Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Tijuana

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,303 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
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Tijuana Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Panama City vs $1,303 in Tijuana, rent included.

Panama City $1,837
Tijuana $1,303

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Panama City vs $2,067 in Tijuana, rent included.

Panama City $2,825
Tijuana $2,067

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Panama City vs $2,831 in Tijuana, rent included.

Panama City $3,812
Tijuana $2,831

Panama City costs about 41% more than Tijuana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Panama City sits 37% above the global median, while Tijuana is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 PAB 11.34

$11.98 MX$218

-5.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 PAB 47.85

$35.25 MX$641

35.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 PAB 8.07

$9.69 MX$176

-16.72%

Cappuccino

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$4.34 MX$78.9

-7.37%

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

$1.94 PAB 1.94

$1.42 MX$25.91

36.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 PAB 1.62

$1.22 MX$22.12

32.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 PAB 3.26

$3.37 MX$61.3

-3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 PAB 3.99

$6.51 MX$118

-38.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.78 MX$32.32

2.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 PAB 2.57

$2.87 MX$52.3

-10.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 PAB 3.33

$1.81 MX$32.83

83.98%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$3.25 MX$59.2

-17.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 PAB 12.33

$8.15 MX$148

51.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 PAB 6.69

$7.55 MX$137

-11.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 PAB 10.40

$12.06 MX$219

-13.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 PAB 4.16

$2.87 MX$52.3

44.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.68 MX$30.47

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.90 MX$34.47

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 PAB 4.08

$1.67 MX$30.31

144.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 PAB 3.50

$1.59 MX$28.96

120.13%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 PAB 4.37

$1.87 MX$34.10

133.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$1.52 MX$27.59

53.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 PAB 1.75

$1.03 MX$18.73

69.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 PAB 6.06

$4.42 MX$80.3

37.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 PAB 11.72

$8.24 MX$150

42.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$2.17 MX$39.55

-36.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PAB 2.84

$4.11 MX$74.8

-30.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PAB 0.36

$1.13 MX$20.54

-68.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

$30.84 MX$561

-32.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$2.84 MX$51.6

-11.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$2.26 MX$41.05

-20.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 PAB 22.01

$19.42 MX$353

13.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.54 MX$28.01

-18.83%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$21.5K MX$391.6K

0.05%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$24.7K MX$449.7K

-14.27%

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

$131 PAB 131

$46.78 MX$851

180.42%

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

$27.68 PAB 27.68

$34.62 MX$630

-20.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.59 PAB 48.59

$29.93 MX$544

62.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.11 PAB 46.11

$41.13 MX$748

12.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 PAB 35.01

$8.05 MX$147

334.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 PAB 8.73

$6.91 MX$126

26.34%

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

$551 PAB 551

$209 MX$3,803

163.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,560 PAB 9,560

$4,606 MX$83.8K

107.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 PAB 67.6

$54.3 MX$987

24.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 PAB 48.03

$47.02 MX$855

2.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 PAB 94.9

$104 MX$1,885

-8.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$70.0 MX$1,274

61.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 PAB 1,238

$868 MX$15.8K

42.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 PAB 873

$481 MX$8,746

81.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 PAB 2,197

$1,553 MX$28.2K

41.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 PAB 1,538

$905 MX$16.5K

69.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 PAB 3,116

$3,095 MX$56.3K

0.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 PAB 1,725

$2,713 MX$49.3K

-36.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 PAB 934

$951 MX$17.3K

-1.72%

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 Tijuana: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$873 47.2%

Tijuana

$481 36.8% 44.9% $392

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$324 17.5%

Tijuana

$268 20.5% 17.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$207 11.2%

Tijuana

$111 8.5% 46.3% $96

Eating Out

Panama City

$202 10.9%

Tijuana

$217 16.7% 7.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$146 7.9%

Tijuana

$124 9.5% 15% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$64 3.4%

Tijuana

$55 4.2% 13.6% $8.6

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.8%

Tijuana

$49 3.8% 46% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,238 in Panama City versus $868 in Tijuana. 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 2% higher in Tijuana, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City versus $35.00 in Tijuana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $268 – making Tijuana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

2 h behind Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

1,810,645

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panama City Tijuana 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Tijuana

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 Tijuana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 41%, 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 $1,955 in Tijuana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 21% 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 $35.00 in Tijuana. 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 Tijuana, where all-in costs run around $1,303, than in Panama City at $1,837. In Tijuana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tijuana – 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 Tijuana. 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.