Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paramaribo and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Paramaribo: $984 a month against $1,837 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Paramaribo
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Paramaribo Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Paramaribo

🇸🇷 Suriname

$984

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $984 per month in Paramaribo vs $1,837 in Panama City, rent included.

Paramaribo $984
Panama City $1,837

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Paramaribo vs $2,825 in Panama City, rent included.

Paramaribo $1,657
Panama City $2,825

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Paramaribo vs $3,812 in Panama City, rent included.

Paramaribo $2,331
Panama City $3,812

Paramaribo is about 46% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Paramaribo sits 27% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 SRD 504

$11.34 PAB 11.34

18.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 SRD 1,964

$47.85 PAB 47.85

9.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 SRD 412

$8.07 PAB 8.07

36.18%

Cappuccino

$2.88 SRD 108

$4.02 PAB 4.02

-28.36%

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

$1.41 SRD 52.9

$1.94 PAB 1.94

-27.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 SRD 32.91

$1.62 PAB 1.62

-45.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 SRD 99.7

$3.26 PAB 3.26

-18.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 SRD 146

$3.99 PAB 3.99

-2.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SRD 68.7

$1.83 PAB 1.83

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SRD 52.2

$2.57 PAB 2.57

-45.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 SRD 60.3

$3.33 PAB 3.33

-51.65%

Eggs

$2.98 SRD 112

$2.69 PAB 2.69

10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 SRD 444

$12.33 PAB 12.33

-3.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 SRD 231

$6.69 PAB 6.69

-7.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 SRD 381

$10.40 PAB 10.40

-2.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 SRD 179

$4.16 PAB 4.16

14.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SRD 116

$1.84 PAB 1.84

69.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 SRD 140

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-10.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 SRD 221

$4.08 PAB 4.08

44.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 SRD 49.77

$3.50 PAB 3.50

-62.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 SRD 75.6

$4.37 PAB 4.37

-53.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 SRD 55.6

$2.34 PAB 2.34

-36.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SRD 56.4

$1.75 PAB 1.75

-13.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.58 SRD 209

$6.06 PAB 6.06

-7.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 SRD 292

$11.72 PAB 11.72

-33.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 SRD 75.0

$1.37 PAB 1.37

45.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 SRD 142

$2.84 PAB 2.84

33.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 SRD 28.90

$0.36 PAB 0.36

113.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.96 PAB 20.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 SRD 79.8

$2.52 PAB 2.52

-15.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SRD 57.8

$1.79 PAB 1.79

-13.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.17 SRD 269

$22.01 PAB 22.01

-67.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 SRD 44.50

$1.25 PAB 1.25

-4.80%

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

$24.6K SRD 921.2K

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

14.15%

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

$25.3K SRD 948.6K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

19.45%

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

$37.31 SRD 1,398

$131 PAB 131

-71.56%

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

$25.70 SRD 963

$27.68 PAB 27.68

-7.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 SRD 1,149

$48.59 PAB 48.59

-36.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.84 SRD 518

$46.11 PAB 46.11

-69.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 SRD 761

$35.01 PAB 35.01

-41.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 SRD 186

$8.73 PAB 8.73

-43.18%

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

$62.3 SRD 2,335

$551 PAB 551

-88.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,739 SRD 65.2K

$9,560 PAB 9,560

-81.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.84 SRD 1,268

$67.6 PAB 67.6

-49.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.87 SRD 782

$48.03 PAB 48.03

-56.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 SRD 2,525

$94.9 PAB 94.9

-28.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SRD 3,903

$113 PAB 113

-7.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 SRD 18.3K

$1,238 PAB 1,238

-60.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 SRD 9,855

$873 PAB 873

-69.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 SRD 35.6K

$2,197 PAB 2,197

-56.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 SRD 19.0K

$1,538 PAB 1,538

-67.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$462 SRD 17.3K

$3,116 PAB 3,116

-85.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 SRD 15.0K

$1,725 PAB 1,725

-76.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 SRD 10.5K

$934 PAB 934

-70.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

150.39%

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

Last update for Paramaribo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Paramaribo

$300 30%

Panama City

$324 17.5% 8.2% $25

Accommodation & Living

Paramaribo

$263 26.3%

Panama City

$873 47.2% 232% $610

Eating Out

Paramaribo

$205 20.5%

Panama City

$202 10.9% 1.8% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Paramaribo

$102 10.2%

Panama City

$146 7.9% 43% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paramaribo

$94 9.4%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 121% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Paramaribo

$24 2.4%

Panama City

$64 3.4% 168% $40

Getting Around

Paramaribo

$13 * 1.3%

Panama City

$34 1.8% 162% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $487 in Paramaribo versus $1,238 in Panama City. 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 235% 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 $52.0 in Paramaribo versus $48.00 in Panama City. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Paramaribo vs $324 in Panama City – so Paramaribo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇷 Paramaribo

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

2 h behind Paramaribo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,946 Capital

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SRD = 2.67 USD

100 SRD = 2.38 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to SRD – Surinamese Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇷 Surinamese Dollar ($)

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 37.47 SRD (100 SRD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 41.99 SRD (100 SRD = 2.38 EUR).

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).

USD to SRD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Paramaribo Panama City 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Paramaribo
Panama City

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

Paramaribo vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,476 per month in Paramaribo and $2,756 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paramaribo, 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 $984 in Paramaribo and $1,837 in Panama City. That's a gap of about 87%.

Kindergarten costs $62.3 per month in Paramaribo and $551 in Panama City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Paramaribo, where all-in costs run around $984, than in Panama City at $1,837. In Paramaribo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Paramaribo – 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 Paramaribo. 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.