Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $890 per month in San Juan vs $1,855 in Panama City, rent included.

San Juan $890
Panama City $1,855

A couple spends around $1,389 per month in San Juan vs $2,804 in Panama City, rent included.

San Juan $1,389
Panama City $2,804

A family of three spends $1,888 per month in San Juan vs $3,753 in Panama City, rent included.

San Juan $1,888
Panama City $3,753

San Juan is about 52% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Juan sits 34% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

$11.63 PAB 11.63

-41.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

$47.92 PAB 47.92

-17.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

$7.96 PAB 7.96

51.76%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ARS 3,938

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-38.63%

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

$2.11 ARS 3,202

$2.01 PAB 2.01

4.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ARS 2,761

$1.56 PAB 1.56

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 ARS 5,930

$3.39 PAB 3.39

15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ARS 6,799

$3.94 PAB 3.94

13.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,101

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-25.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ARS 2,195

$2.56 PAB 2.56

-43.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,124

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-59.77%

Eggs

$1.44 ARS 2,184

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-46.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,305

$12.57 PAB 12.57

-77.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,448

$6.83 PAB 6.83

-8.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

$10.58 PAB 10.58

3.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-66.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ARS 2,108

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-24.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,037

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-68.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,193

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-64.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,128

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-59.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,098

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-67.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$2.41 PAB 2.41

-41.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,183

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-14.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ARS 4,117

$6.14 PAB 6.14

-55.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 ARS 7,433

$11.30 PAB 11.30

-56.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ARS 2,136

$1.42 PAB 1.42

-0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,178

$2.73 PAB 2.73

-47.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ARS 1,460

$0.33 PAB 0.33

190.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ARS 3,006

$2.52 PAB 2.52

-21.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-46.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 ARS 7,351

$21.78 PAB 21.78

-77.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ARS 1,782

$1.25 PAB 1.25

-6.40%

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

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

25.87%

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

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

60.06%

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

$144 ARS 218.7K

$130 PAB 130

11.00%

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

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

$28.13 PAB 28.13

-64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

$48.21 PAB 48.21

-63.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-33.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

$8.67 PAB 8.67

-20.07%

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

$172 ARS 260.5K

$544 PAB 544

-68.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

$9,697 PAB 9,697

-57.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ARS 162.3K

$66.8 PAB 66.8

60.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-13.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

$93.9 PAB 93.9

-38.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

$112 PAB 112

-67.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ARS 378.2K

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-80.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ARS 301.1K

$875 PAB 875

-77.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 747.1K

$2,155 PAB 2,155

-77.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ARS 607.2K

$1,564 PAB 1,564

-74.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$700 ARS 1.1M

$916 PAB 916

-23.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

745.07%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$198 22.3%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 341% $676

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$190 21.3%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 71.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$172 19.3%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 19.9% $34

Eating Out

San Juan

$166 18.6%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 24.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$110 12.3%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 32% $35

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$44 5%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 42.6% $19

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 220% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $249 in San Juan 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 31% 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 $39.00 in San Juan versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $325 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

08:44 8:44 AM

2 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

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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Highest

Between locations

San Juan Panama City 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

San Juan vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,335 per month in San Juan 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 San Juan, 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 $890 in San Juan and $1,855 in Panama City. That's a gap of about 108%.

Kindergarten costs $172 per month in San Juan 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 San Juan, where all-in costs run around $890, than in Panama City at $1,855. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – 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 San Juan. 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.