Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago, Panama and Boquete

For one person, living costs are similar in Santiago and in Boquete: $1,442 and $1,438 a month, rent and utilities included.

69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Boquete
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Boquete Living Index

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Santiago

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,442

/mo nomad

Boquete

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Boquete

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santiago and in Boquete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,442 in Santiago versus $1,438 in Boquete.

Santiago $1,442
Boquete $1,438

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,119 in Santiago versus $2,232 in Boquete.

Santiago $2,119
Boquete $2,232

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,796 in Santiago versus $3,026 in Boquete.

Santiago $2,796
Boquete $3,026

Monthly costs are close between Santiago and Boquete; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santiago 6% above, Boquete 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 PAB 4.44

$6.34 PAB 6.34

-29.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.53 PAB 29.53

$40.22 PAB 40.22

-26.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 PAB 5.02

$7.31 PAB 7.31

-31.33%

Cappuccino

$4.04 PAB 4.04

$3.73 PAB 3.73

8.31%

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

$0.73 PAB 0.73

$1.34 PAB 1.34

-45.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 PAB 0.77

$1.20 PAB 1.20

-35.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 PAB 0.97

$2.29 PAB 2.29

-57.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 PAB 2.03

$5.11 PAB 5.11

-60.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$1.83 PAB 1.83

0.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PAB 2.58

$2.14 PAB 2.14

20.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 PAB 3.38

$2.15 PAB 2.15

57.21%

Eggs

$2.68 PAB 2.68

$2.51 PAB 2.51

6.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.25 PAB 12.25

$9.32 PAB 9.32

31.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.88 PAB 6.88

$7.49 PAB 7.49

-8.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 PAB 10.59

$15.36 PAB 15.36

-31.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 PAB 4.13

$4.49 PAB 4.49

-8.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 PAB 1.89

$0.99 PAB 0.99

90.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 PAB 4.09

$4.28 PAB 4.28

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 PAB 4.05

$2.19 PAB 2.19

84.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 PAB 3.36

$2.15 PAB 2.15

56.28%

Onion (1kg)

$4.19 PAB 4.19

$2.26 PAB 2.26

85.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 PAB 2.39

$2.20 PAB 2.20

8.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 PAB 1.78

$1.71 PAB 1.71

4.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.17 PAB 6.17

$5.02 PAB 5.02

22.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 PAB 11.46

$8.13 PAB 8.13

40.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 PAB 1.43

$1.15 PAB 1.15

24.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 PAB 2.83

$2.61 PAB 2.61

8.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.84 PAB 24.84

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 PAB 2.48

$1.02 PAB 1.02

143.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$2.05 PAB 2.05

-9.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.36 PAB 22.36

$29.44 PAB 29.44

-24.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PAB 1.18

$1.14 PAB 1.14

3.51%

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

$24.3K PAB 24.3K

$26.0K PAB 26.0K

-6.49%

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

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

$22.4K PAB 22.4K

-3.98%

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

$120 PAB 120

$59.2 PAB 59.2

102.52%

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

$14.90 PAB 14.90

$26.16 PAB 26.16

-43.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.49 PAB 43.49

$43.16 PAB 43.16

0.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.1 PAB 82.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 PAB 17.19

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 PAB 8.26

$6.63 PAB 6.63

24.59%

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

$533 PAB 533

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,758 PAB 9,758

$5,932 PAB 5,932

64.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 PAB 67.9

$24.90 PAB 24.90

172.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.51 PAB 47.51

$25.18 PAB 25.18

88.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 PAB 93.7

$44.37 PAB 44.37

111.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 PAB 110

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 PAB 451

$840 PAB 840

-46.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 PAB 652

$687 PAB 687

-4.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 PAB 648

$1,540 PAB 1,540

-57.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 PAB 1,105

$1,302 PAB 1,302

-15.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,198 PAB 1,198

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 PAB 1,158

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$797 PAB 797

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

6.5

-1.69%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Boquete: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$652 45.3%

Boquete

$687 47.8% 5.2% $34

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$325 22.5%

Boquete

$294 20.4% 9.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$178 12.4%

Boquete

$129 8.9% 27.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$144 10%

Boquete

$43 * 3% 70.4% $101

Eating Out

Santiago

$114 7.9%

Boquete

$149 10.4% 30.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$17 * 1.2%

Boquete

$95 6.6% 478% $79

Getting Around

Santiago

$12 * 0.8%

Boquete

$42 2.9% 255% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $451 in Santiago and $840 in Boquete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Santiago vs $40 in Boquete. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $294, with Boquete cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Santiago

🇵🇦 Boquete

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

Same time as Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,065

7,000

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.899 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santiago Boquete 170 km

From you

Santiago
Boquete

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

Santiago vs Boquete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,162 in Santiago and $2,157 in Boquete to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $451 in Santiago versus $840 in Boquete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $30 versus $40 in Boquete. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Santiago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.