Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Panama

Name: Panama
Address: PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $1,604 in Panama, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Panama
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Panama Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,604

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Paulo is 5.8% cheaper than Panama without rent, and 22.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 7.6% cheaper than Panama without rent, and 11.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$7.86 PAB 7.86

13.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$44.75 PAB 44.75

10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$7.89 PAB 7.89

16.86%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$3.84 PAB 3.84

-33.85%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$1.59 PAB 1.59

-8.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$1.41 PAB 1.41

-35.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$2.19 PAB 2.19

40.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$4.04 PAB 4.04

7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-31.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.32 PAB 2.32

-20.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$2.99 PAB 2.99

-52.84%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$2.48 PAB 2.48

14.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$12.28 PAB 12.28

2.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$6.94 PAB 6.94

-22.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$10.11 PAB 10.11

6.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-34.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.48 PAB 1.48

22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$3.65 PAB 3.65

-57.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$3.73 PAB 3.73

-46.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$2.50 PAB 2.50

-41.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$3.29 PAB 3.29

-62.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$2.34 PAB 2.34

-45.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.57 PAB 1.57

-38.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$6.08 PAB 6.08

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$9.88 PAB 9.88

3.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.39 PAB 1.39

24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$2.42 PAB 2.42

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.43 PAB 0.43

141.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$20.96 PAB 20.96

129.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$2.43 PAB 2.43

-25.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.82 PAB 1.82

-43.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$21.79 PAB 21.79

-53.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.18 PAB 1.18

7.63%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

13.17%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$22.2K PAB 22.2K

53.22%

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

$104 R$519

$119 PAB 119

-12.66%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$27.03 PAB 27.03

-40.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$47.70 PAB 47.70

-52.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$48.94 PAB 48.94

-25.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$30.16 PAB 30.16

58.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$7.84 PAB 7.84

25.64%

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

$525 R$2,622

$536 PAB 536

-1.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$8,069 PAB 8,069

105.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$53.5 PAB 53.5

25.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$42.77 PAB 42.77

45.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$87.4 PAB 87.4

15.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$103 PAB 103

-12.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$944 PAB 944

-29.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$697 PAB 697

-39.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$1,728 PAB 1,728

-11.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$1,262 PAB 1,262

-20.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$2,941 PAB 2,941

-6.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$1,673 PAB 1,673

23.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$826 PAB 826

6.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.37

83.36%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Panama: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Panama

$697 44% 64.8% $274

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Panama

$302 19.1% 24.2% $59

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Panama

$164 10.3% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Panama

$129 8.2% 10.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Panama

$194 12.2% 35.8% $51

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Panama

$34 2.2% 42.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Panama

$65 4.1% 15.5% $8.6

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇦 Panama

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

4,098,587

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Panama 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
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

Sao Paulo vs other spots: cost of living compared

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