Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepic and Panama City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepic: $1,100 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index

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Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,100

/mo nomad

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,100 per month in Tepic vs $1,855 in Panama City, rent included.

Tepic $1,100
Panama City $1,855

A couple spends around $1,808 per month in Tepic vs $2,804 in Panama City, rent included.

Tepic $1,808
Panama City $2,804

A family of three spends $2,516 per month in Tepic vs $3,753 in Panama City, rent included.

Tepic $2,516
Panama City $3,753

Tepic is about 41% cheaper than Panama City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tepic sits 18% below the global median, while Panama City is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$249

$11.63 PAB 11.63

15.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.40 MX$820

$47.92 PAB 47.92

-7.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 MX$170

$7.96 PAB 7.96

15.70%

Cappuccino

$3.24 MX$59.9

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-23.22%

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

$1.73 MX$31.90

$2.01 PAB 2.01

-13.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.64

$1.56 PAB 1.56

-21.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.39 PAB 3.39

-17.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MX$92.8

$3.94 PAB 3.94

27.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.89

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-18.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 MX$45.20

$2.56 PAB 2.56

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.24

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-51.44%

Eggs

$2.11 MX$38.94

$2.69 PAB 2.69

-21.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.90 MX$90.5

$12.57 PAB 12.57

-61.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$175

$6.83 PAB 6.83

38.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 MX$216

$10.58 PAB 10.58

10.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MX$52.0

$4.18 PAB 4.18

-32.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.26

$1.83 PAB 1.83

-13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.53

$4.20 PAB 4.20

-52.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.72

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-54.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.37

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-41.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.77

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-56.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.98

$2.41 PAB 2.41

-39.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.83

$1.69 PAB 1.69

-36.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.8

$6.14 PAB 6.14

-30.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 MX$195

$11.30 PAB 11.30

-6.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.44

$1.42 PAB 1.42

-45.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MX$62.1

$2.73 PAB 2.73

23.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MX$15.42

$0.33 PAB 0.33

151.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 MX$41.34

$2.52 PAB 2.52

-11.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 MX$24.65

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-28.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 MX$222

$21.78 PAB 21.78

-44.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.25 PAB 1.25

14.40%

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

$21.2K MX$392.2K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

-0.06%

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

$23.9K MX$441.4K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

13.62%

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

$44.05 MX$814

$130 PAB 130

-66.07%

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

$12.13 MX$224

$28.13 PAB 28.13

-56.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.94 MX$572

$48.21 PAB 48.21

-35.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.03 MX$629

$45.78 PAB 45.78

-25.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 MX$376

$34.92 PAB 34.92

-41.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 MX$122

$8.67 PAB 8.67

-23.64%

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

$253 MX$4,676

$544 PAB 544

-53.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MX$198.2K

$9,697 PAB 9,697

10.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MX$1,105

$66.8 PAB 66.8

-10.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.45 MX$729

$49.14 PAB 49.14

-19.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,998

$93.9 PAB 93.9

15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.4 MX$1,542

$112 PAB 112

-25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,568

$1,257 PAB 1,257

-58.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 MX$6,658

$875 PAB 875

-58.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 MX$19.0K

$2,155 PAB 2,155

-52.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 MX$13.9K

$1,564 PAB 1,564

-51.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,837 MX$33.9K

$3,122 PAB 3,122

-41.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 MX$20.8K

$1,709 PAB 1,709

-34.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 MX$12.1K

$916 PAB 916

-28.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.39

82.79%

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

Last update for Tepic: October 11, 2026

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tepic

$360 32.7%

Panama City

$875 47.2% 143% $515

Groceries & Markets

Tepic

$253 23%

Panama City

$325 17.5% 28.7% $72

Eating Out

Tepic

$210 19.1%

Panama City

$207 11.1% 1.6% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Tepic

$131 11.9%

Panama City

$145 7.8% 10.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tepic

$87 7.9%

Panama City

$206 11.1% 137% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Tepic

$47 4.3%

Panama City

$63 3.4% 33.5% $16

Getting Around

Tepic

$12 * 1.1%

Panama City

$34 1.9% 181% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Tepic versus $1,257 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 39% higher in Panama City, 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 $44.00 in Tepic versus $48.00 in Panama City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $325 – making Tepic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tepic

🇵🇦 Panama City

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

2 h ahead of Tepic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

371,387

1,086,990 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tepic Panama City 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tepic
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

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

Yes – Panama City is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,651 per month in Tepic and $2,783 in Panama City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,100 in Tepic and $1,855 in Panama City. That's a gap of about 69%.

Kindergarten costs $253 per month in Tepic and $544 in Panama City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tepic, where all-in costs run around $1,100, than in Panama City at $1,855. In Tepic it covers expenses comfortably, while in Panama City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tepic. 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.