Cost of living comparison

compared to

Beijing vs. Panama Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 0.8% cheaper than Panama overall.

Restaurants: pay 56.5% less in Beijing
Groceries: pay 30.7% less in Beijing
Transportation: pay 14.4% less in Beijing
Housing: pay 31.8% less in Beijing
Childcare: pay 2.2 times more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports: pay 6.1% less in Beijing
Clothing: pay 12.8% more in Beijing

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

Beijing vs. Panama Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 56.5% less for restaurants

	Panama	Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.35 PAB8.35	$4.21 CN¥29.67	-49.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.75 PAB7.75	$4.91 CN¥34.62	-36.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.37 PAB1.37	$0.48 CN¥3.38	-65.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.21 PAB1.21	$0.31 CN¥2.17	-74.6%
Average			-56.5%

Panama vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants

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pay 30.7% less for groceries

	Panama	Beijing
Bread 1 loaf	$2.21 PAB2.21	$1.71 CN¥12.04	-22.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.02 PAB6.02	$7.47 CN¥52.69	+24.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.86 PAB6.86	$6.64 CN¥46.85	-3.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.47 PAB2.47	$1.78 CN¥12.53	-28.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.58 PAB3.58	$1.53 CN¥10.80	-57.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.13 PAB2.13	$0.98 CN¥6.93	-54.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.60 PAB0.60	$0.77 CN¥5.43	+28.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.40 PAB1.40	$0.80 CN¥5.65	-43.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.51 PAB1.51	$0.60 CN¥4.25	-60.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.96 PAB0.96	$0.35 CN¥2.46	-63.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.99 PAB0.99	$0.41 CN¥2.91	-58.4%
Average			-30.7%

Panama vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries

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pay 14.4% less for transportation

	Panama	Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.87 PAB3.87	$4.21 CN¥29.71	+8.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$23.75 PAB23.75	$31.54 CN¥222.53	+32.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$23,416.67 PAB23,416.67	$18,225.66 CN¥128,572.93	-22.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$20.20 PAB20.20	$4.63 CN¥32.64	-77.1%
Average			-14.4%

Panama vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation

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pay 31.8% less for housing

	Panama	Beijing
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.39 PAB48.39	$12.93 CN¥91.22	-73.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$765.94 PAB765.94	$935.23 CN¥6,597.60	+22.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$630.77 PAB630.77	$504.41 CN¥3,558.33	-20.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$89.09 PAB89.09	$39.27 CN¥277.00	-55.9%
Average			-31.8%

Panama vs. Beijing - Cost of housing

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pay 2.2 times more for childcare

	Panama	Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$363.00 PAB363.00	$710.76 CN¥5,014.09	+95.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,411.11 PAB9,411.11	$23,242.73 CN¥163,965.81	+147.0%
Average			+121.4%

Panama vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare

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pay 6.1% less for entertainment and sports

	Panama	Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.95 PAB1.95	$1.12 CN¥7.91	-42.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.54 PAB3.54	$2.90 CN¥20.47	-18.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.48 PAB5.48	$4.21 CN¥29.67	-23.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$51.47 PAB51.47	$57.84 CN¥408.00	+12.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.97 PAB5.97	$8.41 CN¥59.34	+41.0%
Average			-6.1%

Panama vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 12.8% more for clothing

	Panama	Beijing
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.33 PAB43.33	$62.30 CN¥439.49	+43.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.17 PAB34.17	$36.37 CN¥256.59	+6.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.40 PAB80.40	$81.74 CN¥576.64	+1.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$106.46 PAB106.46	$105.53 CN¥744.46	-0.9%
Average			+12.8%

Panama vs. Beijing - 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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