Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Rosarito

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosarito: $1,173 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Rosarito
Learn more

Rosarito Living Index

Jump to prices

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Rosarito

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Panama City vs $1,173 in Rosarito, rent included.

Panama City $1,837
Rosarito $1,173

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Panama City vs $1,900 in Rosarito, rent included.

Panama City $2,825
Rosarito $1,900

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Panama City vs $2,628 in Rosarito, rent included.

Panama City $3,812
Rosarito $2,628

Panama City costs about 57% more than Rosarito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Rosarito is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$12.41 MX$228

-8.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$34.87 MX$640

37.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$9.82 MX$180

-17.82%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$4.26 MX$78.2

-5.63%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.37 MX$25.20

41.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$1.24 MX$22.83

30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$3.42 MX$62.7

-4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$6.57 MX$121

-39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.80 MX$33.03

1.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$3.01 MX$55.3

-14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.76 MX$32.27

89.20%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$3.31 MX$60.7

-18.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$8.34 MX$153

47.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$7.32 MX$134

-8.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$11.88 MX$218

-12.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.86 MX$52.5

45.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.68 MX$30.79

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.91 MX$35.02

118.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$1.65 MX$30.30

147.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$1.58 MX$28.93

121.52%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$1.91 MX$35.07

128.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$1.47 MX$27.08

59.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$1.07 MX$19.73

63.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$4.37 MX$80.2

38.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$8.20 MX$151

42.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$2.30 MX$42.15

-40.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$4.11 MX$75.5

-30.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$0.66 MX$12.11

-45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$3.00 MX$55.2

-16.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$2.28 MX$41.84

-21.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$11.05 MX$203

99.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.31 MX$24.12

-4.58%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$21.2K MX$389.6K

1.49%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$24.4K MX$448.8K

-13.31%

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

$131 PAB 131

$48.34 MX$887

171.37%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$34.02 MX$625

-18.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$29.93 MX$550

62.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$35.33 MX$649

30.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$20.08 MX$369

74.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$6.88 MX$126

26.89%

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

$551 PAB 551

$210 MX$3,849

162.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$4,684 MX$86.0K

104.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$54.5 MX$1,000

24.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$46.77 MX$859

2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$104 MX$1,901

-8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$69.5 MX$1,277

62.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$624 MX$11.5K

98.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$396 MX$7,274

120.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$1,036 MX$19.0K

112.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$776 MX$14.2K

98.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$1,894 MX$34.8K

64.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$1,146 MX$21.0K

50.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

12.07

-47.06%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Rosarito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Rosarito

$396 33.4% 54.6% $477

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Rosarito

$269 22.7% 16.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Rosarito

$112 9.5% 45.9% $95

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Rosarito

$220 18.6% 9.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Rosarito

$123 10.4% 15.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Rosarito

$49 4.1% 22.8% $14

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Rosarito

$17 * 1.4% 49.7% $17

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 $624 in Rosarito. 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 $35.00 in Rosarito. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $269 – making Rosarito the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇲🇽 Rosarito

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

03:36 3:36 AM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

100,660

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City Rosarito 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Rosarito

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 Rosarito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 57%, 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 $1,759 in Rosarito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rosarito, 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 $1,173 in Rosarito. That's a gap of about 57%.

Kindergarten costs $551 per month in Panama City and $210 in Rosarito. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rosarito, where all-in costs run around $1,173, than in Panama City at $1,837. In Rosarito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rosarito – 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 Rosarito. 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.