Cost of living comparison

Tonga

compared to

Panama

Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa Cost of Living Summary

Panama City is 42.6% more expensive than Nuku'alofa.

Restaurants: pay 2.4% less in Panama City
Groceries: pay 19.0% more in Panama City
Transportation: pay 15.9% more in Panama City
Housing: pay 35.5% more in Panama City
Childcare: pay 11.5 times more in Panama City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 24.6% less in Panama City
Clothing: pay 3.9 times more in Panama City

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

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Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Panama City instead of Nuku'alofa, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.4% less for restaurants

	Nuku'alofa	Panama City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.31 TOP20.00	$11.50 PAB11.50	+38.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$10.38 TOP25.00	$8.00 PAB8.00	-23.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.84 TOP6.83	$1.97 PAB1.97	-30.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.46 TOP5.92	$1.60 PAB1.60	-34.9%
Average			-2.4%

Nuku'alofa vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 19.0% more for groceries

	Nuku'alofa	Panama City
Bread 1 loaf	$1.04 TOP2.50	$2.52 PAB2.52	+142.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.50 TOP10.83	$6.18 PAB6.18	+37.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.92 TOP14.26	$7.09 PAB7.09	+19.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.09 TOP12.27	$2.75 PAB2.75	-46.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.67 TOP6.43	$3.07 PAB3.07	+14.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.26 TOP3.02	$1.87 PAB1.87	+48.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.26 TOP3.02	$0.82 PAB0.82	-34.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.32 TOP3.18	$1.92 PAB1.92	+45.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.70 TOP4.08	$1.86 PAB1.86	+9.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.44 TOP3.48	$1.55 PAB1.55	+7.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.19 TOP2.87	$1.96 PAB1.96	+64.1%
Average			+19.0%

Nuku'alofa vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries

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pay 15.9% more for transportation

	Nuku'alofa	Panama City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.50 TOP13.25	$4.62 PAB4.62	-16.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$41.53 TOP100.00	$21.00 PAB21.00	-49.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$5,814.53 TOP14,000.00	$21,262.00 PAB21,262.00	+265.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$18.69 TOP45.00	$16.98 PAB16.98	-9.1%
Average			+15.9%

Nuku'alofa vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation

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pay 35.5% more for housing

	Nuku'alofa	Panama City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$124.60 TOP300.00	$48.70 PAB48.70	-60.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$622.99 TOP1,500.00	$1,262.50 PAB1,262.50	+102.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	??	$874.18 PAB874.18
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$142.92 TOP344.12	$100.29 PAB100.29	-29.8%
Average			+35.5%

Nuku'alofa vs. Panama City - Cost of housing

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pay 11.5 times more for childcare

	Nuku'alofa	Panama City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$157.82 TOP380.00	$543.33 PAB543.33	+244.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$249.19 TOP600.00	$9,641.50 PAB9,641.50	+3769.1%
Average			+1054.1%

Nuku'alofa vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare

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pay 24.6% less for entertainment and sports

	Nuku'alofa	Panama City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.32 TOP8.00	$3.30 PAB3.30	-0.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.91 TOP7.00	$4.11 PAB4.11	+41.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$10.18 TOP24.50	$6.00 PAB6.00	-41.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$31.15 TOP75.00	$46.40 PAB46.40	+49.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$41.53 TOP100.00	$8.50 PAB8.50	-79.5%
Average			-24.6%

Nuku'alofa vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 3.9 times more for clothing

	Nuku'alofa	Panama City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$14.54 TOP35.00	$66.67 PAB66.67	+358.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$17.65 TOP42.50	$48.43 PAB48.43	+174.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$20.77 TOP50.00	$94.62 PAB94.62	+355.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$29.07 TOP70.00	$111.67 PAB111.67	+284.1%
Average			+285.2%

Nuku'alofa 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 October 2026). How we calculate this

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