Cost of living comparison
compared to
Panama vs. El Salvador Cost of Living Summary
Panama is 2.0% more expensive than El Salvador overall.
Panama vs. El Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Panama instead of El Salvador, you would:
pay 26.8% more for restaurants
|
El Salvador
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.75
SVC59.06
|
$8.20
PAB8.20
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.00
SVC61.25
|
$8.90
PAB8.90
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.14
SVC10.01
|
$1.41
PAB1.41
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.83
SVC7.29
|
$1.30
PAB1.30
|
|
El Salvador vs. Panama - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.6% more for groceries
|
El Salvador
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.53
SVC22.11
|
$2.28
PAB2.28
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.85
SVC33.72
|
$6.18
PAB6.18
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.71
SVC58.72
|
$7.09
PAB7.09
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.67
SVC23.35
|
$2.56
PAB2.56
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.83
SVC24.77
|
$3.42
PAB3.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.88
SVC16.49
|
$1.86
PAB1.86
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
SVC5.54
|
$0.59
PAB0.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.18
SVC10.35
|
$1.76
PAB1.76
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.56
SVC13.68
|
$1.67
PAB1.67
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
SVC11.65
|
$1.09
PAB1.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.49
SVC13.05
|
$1.14
PAB1.14
|
|
El Salvador vs. Panama - Cost of groceries
pay 20.3% less for transportation
|
El Salvador
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.75
SVC41.60
|
$4.34
PAB4.34
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.50
SVC328.13
|
$23.00
PAB23.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,000.00
SVC219K
|
$23,920.67
PAB23,920.67
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$30.00
SVC262.50
|
$16.62
PAB16.62
|
|
El Salvador vs. Panama - Cost of transportation
pay 4.1% less for housing
|
El Salvador
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$42.50
SVC371.88
|
$49.81
PAB49.81
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$824.50
SVC7,214.43
|
$789.50
PAB789.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$660.00
SVC5,775.07
|
$614.84
PAB614.84
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$99.35
SVC869.35
|
$96.53
PAB96.53
|
|
El Salvador vs. Panama - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
El Salvador
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,423.35
|
$543.33
PAB543.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,720.00
SVC41,300.50
|
$7,213.83
PAB7,213.83
|
|
El Salvador vs. Panama - Cost of childcare
pay 29.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
El Salvador
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.50
|
$2.21
PAB2.21
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.55
SVC31.02
|
$3.73
PAB3.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC35.00
|
$5.29
PAB5.29
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$28.30
SVC247.63
|
$50.91
PAB50.91
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.00
SVC43.75
|
$6.13
PAB6.13
|
|
El Salvador vs. Panama - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.3% less for clothing
|
El Salvador
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.15
SVC587.57
|
$45.56
PAB45.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.00
SVC411.25
|
$36.71
PAB36.71
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$118.33
SVC1,035.43
|
$69.81
PAB69.81
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.00
SVC1,023.76
|
$88.33
PAB88.33
|
|
El Salvador vs. Panama - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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Compare further: El Salvador vs. Panama
Salary Calculator · Free tool
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Quality of Life Comparison · 20 statistics
Make 3.4 times more money in Panama
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Size Comparison · See true size
El Salvador is about 3.6 times smaller than Panama.
→
Moving from El Salvador to Panama · UN DESA 2020
4,147 people born in El Salvador live in Panama.
→
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