Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Panama City: $1,837 a month against $2,236 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,236 per month in Surrey vs $1,837 in Panama City, rent included.

Surrey $2,236
Panama City $1,837

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Surrey vs $2,825 in Panama City, rent included.

Surrey $3,522
Panama City $2,825

A family of three spends $4,808 per month in Surrey vs $3,812 in Panama City, rent included.

Surrey $4,808
Panama City $3,812

Surrey costs about 22% more than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Surrey and Panama City sit above the global median – Surrey by 67%, Panama City by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.87 CA$25.48

$11.34 PAB 11.34

57.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 CA$78.7

$47.85 PAB 47.85

15.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 CA$14.62

$8.07 PAB 8.07

27.14%

Cappuccino

$3.63 CA$5.18

$4.02 PAB 4.02

-9.70%

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

$2.11 CA$3.00

$1.94 PAB 1.94

8.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.23

$1.62 PAB 1.62

-3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 CA$8.05

$3.26 PAB 3.26

73.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 CA$8.48

$3.99 PAB 3.99

49.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.42

$1.83 PAB 1.83

31.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.91

$2.57 PAB 2.57

-20.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.09

$3.33 PAB 3.33

7.21%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.61

$2.69 PAB 2.69

20.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 CA$13.73

$12.33 PAB 12.33

-21.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 CA$14.66

$6.69 PAB 6.69

53.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.56 CA$27.89

$10.40 PAB 10.40

88.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.48

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-24.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.84 PAB 1.84

-28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.20

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-29.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 CA$4.20

$4.08 PAB 4.08

-27.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CA$3.62

$3.50 PAB 3.50

-27.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$4.37 PAB 4.37

-53.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 CA$2.82

$2.34 PAB 2.34

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.56

$1.75 PAB 1.75

2.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.93 CA$19.86

$6.06 PAB 6.06

129.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CA$20.12

$11.72 PAB 11.72

20.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.51

$1.37 PAB 1.37

79.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CA$4.35

$2.84 PAB 2.84

7.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 CA$3.81

$0.36 PAB 0.36

641.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CA$150

$20.96 PAB 20.96

403.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 CA$3.66

$2.52 PAB 2.52

1.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.13

$1.79 PAB 1.79

-16.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.20 CA$38.77

$22.01 PAB 22.01

23.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.25 PAB 1.25

4.80%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$21.5K PAB 21.5K

29.09%

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

$18.5K CA$26.3K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

-12.88%

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

$185 CA$263

$131 PAB 131

40.82%

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

$36.28 CA$51.7

$27.68 PAB 27.68

31.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CA$90.1

$48.59 PAB 48.59

30.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.52 CA$49.21

$46.11 PAB 46.11

-25.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.21 CA$35.93

$35.01 PAB 35.01

-27.99%

Cinema Ticket

$12.70 CA$18.10

$8.73 PAB 8.73

45.48%

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

$832 CA$1,186

$551 PAB 551

51.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K CA$17.0K

$9,560 PAB 9,560

24.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 CA$78.7

$67.6 PAB 67.6

-18.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.3 CA$85.9

$48.03 PAB 48.03

25.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 CA$137

$94.9 PAB 94.9

1.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 CA$126

$113 PAB 113

-21.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 CA$1,891

$1,238 PAB 1,238

7.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 CA$1,497

$873 PAB 873

20.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,676 CA$3,815

$2,197 PAB 2,197

21.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 CA$2,972

$1,538 PAB 1,538

35.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,553 CA$13.6K

$3,116 PAB 3,116

206.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,388 CA$12.0K

$1,725 PAB 1,725

386.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,988 CA$4,260

$934 PAB 934

219.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

6.39

-23.79%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 5, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surrey

$1.1K 46.1%

Panama City

$873 47.2% 16.8% $177

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$348 15.3%

Panama City

$324 17.5% 7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$284 12.5%

Panama City

$207 11.2% 27% $77

Eating Out

Surrey

$272 12%

Panama City

$202 10.9% 25.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$135 5.9%

Panama City

$146 7.9% 7.8% $11

Getting Around

Surrey

$126 5.6%

Panama City

$34 1.8% 73.2% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$60 2.6%

Panama City

$64 3.4% 6.1% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,327 in Surrey versus $1,238 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 220% higher in Surrey, 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 $55.0 in Surrey versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $324 – making Panama City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Surrey

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

00:41 12:41 AM

2 h ahead of Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

517,887

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Surrey Panama City 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Surrey
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

Surrey vs Panama City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surrey is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,353 per month in Surrey and $2,756 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Panama City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Surrey, 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 $55.0 in Surrey and $48.00 in Panama City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Panama City, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Surrey at $2,236. In Panama City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Panama City – 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 Panama City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.