Cost of living comparison

Moldova

compared to

Panama

Panama vs. Moldova Cost of Living Summary

Panama is 50.0% more expensive than Moldova overall.

Restaurants: pay 4.7% more in Panama
Groceries: pay 2.1 times more in Panama
Transportation: pay 0.2% less in Panama
Housing: pay 76.8% more in Panama
Childcare: pay 81.2% more in Panama
Entertainment and Sports: pay 45.9% more in Panama
Clothing: pay 4.4% less in Panama

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

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Panama vs. Moldova Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 4.7% more for restaurants

	Moldova	Panama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$9.35 MDL167.15	$8.20 PAB8.20	-12.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.74 MDL156.28	$8.90 PAB8.90	+1.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.02 MDL18.23	$1.41 PAB1.41	+38.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.67 MDL11.99	$1.30 PAB1.30	+94.5%
Average			+4.7%

Moldova vs. Panama - Cost of restaurants

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pay 2.1 times more for groceries

	Moldova	Panama
Bread 1 loaf	$0.51 MDL9.08	$2.28 PAB2.28	+349.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.87 MDL69.24	$6.18 PAB6.18	+59.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.41 MDL78.82	$7.09 PAB7.09	+60.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.31 MDL41.28	$2.56 PAB2.56	+10.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.20 MDL39.31	$3.42 PAB3.42	+55.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.45 MDL8.07	$1.86 PAB1.86	+311.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.93 MDL16.57	$0.59 PAB0.59	-36.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.87 MDL15.59	$1.76 PAB1.76	+101.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.04 MDL18.56	$1.67 PAB1.67	+61.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.31 MDL5.61	$1.09 PAB1.09	+248.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.23 MDL4.20	$1.14 PAB1.14	+386.8%
Average			+106.3%

Moldova vs. Panama - Cost of groceries

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pay 0.2% less for transportation

	Moldova	Panama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.15 MDL109.96	$4.34 PAB4.34	-29.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$17.07 MDL305.22	$23.00 PAB23.00	+34.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,274.90 MDL577K	$23,920.67 PAB23,920.67	-25.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.30 MDL76.89	$16.62 PAB16.62	+286.4%
Average			-0.2%

Moldova vs. Panama - Cost of transportation

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pay 76.8% more for housing

	Moldova	Panama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$10.64 MDL190.16	$49.81 PAB49.81	+368.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$414.42 MDL7,408.91	$789.50 PAB789.50	+90.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$301.91 MDL5,397.46	$614.84 PAB614.84	+103.6%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$134.34 MDL2,401.73	$96.53 PAB96.53	-28.1%
Average			+76.8%

Moldova vs. Panama - Cost of housing

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pay 81.2% more for childcare

	Moldova	Panama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$219.48 MDL3,923.84	$543.33 PAB543.33	+147.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$5,438.11 MDL97,220.90	$7,213.83 PAB7,213.83	+32.7%
Average			+81.2%

Moldova vs. Panama - Cost of childcare

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pay 45.9% more for entertainment and sports

	Moldova	Panama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.50 MDL26.74	$2.21 PAB2.21	+47.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.77 MDL31.61	$3.73 PAB3.73	+110.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.38 MDL60.51	$5.29 PAB5.29	+56.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$31.66 MDL565.92	$50.91 PAB50.91	+60.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$6.45 MDL115.33	$6.13 PAB6.13	-4.9%
Average			+45.9%

Moldova vs. Panama - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 4.4% less for clothing

	Moldova	Panama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$52.78 MDL943.56	$45.56 PAB45.56	-13.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$38.13 MDL681.64	$36.71 PAB36.71	-3.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$92.27 MDL1,649.64	$69.81 PAB69.81	-24.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$66.57 MDL1,190.11	$88.33 PAB88.33	+32.7%
Average			-4.4%

Moldova vs. Panama - 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

Compare further: Moldova vs. Panama

Salary Calculator · Free tool

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Quality of Life Comparison · 21 statistics

Be 5.6 times more likely to be unemployed in Panama

Size Comparison · See true size

Moldova is about 2.2 times smaller than Panama.

Moving from Moldova to Panama · Cost, visas & climate

Compare cost of living, salary and climate.

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