Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and San Antonio de Petrel

For one person, living is cheaper in San Antonio de Petrel: $368 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 San Antonio de Petrel
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San Antonio de Petrel Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

San Antonio de Petrel

🇨🇱 Chile

$368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in San Antonio de Petrel

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 San Antonio de Petrel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,855 per month in Panama City vs $368 in San Antonio de Petrel, rent included.

Panama City $1,855
San Antonio de Petrel $368

A couple spends around $2,804 per month in Panama City vs $515 in San Antonio de Petrel, rent included.

Panama City $2,804
San Antonio de Petrel $515

A family of three spends $3,753 per month in Panama City vs $663 in San Antonio de Petrel, rent included.

Panama City $3,753
San Antonio de Petrel $663

Panama City costs about 404% more than San Antonio de Petrel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while San Antonio de Petrel is 73% 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

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.64 CLP 626

143.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$0.83 CLP 822

-60.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$0.85 CLP 838

196.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$3.08 CLP 3,036

-39.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.38 CLP 1,361

-9.42%

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

$20.49 CLP 20.2K

135.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$25.82 CLP 25.4K

77.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$4.63 CLP 4,554

87.26%

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

$544 PAB 544

$60.3 CLP 59.3K

802.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$1,154 CLP 1.1M

740.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$70.8 CLP 69.7K

32.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$307 CLP 301.8K

309.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$258 CLP 254.4K

238.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$623 CLP 613.0K

246.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$456 CLP 449.3K

242.58%

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

$414 CLP 407.9K

121.06%

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 San Antonio de Petrel: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

San Antonio de Petrel

$258 70.2% 70.5% $617

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

San Antonio de Petrel

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

San Antonio de Petrel

$2.6 * 0.7% 98.8% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

San Antonio de Petrel

$20 * 5.6% 90.1% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

San Antonio de Petrel

$32 * 8.7% 78% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

San Antonio de Petrel

$35 9.5% 44.4% $28

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

San Antonio de Petrel

$20 * 5.3% 43% $15

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 $307 in San Antonio de Petrel. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 121% higher in Panama City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇨🇱 San Antonio de Petrel

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

22:10 10:10 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

2,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panama City San Antonio de Petrel 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
San Antonio de Petrel

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 San Antonio de Petrel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 404%, 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 $552 in San Antonio de Petrel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Antonio de Petrel, 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 $1,855 in Panama City and $368 in San Antonio de Petrel. That's a gap of about 404%.

Kindergarten costs $544 per month in Panama City and $60.3 in San Antonio de Petrel. 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 San Antonio de Petrel, where all-in costs run around $368, than in Panama City at $1,855. In San Antonio de Petrel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Antonio de Petrel – 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 San Antonio de Petrel. 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.