Cost of living comparison

Switzerland

compared to

Panama

Panama City vs. Bern Cost of Living Summary

Panama City is 44.6% cheaper than Bern.

Restaurants: pay 59.7% less in Panama City
Groceries: pay 13.8% less in Panama City
Transportation: pay 60.1% less in Panama City
Housing: pay 36.9% less in Panama City
Childcare: pay 76.5% less in Panama City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 54.3% less in Panama City
Clothing: pay 39.7% less in Panama City

Expenses including childcare, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing are lower in Panama City.

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Panama City vs. Bern Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 59.7% less for restaurants

	Bern	Panama City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$28.80 CHF23.73	$11.50 PAB11.50	-60.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$15.60 CHF12.85	$8.00 PAB8.00	-48.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$6.23 CHF5.14	$1.97 PAB1.97	-68.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$6.97 CHF5.74	$1.60 PAB1.60	-77.0%
Average			-59.7%

Bern vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 13.8% less for groceries

	Bern	Panama City
Bread 1 loaf	$2.95 CHF2.43	$2.52 PAB2.52	-14.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$12.12 CHF9.98	$6.18 PAB6.18	-49.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.18 CHF6.74	$7.09 PAB7.09	-13.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$7.71 CHF6.35	$2.75 PAB2.75	-64.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$13.20 CHF10.87	$3.07 PAB3.07	-76.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.76 CHF1.45	$1.87 PAB1.87	+6.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.91 CHF0.75	$0.82 PAB0.82	-9.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.20 CHF0.99	$1.92 PAB1.92	+59.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.09 CHF1.72	$1.86 PAB1.86	-11.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.72 CHF0.60	$1.55 PAB1.55	+113.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.91 CHF0.75	$1.96 PAB1.96	+115.8%
Average			-13.8%

Bern vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries

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pay 60.1% less for transportation

	Bern	Panama City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$8.82 CHF7.27	$4.62 PAB4.62	-47.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$98.40 CHF81.06	$21.00 PAB21.00	-78.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$42,598.89 CHF35,094.71	$21,262.00 PAB21,262.00	-50.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$44.64 CHF36.78	$16.98 PAB16.98	-62.0%
Average			-60.1%

Bern vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation

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pay 36.9% less for housing

	Bern	Panama City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$54.60 CHF44.98	$48.70 PAB48.70	-10.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,861.45 CHF1,533.54	$1,262.50 PAB1,262.50	-32.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,408.46 CHF1,160.35	$874.18 PAB874.18	-37.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$207.74 CHF171.14	$100.29 PAB100.29	-51.7%
Average			-36.9%

Bern vs. Panama City - Cost of housing

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pay 76.5% less for childcare

	Bern	Panama City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$3,125.25 CHF2,574.71	$543.33 PAB543.33	-82.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$30,462.54 CHF25,096.29	$9,641.50 PAB9,641.50	-68.3%
Average			-76.5%

Bern vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare

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pay 54.3% less for entertainment and sports

	Bern	Panama City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$9.00 CHF7.41	$3.30 PAB3.30	-63.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$6.78 CHF5.59	$4.11 PAB4.11	-39.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$11.23 CHF9.25	$6.00 PAB6.00	-46.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$88.38 CHF72.81	$46.40 PAB46.40	-47.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$24.00 CHF19.77	$8.50 PAB8.50	-64.6%
Average			-54.3%

Bern vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 39.7% less for clothing

	Bern	Panama City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$139.98 CHF115.32	$66.67 PAB66.67	-52.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$60.81 CHF50.10	$48.43 PAB48.43	-20.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$155.71 CHF128.28	$94.62 PAB94.62	-39.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$194.99 CHF160.64	$111.67 PAB111.67	-42.7%
Average			-39.7%

Bern 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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