Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Ubatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubatuba: $855 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Ubatuba
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Ubatuba Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Ubatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Panama City $1,855
Ubatuba $855

A couple spends around $2,804 per month in Panama City vs $1,360 in Ubatuba, rent included.

Panama City $2,804
Ubatuba $1,360

A family of three spends $3,753 per month in Panama City vs $1,865 in Ubatuba, rent included.

Panama City $3,753
Ubatuba $1,865

Panama City costs about 117% more than Ubatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$7.59 R$38.48

53.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$29.05 R$147

64.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$5.09 R$25.78

56.39%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$1.46 R$7.40

189.04%

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

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.29 R$6.52

55.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.93 R$4.72

67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$2.43 R$12.32

39.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$3.92 R$19.85

0.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.06 R$5.38

74.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$1.85 R$9.37

38.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.39 R$7.04

150.36%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.51 R$12.73

7.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$2.97 R$15.06

323.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$4.06 R$20.58

68.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$8.22 R$41.69

28.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.63 R$8.24

156.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.23 R$6.24

48.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.18 R$5.97

255.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.40 R$7.11

187.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.17 R$5.95

197.44%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$1.19 R$6.02

254.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$0.93 R$4.74

159.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$0.63 R$3.18

168.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$2.55 R$12.90

140.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$8.08 R$40.96

39.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.58 R$8.03

-10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$2.62 R$13.27

4.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$1.01 R$5.13

-67.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.22 R$6.19

106.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$0.73 R$3.72

154.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$8.73 R$44.27

149.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.29 R$6.56

-3.10%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$24.1K R$122.1K

-11.84%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$32.8K R$166.1K

-35.86%

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

$130 PAB 130

$66.0 R$334

96.79%

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

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$9.01 R$45.69

212.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$19.76 R$100

143.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$11.94 R$60.5

283.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$7.81 R$39.58

11.01%

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

$544 PAB 544

$438 R$2,223

24.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$11.1K R$56.4K

-12.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$64.7 R$328

3.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$56.4 R$286

-12.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$89.3 R$453

5.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$79.8 R$405

39.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$396 R$2,007

217.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$298 R$1,512

193.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$816 R$4,135

164.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$612 R$3,102

155.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$1,797 R$9,110

73.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

$385 R$1,952

137.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

10.81

-40.89%

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

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubatuba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Ubatuba

$298 34.9% 65.9% $577

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Ubatuba

$172 20.2% 47% $153

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Ubatuba

$122 14.3% 40.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Ubatuba

$95 11.1% 54% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Ubatuba

$131 15.3% 9.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Ubatuba

$28 3.2% 56.3% $36

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Ubatuba

$8.9 * 1.1% 74% $25

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 $396 in Ubatuba. 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 138% higher in Panama City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Panama City versus $29.00 in Ubatuba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $172 – making Ubatuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇧🇷 Ubatuba

🕒 Local time

01:57 1:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

92,981

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Ubatuba 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Ubatuba

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 Ubatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 117%, 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 $1,282 in Ubatuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubatuba, 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 $855 in Ubatuba. That's a gap of about 117%.

Kindergarten costs $544 per month in Panama City and $438 in Ubatuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubatuba, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Ubatuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ubatuba – 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 Ubatuba. 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.