Cost of living comparison

China

compared to

Panama

Panama City vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Panama City is 48.0% more expensive than Beijing.

Restaurants: pay 2.4 times more in Panama City
Groceries: pay 88.3% more in Panama City
Transportation: pay 0.9% more in Panama City
Housing: pay 65.2% more in Panama City
Childcare: pay 42.5% less in Panama City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 38.2% more in Panama City
Clothing: pay 2.3% more in Panama City

The cost of restaurants, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, and transportation in Panama City are more expensive than in Beijing. Notably, restaurants and groceries are significantly more expensive in Panama City.

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Panama City vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Panama City instead of Beijing, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.4 times more for restaurants

	Beijing	Panama City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.47 CN¥29.87	$11.50 PAB11.50	+157.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.22 CN¥34.85	$8.00 PAB8.00	+53.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.52 CN¥3.48	$1.97 PAB1.97	+277.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.27 CN¥1.82	$1.60 PAB1.60	+487.4%
Average			+142.1%

Beijing vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 88.3% more for groceries

	Beijing	Panama City
Bread 1 loaf	$1.73 CN¥11.53	$2.52 PAB2.52	+45.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.22 CN¥48.16	$6.18 PAB6.18	-14.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.41 CN¥42.78	$7.09 PAB7.09	+10.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.02 CN¥13.50	$2.75 PAB2.75	+35.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.47 CN¥9.78	$3.07 PAB3.07	+109.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.93 CN¥6.23	$1.87 PAB1.87	+100.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.79 CN¥5.27	$0.82 PAB0.82	+4.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.93 CN¥6.19	$1.92 PAB1.92	+106.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.71 CN¥4.74	$1.86 PAB1.86	+161.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.32 CN¥2.14	$1.55 PAB1.55	+381.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.40 CN¥2.65	$1.96 PAB1.96	+393.1%
Average			+88.3%

Beijing vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries

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pay 0.9% more for transportation

	Beijing	Panama City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.96 CN¥33.12	$4.62 PAB4.62	-6.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$34.30 CN¥228.99	$21.00 PAB21.00	-38.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,374.76 CN¥129K	$21,262.00 PAB21,262.00	+9.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.68 CN¥31.26	$16.98 PAB16.98	+262.6%
Average			+0.9%

Beijing vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation

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pay 65.2% more for housing

	Beijing	Panama City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$14.27 CN¥95.25	$48.70 PAB48.70	+241.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$936.67 CN¥6,252.37	$1,262.50 PAB1,262.50	+34.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$530.98 CN¥3,544.34	$874.18 PAB874.18	+64.6%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$44.49 CN¥296.96	$100.29 PAB100.29	+125.4%
Average			+65.2%

Beijing vs. Panama City - Cost of housing

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pay 42.5% less for childcare

	Beijing	Panama City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$653.29 CN¥4,360.75	$543.33 PAB543.33	-16.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$24,281.96 CN¥162K	$9,641.50 PAB9,641.50	-60.3%
Average			-42.5%

Beijing vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare

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pay 38.2% more for entertainment and sports

	Beijing	Panama City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.19 CN¥7.96	$3.30 PAB3.30	+176.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.60 CN¥24.03	$4.11 PAB4.11	+14.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.33 CN¥28.87	$6.00 PAB6.00	+38.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.45 CN¥276.67	$46.40 PAB46.40	+12.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.46 CN¥49.78	$8.50 PAB8.50	+14.0%
Average			+38.2%

Beijing vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 2.3% more for clothing

	Beijing	Panama City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$70.55 CN¥470.92	$66.67 PAB66.67	-5.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$40.41 CN¥269.73	$48.43 PAB48.43	+19.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$86.99 CN¥580.64	$94.62 PAB94.62	+8.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$125.40 CN¥837.05	$111.67 PAB111.67	-11.0%
Average			+2.3%

Beijing vs. Panama City - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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