Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and San Lorenzo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Lorenzo: $582 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in San Lorenzo
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San Lorenzo Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

San Lorenzo

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in San Lorenzo

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

A single person spends $1,855 per month in Panama City vs $582 in San Lorenzo, rent included.

Panama City $1,855
San Lorenzo $582

A couple spends around $2,804 per month in Panama City vs $992 in San Lorenzo, rent included.

Panama City $2,804
San Lorenzo $992

A family of three spends $3,753 per month in Panama City vs $1,402 in San Lorenzo, rent included.

Panama City $3,753
San Lorenzo $1,402

Panama City costs about 219% more than San Lorenzo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while San Lorenzo is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$6.86 ₲39.0K

69.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$43.70 ₲248.5K

9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$6.90 ₲39.2K

15.36%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$3.45 ₲19.6K

22.32%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.07 ₲6,076

87.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.58 ₲3,290

168.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$1.98 ₲11.2K

71.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$1.74 ₲9,912

126.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.18 ₲6,709

56.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$1.03 ₲5,841

148.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.38 ₲7,863

152.17%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.41 ₲13.7K

11.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$5.16 ₲29.3K

143.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$2.27 ₲12.9K

200.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$6.99 ₲39.7K

51.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.32 ₲13.2K

80.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.25 ₲7,092

46.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.02 ₲5,809

311.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.22 ₲6,939

230.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.07 ₲6,110

225.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$0.92 ₲5,210

358.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$0.46 ₲2,635

423.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.54 ₲3,096

212.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$2.31 ₲13.1K

165.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$3.97 ₲22.6K

184.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$0.65 ₲3,698

118.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$0.91 ₲5,185

200.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

$35.47 ₲201.7K

-40.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.47 ₲8,361

71.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.55 ₲8,836

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$4.07 ₲23.1K

435.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.28 ₲7,304

-2.34%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$17.4K ₲99.2M

21.79%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$35.1K ₲199.7M

-40.15%

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

$130 PAB 130

$52.1 ₲296.1K

149.31%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$17.41 ₲99.0K

61.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$22.99 ₲130.8K

109.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$21.48 ₲122.2K

113.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

$12.11 ₲68.9K

188.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$4.37 ₲24.9K

98.40%

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

$544 PAB 544

$185 ₲1.0M

194.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$5,735 ₲32.6M

69.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$63.9 ₲363.4K

4.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$58.7 ₲333.6K

-16.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$110 ₲624.8K

-14.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$72.2 ₲410.4K

54.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

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

10.15

-37.04%

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 Lorenzo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

San Lorenzo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

San Lorenzo

$141 24.2% 56.7% $184

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

San Lorenzo

$137 23.5% 33.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

San Lorenzo

$92 15.9% 55.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

San Lorenzo

$137 23.6% 5.2% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

San Lorenzo

$30 5.2% 52.1% $33

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

San Lorenzo

$45 * 7.7% 30% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City versus $44.00 in San Lorenzo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $141 – making San Lorenzo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇵🇾 San Lorenzo

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

489,000

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, 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).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City San Lorenzo 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
San Lorenzo

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 Lorenzo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 219%, 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 $873 in San Lorenzo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 131% 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 $44.00 in San Lorenzo. 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 San Lorenzo, where all-in costs run around $582, than in Panama City at $1,855. In San Lorenzo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Lorenzo – 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 Lorenzo. 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.