Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Luis Rio Colorado and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis Rio Colorado: $1,229 a month against $1,932 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Rio Colorado
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San Luis Rio Colorado Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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San Luis Rio Colorado

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,229

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in San Luis Rio Colorado vs $1,932 in Panama City, rent included.

San Luis Rio Colorado $1,229
Panama City $1,932

A couple spends around $1,860 per month in San Luis Rio Colorado vs $2,887 in Panama City, rent included.

San Luis Rio Colorado $1,860
Panama City $2,887

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in San Luis Rio Colorado vs $3,841 in Panama City, rent included.

San Luis Rio Colorado $2,491
Panama City $3,841

San Luis Rio Colorado is about 36% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Luis Rio Colorado sits 10% below the global median, while Panama City is 42% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 MX$223

$11.72 PAB 11.72

1.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.23 MX$620

$46.74 PAB 46.74

-28.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 MX$176

$7.98 PAB 7.98

18.42%

Cappuccino

$4.19 MX$78.2

$4.18 PAB 4.18

0.24%

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

$1.42 MX$26.45

$1.95 PAB 1.95

-27.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.94

$1.64 PAB 1.64

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 MX$58.9

$3.26 PAB 3.26

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 MX$120

$3.90 PAB 3.90

64.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.06

$1.91 PAB 1.91

-9.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 MX$54.7

$2.54 PAB 2.54

15.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.80

$3.37 PAB 3.37

-47.77%

Eggs

$3.10 MX$57.7

$2.82 PAB 2.82

9.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 MX$158

$12.60 PAB 12.60

-32.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.24 MX$135

$6.71 PAB 6.71

7.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MX$214

$10.53 PAB 10.53

9.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MX$53.6

$4.04 PAB 4.04

-28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.71

$1.94 PAB 1.94

-18.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.57

$4.25 PAB 4.25

-53.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.13

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-62.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 MX$27.69

$3.32 PAB 3.32

-55.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.84

$4.34 PAB 4.34

-58.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.40 PAB 2.40

-39.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.42

$1.71 PAB 1.71

-39.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$81.8

$6.05 PAB 6.05

-27.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 MX$149

$11.38 PAB 11.38

-29.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 MX$41.19

$1.36 PAB 1.36

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 MX$75.0

$2.80 PAB 2.80

43.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.79

$0.34 PAB 0.34

102.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.51 MX$606

$21.28 PAB 21.28

52.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 MX$51.2

$2.43 PAB 2.43

13.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 MX$41.09

$1.85 PAB 1.85

18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.75 MX$200

$21.77 PAB 21.77

-50.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MX$27.97

$1.20 PAB 1.20

25.00%

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

$24.2K MX$451.7K

$24.8K PAB 24.8K

-2.20%

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

$23.6K MX$440.2K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

11.40%

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

$46.01 MX$858

$132 PAB 132

-65.24%

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

$32.95 MX$614

$28.34 PAB 28.34

16.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.62 MX$552

$48.88 PAB 48.88

-39.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.11 MX$598

$43.02 PAB 43.02

-25.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.37 MX$361

$34.94 PAB 34.94

-44.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 MX$120

$8.43 PAB 8.43

-23.49%

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

$206 MX$3,832

$545 PAB 545

-62.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,436 MX$82.7K

$9,648 PAB 9,648

-54.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 MX$979

$65.8 PAB 65.8

-20.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 MX$853

$47.25 PAB 47.25

-3.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,917

$94.6 PAB 94.6

8.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 MX$1,299

$110 PAB 110

-36.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 MX$10.7K

$1,407 PAB 1,407

-59.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 MX$7,976

$954 PAB 954

-55.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 MX$16.6K

$2,272 PAB 2,272

-60.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 MX$12.5K

$1,662 PAB 1,662

-59.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,110 MX$39.3K

$3,057 PAB 3,057

-30.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 MX$20.3K

$1,729 PAB 1,729

-36.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

6.39

88.89%

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

Last update for San Luis Rio Colorado: October 24, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Luis Rio Colorado

$428 34.8%

Panama City

$954 49.3% 123% $526

Groceries & Markets

San Luis Rio Colorado

$263 21.4%

Panama City

$326 16.9% 23.9% $63

Eating Out

San Luis Rio Colorado

$213 17.4%

Panama City

$206 10.7% 3.3% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

San Luis Rio Colorado

$122 9.9%

Panama City

$143 7.4% 17.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Luis Rio Colorado

$109 8.8%

Panama City

$210 10.9% 93% $101

Getting Around

San Luis Rio Colorado

$49 4%

Panama City

$34 1.8% 30% $15

Sport & Entertainment

San Luis Rio Colorado

$45 3.7%

Panama City

$60 3.1% 33.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $572 in San Luis Rio Colorado versus $1,407 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in San Luis Rio Colorado versus $47 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $326 – making San Luis Rio Colorado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Luis Rio Colorado

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

17:26 5:26 PM

2 h ahead of San Luis Rio Colorado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,685

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.11 PAB (1 PAB = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Luis Rio Colorado Panama City 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Luis Rio Colorado
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 Luis Rio Colorado vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in San Luis Rio Colorado and $2,899 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 Luis Rio Colorado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $572 there versus $1,407 in Panama City.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Panama City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in San Luis Rio Colorado and $47 in Panama City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado and $1,932 in Panama City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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