Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Lorenzo and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in San Lorenzo: $582 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in San Lorenzo
Learn more

San Lorenzo Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
Learn more

Panama City Living Index

Jump to prices

San Lorenzo

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$582

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $582 per month in San Lorenzo vs $1,855 in Panama City, rent included.

San Lorenzo $582
Panama City $1,855

A couple spends around $992 per month in San Lorenzo vs $2,804 in Panama City, rent included.

San Lorenzo $992
Panama City $2,804

A family of three spends $1,402 per month in San Lorenzo vs $3,753 in Panama City, rent included.

San Lorenzo $1,402
Panama City $3,753

San Lorenzo is about 69% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Lorenzo sits 57% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.86 ₲39.0K

$11.63 PAB 11.63

-41.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.70 ₲248.5K

$47.92 PAB 47.92

-8.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 ₲39.2K

$7.96 PAB 7.96

-13.32%

Cappuccino

$3.45 ₲19.6K

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-18.25%

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

$1.07 ₲6,076

$2.01 PAB 2.01

-46.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₲3,290

$1.56 PAB 1.56

-62.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 ₲11.2K

$3.39 PAB 3.39

-41.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₲9,912

$3.94 PAB 3.94

-55.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 ₲6,709

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-36.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 ₲5,841

$2.56 PAB 2.56

-59.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 ₲7,863

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-60.34%

Eggs

$2.41 ₲13.7K

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-10.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.16 ₲29.3K

$12.57 PAB 12.57

-58.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.27 ₲12.9K

$6.83 PAB 6.83

-66.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.99 ₲39.7K

$10.58 PAB 10.58

-33.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₲13.2K

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-44.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ₲7,092

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-31.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₲5,809

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-75.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₲6,939

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-69.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 ₲6,110

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-69.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ₲5,210

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-78.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₲2,635

$2.41 PAB 2.41

-80.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₲3,096

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-68.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.31 ₲13.1K

$6.14 PAB 6.14

-62.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.97 ₲22.6K

$11.30 PAB 11.30

-64.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₲3,698

$1.42 PAB 1.42

-54.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₲5,185

$2.73 PAB 2.73

-66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.47 ₲201.7K

$21.23 PAB 21.23

67.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ₲8,361

$2.52 PAB 2.52

-41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₲8,836

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 ₲23.1K

$21.78 PAB 21.78

-81.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₲7,304

$1.25 PAB 1.25

2.40%

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

$17.4K ₲99.2M

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

-17.89%

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

$35.1K ₲199.7M

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

67.09%

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

$52.1 ₲296.1K

$130 PAB 130

-59.89%

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

$17.41 ₲99.0K

$28.13 PAB 28.13

-38.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.99 ₲130.8K

$48.21 PAB 48.21

-52.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.48 ₲122.2K

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-53.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.11 ₲68.9K

$34.92 PAB 34.92

-65.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₲24.9K

$8.67 PAB 8.67

-49.60%

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

$185 ₲1.0M

$544 PAB 544

-66.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,735 ₲32.6M

$9,697 PAB 9,697

-40.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.9 ₲363.4K

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.7 ₲333.6K

$49.14 PAB 49.14

19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₲624.8K

$93.9 PAB 93.9

17.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ₲410.4K

$112 PAB 112

-35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

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)

$916 PAB 916

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.15

6.39

58.84%

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

Last update for San Lorenzo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Lorenzo

$141 24.2%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 131% $184

Clothing & Footwear

San Lorenzo

$137 23.6%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 5.5% $7.5

Eating Out

San Lorenzo

$137 23.5%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 50.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Lorenzo

$92 15.9%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 123% $114

Getting Around

San Lorenzo

$45 * 7.7%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 23.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

San Lorenzo

$30 5.2%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 109% $33

Accommodation & Living

San Lorenzo

- * 0%

Panama City

$875 47.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in San Lorenzo versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $325 – making San Lorenzo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 San Lorenzo

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

2 h behind San Lorenzo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

489,000

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 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 = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Lorenzo Panama City 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 219%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $873 per month in San Lorenzo and $2,783 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 131% more in Panama City, 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 $44.00 in San Lorenzo and $48.00 in Panama City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Lorenzo, where all-in costs run around $582, than in Panama City at $1,855. In San Lorenzo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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