Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quilmes and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $965 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quilmes 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 Quilmes and in Panama City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $965 per month in Quilmes vs $1,855 in Panama City, rent included.

Quilmes $965
Panama City $1,855

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in Quilmes vs $2,804 in Panama City, rent included.

Quilmes $1,611
Panama City $2,804

A family of three spends $2,257 per month in Quilmes vs $3,753 in Panama City, rent included.

Quilmes $2,257
Panama City $3,753

Quilmes is about 48% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Quilmes sits 28% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 ARS 8,548

$11.63 PAB 11.63

-51.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.37 ARS 52.2K

$47.92 PAB 47.92

-28.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ARS 13.5K

$7.96 PAB 7.96

12.19%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ARS 4,476

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-30.09%

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

$1.69 ARS 2,565

$2.01 PAB 2.01

-15.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,608

$1.56 PAB 1.56

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,222

$3.39 PAB 3.39

20.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ARS 3,329

$3.94 PAB 3.94

-44.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 ARS 1,488

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-47.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ARS 2,373

$2.56 PAB 2.56

-39.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,478

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-53.16%

Eggs

$2.25 ARS 3,408

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-16.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 ARS 20.1K

$12.57 PAB 12.57

5.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 ARS 8,899

$6.83 PAB 6.83

-14.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 ARS 15.4K

$10.58 PAB 10.58

-3.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ARS 2,928

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-53.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,398

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 ARS 1,531

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-75.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,673

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-23.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 ARS 1,499

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-71.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 ARS 986

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-84.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ARS 1,105

$2.41 PAB 2.41

-69.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,041

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-59.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 ARS 7,815

$6.14 PAB 6.14

-16.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,319

$11.30 PAB 11.30

-63.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ARS 1,877

$1.42 PAB 1.42

-12.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ARS 2,833

$2.73 PAB 2.73

-31.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,494

$0.33 PAB 0.33

196.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 ARS 4,196

$2.52 PAB 2.52

9.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,473

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-47.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ARS 1,654

$1.25 PAB 1.25

-12.80%

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

$50.1K ARS 76.1M

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

136.00%

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

$39.2K ARS 59.4M

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

86.27%

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

$59.9 ARS 90.9K

$130 PAB 130

-53.85%

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

$14.26 ARS 21.6K

$28.13 PAB 28.13

-49.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.15 ARS 33.6K

$48.21 PAB 48.21

-54.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.18 ARS 41.2K

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-40.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 ARS 15.1K

$8.67 PAB 8.67

15.11%

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

$315 ARS 477.4K

$544 PAB 544

-42.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.6 ARS 148.1K

$66.8 PAB 66.8

46.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 ARS 52.7K

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-29.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 ARS 95.7K

$93.9 PAB 93.9

-32.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 ARS 106.0K

$112 PAB 112

-37.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 ARS 787.3K

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-58.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ARS 504.4K

$875 PAB 875

-62.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 ARS 1.5M

$2,155 PAB 2,155

-53.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 ARS 1.2M

$1,564 PAB 1,564

-48.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,324 ARS 3.5M

$3,122 PAB 3,122

-25.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,818 ARS 2.8M

$1,709 PAB 1,709

6.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,114 ARS 1.7M

$916 PAB 916

21.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

6.39

1464.95%

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

Last update for Quilmes: October 11, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quilmes

$332 34.4%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 163% $543

Groceries & Markets

Quilmes

$213 22.1%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 52.8% $112

Eating Out

Quilmes

$146 15.1%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 41.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Quilmes

$119 12.4%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 21.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quilmes

$96 10%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 114% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Quilmes

$47 4.9%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 33.9% $16

Getting Around

Quilmes

$12 * 1.2%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 198% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Quilmes versus $1,257 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 22% higher in Quilmes, 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 $34.00 in Quilmes versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $325 – making Quilmes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

15:11 3:11 PM

2 h behind Quilmes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,810

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.889 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quilmes Panama City 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Quilmes
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

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

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,448 per month in Quilmes and $2,783 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quilmes, 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 $965 in Quilmes and $1,855 in Panama City. That's a gap of about 92%.

Kindergarten costs $315 per month in Quilmes and $544 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 Quilmes, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Quilmes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Quilmes. 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.