Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and San Luis Rio Colorado

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis Rio Colorado: $1,229 a month against $1,932 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Rio Colorado
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San Luis Rio Colorado Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,932

/mo nomad

San Luis Rio Colorado

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in San Luis Rio Colorado

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 Luis Rio Colorado actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,932 per month in Panama City vs $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado, rent included.

Panama City $1,932
San Luis Rio Colorado $1,229

A couple spends around $2,887 per month in Panama City vs $1,860 in San Luis Rio Colorado, rent included.

Panama City $2,887
San Luis Rio Colorado $1,860

A family of three spends $3,841 per month in Panama City vs $2,491 in San Luis Rio Colorado, rent included.

Panama City $3,841
San Luis Rio Colorado $2,491

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

Panama City sits 42% above the global median, while San Luis Rio Colorado is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$11.95 MX$223

-1.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.74 PAB 46.74

$33.23 MX$620

40.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 PAB 7.98

$9.45 MX$176

-15.56%

Cappuccino

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$4.19 MX$78.2

-0.24%

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

$1.95 PAB 1.95

$1.42 MX$26.45

37.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 PAB 1.64

$1.23 MX$22.94

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$3.16 MX$58.9

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 PAB 3.90

$6.43 MX$120

-39.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 PAB 1.91

$1.72 MX$32.06

11.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 PAB 2.54

$2.93 MX$54.7

-13.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 PAB 3.37

$1.76 MX$32.80

91.48%

Eggs

$2.82 PAB 2.82

$3.10 MX$57.7

-9.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 PAB 12.60

$8.46 MX$158

48.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 PAB 6.71

$7.24 MX$135

-7.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.53 PAB 10.53

$11.50 MX$214

-8.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 PAB 4.04

$2.87 MX$53.6

40.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.59 MX$29.71

22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 PAB 4.25

$1.96 MX$36.57

116.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.56 MX$29.13

167.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 PAB 3.32

$1.49 MX$27.69

122.82%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 PAB 4.34

$1.82 MX$33.84

138.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 PAB 2.40

$1.45 MX$27.04

65.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 PAB 1.71

$1.04 MX$19.42

64.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 PAB 6.05

$4.39 MX$81.8

37.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 PAB 11.38

$7.98 MX$149

42.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 PAB 1.36

$2.21 MX$41.19

-38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 PAB 2.80

$4.02 MX$75.0

-30.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 PAB 0.34

$0.69 MX$12.79

-50.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.28 PAB 21.28

$32.51 MX$606

-34.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 PAB 2.43

$2.75 MX$51.2

-11.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$2.20 MX$41.09

-15.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.77 PAB 21.77

$10.75 MX$200

102.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 PAB 1.20

$1.50 MX$27.97

-20.00%

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

$24.8K PAB 24.8K

$24.2K MX$451.7K

2.25%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$23.6K MX$440.2K

-10.23%

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

$132 PAB 132

$46.01 MX$858

187.72%

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

$28.34 PAB 28.34

$32.95 MX$614

-13.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 PAB 48.88

$29.62 MX$552

65.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.02 PAB 43.02

$32.11 MX$598

33.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.94 PAB 34.94

$19.37 MX$361

80.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 PAB 8.43

$6.45 MX$120

30.70%

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

$545 PAB 545

$206 MX$3,832

165.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,648 PAB 9,648

$4,436 MX$82.7K

117.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.8 PAB 65.8

$52.5 MX$979

25.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.25 PAB 47.25

$45.76 MX$853

3.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 PAB 94.6

$103 MX$1,917

-7.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 PAB 110

$69.7 MX$1,299

57.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 PAB 1,407

$572 MX$10.7K

146.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$954 PAB 954

$428 MX$7,976

122.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 PAB 2,272

$893 MX$16.6K

154.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 PAB 1,662

$668 MX$12.5K

148.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,057 PAB 3,057

$2,110 MX$39.3K

44.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,729 PAB 1,729

$1,092 MX$20.3K

58.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

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 27, 2026

Last update for San Luis Rio Colorado: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$954 49.3%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$428 34.8% 55.1% $526

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$326 16.9%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$263 21.4% 19.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$210 10.9%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$109 8.8% 48.2% $101

Eating Out

Panama City

$206 10.7%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$213 17.4% 3.5% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$143 7.4%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$122 9.9% 14.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$60 3.1%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$45 3.7% 24.9% $15

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$49 4% 42.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,407 in Panama City versus $572 in San Luis Rio Colorado. 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 $47 in Panama City versus $33 in San Luis Rio Colorado. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $263 – making San Luis Rio Colorado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇲🇽 San Luis Rio Colorado

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

176,685

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.11 PAB (1 PAB = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City San Luis Rio Colorado 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
San Luis Rio Colorado

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 Luis Rio Colorado: 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 $2,899 per month in Panama City and $1,843 in San Luis Rio Colorado. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis Rio Colorado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $572 there versus $1,407 in Panama City.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Panama City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Panama City and $33 in San Luis Rio Colorado. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,932 in Panama City and $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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