Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Panama City

For one person, living costs are similar in Saint John, New Brunswick and in Panama City: $1,934 and $1,855 a month, rent and utilities included.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,934 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $1,855 in Panama City, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934
Panama City $1,855

A couple spends around $2,885 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $2,804 in Panama City, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885
Panama City $2,804

A family of three spends $3,836 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $3,753 in Panama City, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836
Panama City $3,753

Saint John, New Brunswick costs about 4% more than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint John, New Brunswick and Panama City sit above the global median – Saint John, New Brunswick by 43%, Panama City by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 CA$25.89

$11.63 PAB 11.63

57.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 CA$83.5

$47.92 PAB 47.92

23.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$7.96 PAB 7.96

31.03%

Cappuccino

$3.00 CA$4.25

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-28.91%

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

$1.69 CA$2.39

$2.01 PAB 2.01

-15.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.56 PAB 1.56

-32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 CA$6.26

$3.39 PAB 3.39

30.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CA$7.08

$3.94 PAB 3.94

27.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.07

$1.85 PAB 1.85

17.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.77

$2.56 PAB 2.56

4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-10.34%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$2.69 PAB 2.69

28.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 CA$18.61

$12.57 PAB 12.57

4.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 CA$16.56

$6.83 PAB 6.83

71.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 CA$18.06

$10.58 PAB 10.58

20.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 CA$6.77

$4.18 PAB 4.18

14.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-19.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.91

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-0.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.51

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-42.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-47.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$2.41 PAB 2.41

2.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-16.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 CA$19.67

$6.14 PAB 6.14

126.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 CA$13.99

$11.30 PAB 11.30

-12.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$1.42 PAB 1.42

26.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.73 PAB 2.73

-22.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 CA$2.92

$0.33 PAB 0.33

524.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 CA$79.2

$21.23 PAB 21.23

163.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$2.52 PAB 2.52

15.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-43.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.34 CA$24.52

$21.78 PAB 21.78

-20.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.25 PAB 1.25

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

$24.3K CA$34.4K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

14.57%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

-10.59%

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

$120 CA$169

$130 PAB 130

-7.96%

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

$41.55 CA$58.7

$28.13 PAB 28.13

47.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 CA$91.4

$48.21 PAB 48.21

34.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$45.78 PAB 45.78

14.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.03 CA$49.52

$34.92 PAB 34.92

0.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 CA$18.07

$8.67 PAB 8.67

47.40%

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

$378 CA$534

$544 PAB 544

-30.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K CA$15.7K

$9,697 PAB 9,697

14.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.34 CA$68.3

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-27.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.16 CA$49.71

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-28.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$93.9 PAB 93.9

9.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$112 PAB 112

-5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 CA$1,400

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-21.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 CA$1,158

$875 PAB 875

-6.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 CA$2,277

$2,155 PAB 2,155

-25.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 CA$1,843

$1,564 PAB 1,564

-16.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,018 CA$2,854

$3,122 PAB 3,122

-35.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,093 CA$2,959

$1,709 PAB 1,709

22.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 CA$3,396

$916 PAB 916

162.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

6.39

-26.60%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 13, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John, New Brunswick

$819 42.4%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 6.8% $56

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 7.2% $25

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 19.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 8.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 10% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 18.9% $15

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 52.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 162% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $325 – making Panama City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

2 h behind Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Saint John, New Brunswick Panama City 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John, New Brunswick
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

Saint John, New Brunswick vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John, New Brunswick is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,901 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 Panama City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $48.00 in Panama City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Panama City, where all-in costs run around $1,855, than in Saint John, New Brunswick at $1,934. In Panama City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John, New Brunswick it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Panama City – 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 Panama City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint John, New Brunswick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.