Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Panama

Name: Panama
Address: PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama: $1,604 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Panama
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Panama Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,604

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: San Jose is 41.1% more expensive than Panama without rent, and 21.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San Jose is 35.9% more expensive than Panama without rent, and 16.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$7.86 PAB 7.86

55.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$44.75 PAB 44.75

34.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$7.89 PAB 7.89

49.18%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$3.84 PAB 3.84

11.98%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.59 PAB 1.59

71.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.41 PAB 1.41

30.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$2.19 PAB 2.19

49.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$4.04 PAB 4.04

7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.85 PAB 1.85

28.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$2.32 PAB 2.32

34.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$2.99 PAB 2.99

-19.40%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.48 PAB 2.48

39.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$12.28 PAB 12.28

-13.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$6.94 PAB 6.94

52.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$10.11 PAB 10.11

36.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$4.18 PAB 4.18

20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.48 PAB 1.48

8.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$3.65 PAB 3.65

25.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$3.73 PAB 3.73

2.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$2.50 PAB 2.50

50.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$3.29 PAB 3.29

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$2.34 PAB 2.34

-52.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.57 PAB 1.57

103.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$6.08 PAB 6.08

-3.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$9.88 PAB 9.88

99.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$1.39 PAB 1.39

97.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$2.42 PAB 2.42

51.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.43 PAB 0.43

160.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$20.96 PAB 20.96

210.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.43 PAB 2.43

1.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.82 PAB 1.82

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$21.79 PAB 21.79

-61.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.18 PAB 1.18

31.36%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

0.98%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$22.2K PAB 22.2K

57.13%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$119 PAB 119

-20.44%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$27.03 PAB 27.03

29.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$47.70 PAB 47.70

22.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$48.94 PAB 48.94

47.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$30.16 PAB 30.16

-16.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$7.84 PAB 7.84

-0.13%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$536 PAB 536

81.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$8,069 PAB 8,069

110.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$53.5 PAB 53.5

33.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$42.77 PAB 42.77

28.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$87.4 PAB 87.4

47.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$103 PAB 103

28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$944 PAB 944

-1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$697 PAB 697

10.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$1,728 PAB 1,728

12.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$1,262 PAB 1,262

4.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$2,941 PAB 2,941

-22.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$1,673 PAB 1,673

7.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$826 PAB 826

21.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.37

35.32%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Panama: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Panama

$697 44% 9.6% $74

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Panama

$302 19.1% 24.2% $97

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Panama

$164 10.3% 28.3% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Panama

$194 12.2% 2.9% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Panama

$129 8.2% 26.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Panama

$65 4.1% 26.4% $23

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Panama

$34 2.2% 57.1% $45

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇵🇦 Panama

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

07:30 7:30 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

4,098,587

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Panama 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Panama

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

San Jose vs other spots: cost of living compared

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