Cost of living comparison

compared to

Panama vs. Guatemala Cost of Living Summary

Panama is 20.5% more expensive than Guatemala overall.

Restaurants: pay 31.2% more in Panama
Groceries: pay 10.8% more in Panama
Transportation: pay 34.6% more in Panama
Housing: pay 27.1% more in Panama
Childcare: pay 58.5% more in Panama
Entertainment and Sports: pay 0.5% less in Panama
Clothing: pay 18.2% less in Panama

The cost of childcare, transportation, restaurants, housing, and groceries in Panama are more expensive than in Guatemala. Expenses including clothing and entertainment and sports are lower in Panama.

Panama vs. Guatemala Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Panama instead of Guatemala, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 31.2% more for restaurants

	Guatemala	Panama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.22 GTQ39.98	$8.35 PAB8.35	+60.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.33 GTQ48.47	$7.75 PAB7.75	+22.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.20 GTQ9.16	$1.37 PAB1.37	+14.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.95 GTQ7.26	$1.21 PAB1.21	+27.5%
Average			+31.2%

Guatemala vs. Panama - Cost of restaurants

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pay 10.8% more for groceries

	Guatemala	Panama
Bread 1 loaf	$3.11 GTQ23.83	$2.21 PAB2.21	-28.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.85 GTQ29.52	$6.02 PAB6.02	+56.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.68 GTQ58.86	$6.86 PAB6.86	-10.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.53 GTQ19.40	$2.47 PAB2.47	-2.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.82 GTQ29.26	$3.58 PAB3.58	-6.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.76 GTQ13.52	$2.13 PAB2.13	+20.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.76 GTQ5.81	$0.60 PAB0.60	-21.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.41 GTQ10.78	$1.40 PAB1.40	-0.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.80 GTQ6.10	$1.51 PAB1.51	+89.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.78 GTQ5.99	$0.96 PAB0.96	+22.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.00 GTQ7.64	$0.99 PAB0.99	-0.7%
Average			+10.8%

Guatemala vs. Panama - Cost of groceries

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pay 34.6% more for transportation

	Guatemala	Panama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.07 GTQ31.17	$3.87 PAB3.87	-5.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$13.61 GTQ104.26	$23.75 PAB23.75	+74.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,570.53 GTQ149,906.55	$23,416.67 PAB23,416.67	+19.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$13.54 GTQ103.68	$20.20 PAB20.20	+49.2%
Average			+34.6%

Guatemala vs. Panama - Cost of transportation

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pay 27.1% more for housing

	Guatemala	Panama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$46.52 GTQ356.33	$48.39 PAB48.39	+4.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$811.38 GTQ6,215.01	$765.94 PAB765.94	-5.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$485.36 GTQ3,717.80	$630.77 PAB630.77	+30.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$49.53 GTQ379.38	$89.09 PAB89.09	+79.9%
Average			+27.1%

Guatemala vs. Panama - Cost of housing

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pay 58.5% more for childcare

	Guatemala	Panama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$230.93 GTQ1,768.90	$363.00 PAB363.00	+57.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$5,889.42 GTQ45,111.88	$9,411.11 PAB9,411.11	+59.8%
Average			+58.5%

Guatemala vs. Panama - Cost of childcare

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pay 0.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Guatemala	Panama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.56 GTQ27.23	$1.95 PAB1.95	-45.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.31 GTQ25.38	$3.54 PAB3.54	+6.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.98 GTQ30.48	$5.48 PAB5.48	+37.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$44.81 GTQ343.23	$51.47 PAB51.47	+14.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.18 GTQ54.97	$5.97 PAB5.97	-16.9%
Average			-0.5%

Guatemala vs. Panama - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 18.2% less for clothing

	Guatemala	Panama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$49.09 GTQ376.00	$43.33 PAB43.33	-11.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$53.27 GTQ408.03	$34.17 PAB34.17	-35.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$111.74 GTQ855.90	$80.40 PAB80.40	-28.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$103.64 GTQ793.85	$106.46 PAB106.46	+2.7%
Average			-18.2%

Guatemala vs. Panama - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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