Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Boquete

For one person, living is cheaper in Boquete: $1,459 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Boquete
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Boquete Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Boquete

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver 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 Vancouver and in Boquete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,683 in Vancouver versus $1,459 in Boquete.

Vancouver $2,683
Boquete $1,459

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,963 in Vancouver versus $2,245 in Boquete.

Vancouver $3,963
Boquete $2,245

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Vancouver versus $3,032 in Boquete.

Vancouver $5,244
Boquete $3,032

Living in Vancouver is roughly 84% more expensive than in Boquete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 98% above, Boquete 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.37

$6.61 PAB 6.61

173.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.5

$39.63 PAB 39.63

79.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.81

$7.68 PAB 7.68

37.63%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.56

$3.72 PAB 3.72

6.72%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$1.40 PAB 1.40

47.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$1.15 PAB 1.15

60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.95

$2.28 PAB 2.28

148.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.27

$4.88 PAB 4.88

35.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$1.82 PAB 1.82

18.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$2.12 PAB 2.12

21.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.02

$2.22 PAB 2.22

93.69%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.74

$2.49 PAB 2.49

64.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.98

$9.25 PAB 9.25

31.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.62

$7.45 PAB 7.45

78.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.19

$15.49 PAB 15.49

29.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.56

$4.47 PAB 4.47

-11.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.02 PAB 1.02

40.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.20

$4.53 PAB 4.53

-18.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

$2.18 PAB 2.18

79.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.02

$2.26 PAB 2.26

26.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.17

$2.23 PAB 2.23

33.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.22 PAB 2.22

17.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$1.66 PAB 1.66

-1.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.35

$5.15 PAB 5.15

209.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.97

$7.97 PAB 7.97

78.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$1.16 PAB 1.16

117.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$2.65 PAB 2.65

8.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$1.37 PAB 1.37

87.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

$25.26 PAB 25.26

233.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$0.98 PAB 0.98

179.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$2.02 PAB 2.02

-19.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.71

$30.30 PAB 30.30

5.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.17 PAB 1.17

24.79%

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

$26.7K CA$37.4K

$25.5K PAB 25.5K

4.58%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$22.4K PAB 22.4K

-6.28%

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

$88.2 CA$124

$58.6 PAB 58.6

50.58%

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

$36.72 CA$51.5

$25.83 PAB 25.83

42.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.8

$41.71 PAB 41.71

19.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.6

$83.2 PAB 83.2

-45.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.00

$17.84 PAB 17.84

-32.01%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.59

$6.57 PAB 6.57

91.02%

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

$1,055 CA$1,479

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.9K

$6,105 PAB 6,105

366.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.1

$24.55 PAB 24.55

129.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.18

$25.29 PAB 25.29

35.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$45.76 PAB 45.76

96.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,436

$814 PAB 814

113.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,143

$706 PAB 706

116.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,355

$1,554 PAB 1,554

99.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,570

$1,303 PAB 1,303

95.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

$1,163 PAB 1,163

634.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,870

$1,152 PAB 1,152

449.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,284

$800 PAB 800

371.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

6.5

-34.77%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Boquete: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Boquete

$706 48.4% 53.8% $823

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Boquete

$294 20.2% 26.1% $104

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Boquete

$152 10.4% 46% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Boquete

$126 8.6% 27.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Boquete

$43 * 3% 65.2% $81

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Boquete

$42 2.9% 60.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Boquete

$96 6.6% 36.8% $26

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 $1,738 in Vancouver and $814 in Boquete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Vancouver vs $40 in Boquete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $294 per month, with Boquete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇵🇦 Boquete

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

04:11 4:11 AM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

7,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Vancouver Boquete 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
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

Vancouver vs Boquete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boquete is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Vancouver is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,738 in Vancouver versus $814 in Boquete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,683 per month in Vancouver versus $1,459 in Boquete – Boquete is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Boquete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.