Cost of living comparison
compared to
Panama vs. Netherlands Cost of Living Summary
Panama is 36.3% cheaper than Netherlands overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 56.2% less in Panama
- Groceries
-
pay 3.4% more in Panama
- Transportation
-
pay 48.6% less in Panama
- Housing
-
pay 38.2% less in Panama
- Childcare
-
pay 46.0% less in Panama
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 38.0% less in Panama
- Clothing
-
pay 30.7% less in Panama
Expenses including restaurants, transportation, childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Panama.
Panama vs. Netherlands Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Panama instead of Netherlands, you would:
pay 56.2% less for restaurants
|
Netherlands
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.66
€18.68
|
$8.35
PAB8.35
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.94
€12.02
|
$7.75
PAB7.75
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.53
€3.05
|
$1.37
PAB1.37
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.87
€2.48
|
$1.21
PAB1.21
|
|
Netherlands vs. Panama - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.4% more for groceries
|
Netherlands
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.15
€1.86
|
$2.21
PAB2.21
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.70
€5.78
|
$6.02
PAB6.02
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
€4.19
|
$6.86
PAB6.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
€4.10
|
$2.47
PAB2.47
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.31
€6.30
|
$3.58
PAB3.58
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.05
€0.91
|
$2.13
PAB2.13
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.13
€0.98
|
$0.60
PAB0.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
€0.77
|
$1.40
PAB1.40
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.84
€1.59
|
$1.51
PAB1.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.95
€0.82
|
$0.96
PAB0.96
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.92
€0.80
|
$0.99
PAB0.99
|
|
Netherlands vs. Panama - Cost of groceries
pay 48.6% less for transportation
|
Netherlands
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.56
€7.38
|
$3.87
PAB3.87
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$101.86
€87.83
|
$23.75
PAB23.75
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,970.03
€31,880.25
|
$23,416.67
PAB23,416.67
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.44
€23.66
|
$20.20
PAB20.20
|
|
Netherlands vs. Panama - Cost of transportation
pay 38.2% less for housing
|
Netherlands
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.26
€42.48
|
$48.39
PAB48.39
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,462.13
€1,260.83
|
$765.94
PAB765.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,216.44
€1,048.97
|
$630.77
PAB630.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$199.59
€172.11
|
$89.09
PAB89.09
|
|
Netherlands vs. Panama - Cost of housing
pay 46.0% less for childcare
|
Netherlands
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,911.60
€1,648.43
|
$363.00
PAB363.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,591.36
€9,133.21
|
$9,411.11
PAB9,411.11
|
|
Netherlands vs. Panama - Cost of childcare
pay 38.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Netherlands
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.49
€5.60
|
$1.95
PAB1.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.17
€3.60
|
$3.54
PAB3.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.74
€11.84
|
$5.48
PAB5.48
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.55
€37.55
|
$51.47
PAB51.47
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.09
€13.87
|
$5.97
PAB5.97
|
|
Netherlands vs. Panama - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.7% less for clothing
|
Netherlands
|
Panama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$94.61
€81.59
|
$43.33
PAB43.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.24
€39.01
|
$34.17
PAB34.17
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.29
€89.93
|
$80.40
PAB80.40
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$135.17
€116.56
|
$106.46
PAB106.46
|
|
Netherlands vs. Panama - Cost of clothing
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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Panama or Netherlands. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.