quellón, rent included.

Panama City $1,855
Quellón $568

A couple spends around $2,804 per month in Panama City vs $953 in Quellón, rent included.

Panama City $2,804
Quellón $953

A family of three spends $3,753 per month in Panama City vs $1,338 in Quellón, rent included.

Panama City $3,753
Quellón $1,338

Panama City costs about 226% more than Quellón, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Quellón is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$51.5 CLP 50.7K

-6.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$2.59 CLP 2,550

62.93%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.25 CLP 1,235

60.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.80 CLP 786

95.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$3.12 CLP 3,071

8.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$2.99 CLP 2,947

31.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.27 CLP 1,246

45.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$1.05 CLP 1,033

143.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$2.03 CLP 1,994

71.43%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.87 CLP 2,826

-6.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$6.01 CLP 5,915

109.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.86 CLP 1,834

124.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$2.24 CLP 2,203

-18.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$3.63 CLP 3,572

15.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.85 CLP 1,822

117.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.01 CLP 993

244.55%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$2.07 CLP 2,036

103.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$1.00 CLP 980

141.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$2.00 CLP 1,967

-15.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$9.39 CLP 9,239

20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$2.86 CLP 2,813

-50.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$1.81 CLP 1,780

50.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.45 CLP 440

-26.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$3.09 CLP 3,044

-18.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.36 CLP 1,334

-8.09%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

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

$130 PAB 130

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$30.88 CLP 30.4K

56.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$51.8 CLP 51.0K

-11.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

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

$544 PAB 544

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$25.33 CLP 24.9K

163.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$51.2 CLP 50.4K

83.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$253 CLP 249.0K

397.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$206 CLP 203.3K

323.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$411 CLP 405.0K

423.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$359 CLP 353.2K

335.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

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 10, 2026

Last update for Quellón: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Quellón

$206 36.3% 76.4% $668

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Quellón

$179 * 31.5% 44.9% $146

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Quellón

$61 * 10.7% 70.5% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Quellón

$31 * 5.4% 85% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Quellón

$34 * 6.1% 76.2% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Quellón

$52 * 9.1% 17.9% $11

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Quellón

$4.9 * 0.9% 85.8% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,257 in Panama City versus $253 in Quellón. 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 $51.0 in Quellón. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Panama City vs $179 in Quellón – so Quellón wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇨🇱 Quellón

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

18:53 6:53 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

17,552

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Quellón 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Quellón

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 Quellón: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 226%, 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 $853 in Quellón. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 82% 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 $51.0 in Quellón. 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 Quellón, where all-in costs run around $568, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Quellón it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quellón – 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 Quellón. 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.