Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $1,590 in Panama, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Panama
Learn more

Panama Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,590

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Panama and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,590 in Panama versus $793 in China.

Panama $1,590
China $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Panama versus $1,261 in China.

Panama $2,415
China $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Panama versus $1,730 in China.

Panama $3,241
China $1,730

Living in Panama is roughly 101% more expensive than in China on average.

Panama (18% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 PAB 7.80

$2.96 ¥19.76

163.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.15 PAB 44.15

$22.74 ¥152

94.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 PAB 7.87

$5.34 ¥35.70

47.38%

Cappuccino

$3.86 PAB 3.86

$3.04 ¥20.35

26.97%

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

$1.60 PAB 1.60

$0.48 ¥3.22

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 PAB 1.40

$0.28 ¥1.85

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 PAB 2.24

$1.03 ¥6.92

117.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 PAB 3.96

$2.27 ¥15.16

74.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 PAB 1.80

$1.80 ¥12.02

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 PAB 2.29

$1.69 ¥11.28

35.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 PAB 2.91

$1.00 ¥6.69

191.00%

Eggs

$2.49 PAB 2.49

$1.56 ¥10.42

59.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 PAB 12.07

$13.44 ¥89.8

-10.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.22 PAB 7.22

$3.48 ¥23.28

107.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.43 PAB 10.43

$11.49 ¥76.8

-9.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$1.79 ¥12.00

133.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.26 ¥8.41

12.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 PAB 3.61

$1.48 ¥9.92

143.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 PAB 3.86

$1.31 ¥8.76

194.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 PAB 2.64

$0.72 ¥4.84

266.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 PAB 3.14

$0.93 ¥6.24

237.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 PAB 2.28

$0.61 ¥4.11

273.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 PAB 1.57

$0.58 ¥3.89

170.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 PAB 5.87

$3.84 ¥25.65

52.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.15 PAB 10.15

$11.87 ¥79.4

-14.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 PAB 1.34

$0.86 ¥5.72

55.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 PAB 2.40

$1.69 ¥11.33

42.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 PAB 0.44

$0.31 ¥2.07

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

$22.36 ¥150

-5.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 PAB 2.49

$1.47 ¥9.82

69.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$0.38 ¥2.53

368.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.40 PAB 22.40

$7.03 ¥47.04

218.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PAB 1.18

$1.24 ¥8.32

-4.84%

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

$21.6K PAB 21.6K

$19.2K ¥128.5K

12.15%

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

$22.4K PAB 22.4K

$17.3K ¥115.6K

29.79%

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

$118 PAB 118

$54.3 ¥363

117.41%

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

$26.75 PAB 26.75

$8.34 ¥55.7

220.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.56 PAB 46.56

$10.77 ¥72.0

332.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.98 PAB 48.98

$40.39 ¥270

21.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.75 PAB 29.75

$14.77 ¥98.8

101.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.95 PAB 7.95

$6.89 ¥46.08

15.38%

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

$553 PAB 553

$457 ¥3,057

20.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,030 PAB 8,030

$20.1K ¥134.2K

-59.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 PAB 54.6

$45.10 ¥302

20.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 PAB 42.81

$35.65 ¥238

20.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 PAB 89.0

$77.9 ¥521

14.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 PAB 105

$78.0 ¥522

34.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 PAB 939

$391 ¥2,615

140.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 PAB 701

$232 ¥1,549

202.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

$816 ¥5,457

109.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 PAB 1,258

$459 ¥3,070

174.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,911 PAB 2,911

$4,585 ¥30.7K

-36.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,643 PAB 1,643

$2,309 ¥15.4K

-28.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$831 PAB 831

$1,084 ¥7,247

-23.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

3.46

84.10%

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

Last update for Panama: October 11, 2026

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama

$701 44.1%

China

$232 29.2% 67% $470

Groceries & Markets

Panama

$303 19.1%

China

$211 26.6% 30.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama

$191 12%

China

$73 9.3% 61.6% $118

Eating Out

Panama

$163 10.3%

China

$89 11.2% 45.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Panama

$131 8.3%

China

$107 13.4% 18.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Panama

$65 4.1%

China

$54 6.8% 16.5% $11

Getting Around

Panama

$34 2.2%

China

$27 3.4% 21.6% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $336 in Panama, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,257 in Panama City vs $940 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $686 in Panama, $871 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 13% higher in Panama.

Dining out costs 33% more in Panama.

Public transport is 467% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 27% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

12:15 12:15 PM

13 h ahead of Panama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,098,587

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama China 14,340 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama
China

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 vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $1,590 in Panama, there's a 101% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $336 in Panama and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Panama it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Panama may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.