Cost of living comparison

Panama

compared to

Argentina

Buenos Aires vs. Panama City Cost of Living Summary

Buenos Aires is 10.9% cheaper than Panama City.

Restaurants: pay 48.7% more in Buenos Aires
Groceries: pay 32.2% less in Buenos Aires
Transportation: pay 15.6% more in Buenos Aires
Housing: pay 30.5% less in Buenos Aires
Childcare: pay 11.1% less in Buenos Aires
Entertainment and Sports: pay 5.9% more in Buenos Aires
Clothing: pay 52.6% more in Buenos Aires

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

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Buenos Aires vs. Panama City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Buenos Aires instead of Panama City, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 48.7% more for restaurants

	Panama City	Buenos Aires
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$11.50 PAB11.50	$19.02 ARS28,866.32	+65.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.00 PAB8.00	$12.96 ARS19,665.62	+62.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.97 PAB1.97	$2.01 ARS3,045.90	+1.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.60 PAB1.60	$1.59 ARS2,416.05	-0.5%
Average			+48.7%

Panama City vs. Buenos Aires - Cost of restaurants

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pay 32.2% less for groceries

	Panama City	Buenos Aires
Bread 1 loaf	$2.52 PAB2.52	$2.48 ARS3,759.89	-1.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.18 PAB6.18	$5.25 ARS7,963.26	-15.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.09 PAB7.09	$5.52 ARS8,376.92	-22.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.75 PAB2.75	$2.81 ARS4,263.15	+2.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.07 PAB3.07	$4.60 ARS6,980.53	+49.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.87 PAB1.87	$1.28 ARS1,941.83	-31.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.82 PAB0.82	$0.97 ARS1,476.48	+18.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.92 PAB1.92	$0.65 ARS986.80	-66.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.86 PAB1.86	$0.92 ARS1,393.13	-50.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.55 PAB1.55	$0.56 ARS848.63	-63.8%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.96 PAB1.96	$0.56 ARS844.64	-71.6%
Average			-32.2%

Panama City vs. Buenos Aires - Cost of groceries

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pay 15.6% more for transportation

	Panama City	Buenos Aires
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.62 PAB4.62	$5.28 ARS8,007.28	+14.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$21.00 PAB21.00	$27.50 ARS41,738.12	+31.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,262.00 PAB21,262.00	$28,500.00 ARS43M	+34.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$16.98 PAB16.98	$9.60 ARS14,570.40	-43.5%
Average			+15.6%

Panama City vs. Buenos Aires - Cost of transportation

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pay 30.5% less for housing

	Panama City	Buenos Aires
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.70 PAB48.70	$31.11 ARS47,219.03	-36.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,262.50 PAB1,262.50	$770.79 ARS1M	-38.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$874.18 PAB874.18	$509.75 ARS774K	-41.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$100.29 PAB100.29	$162.43 ARS247K	+62.0%
Average			-30.5%

Panama City vs. Buenos Aires - Cost of housing

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pay 11.1% less for childcare

	Panama City	Buenos Aires
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$543.33 PAB543.33	$464.87 ARS706K	-14.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,641.50 PAB9,641.50	$8,896.36 ARS14M	-7.7%
Average			-11.1%

Panama City vs. Buenos Aires - Cost of childcare

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pay 5.9% more for entertainment and sports

	Panama City	Buenos Aires
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.30 PAB3.30	$3.95 ARS6,000.47	+19.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.11 PAB4.11	$3.86 ARS5,864.06	-6.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$6.00 PAB6.00	$4.21 ARS6,386.17	-29.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$46.40 PAB46.40	$49.97 ARS75,848.75	+7.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.50 PAB8.50	$10.38 ARS15,757.84	+22.1%
Average			+5.9%

Panama City vs. Buenos Aires - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 52.6% more for clothing

	Panama City	Buenos Aires
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.67 PAB66.67	$120.49 ARS183K	+80.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$48.43 PAB48.43	$95.69 ARS145K	+97.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$94.62 PAB94.62	$115.94 ARS176K	+22.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$111.67 PAB111.67	$138.37 ARS210K	+23.9%
Average			+52.6%

Panama City vs. Buenos Aires - 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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