Cost of living comparison
compared to
Houston vs. Panama Cost of Living Summary
Houston is 80.0% more expensive than Panama overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 88.5% more in Houston
- Groceries
-
pay 13.3% more in Houston
- Transportation
-
pay 53.7% more in Houston
- Housing
-
pay 82.7% more in Houston
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1 times more in Houston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 93.2% more in Houston
- Clothing
-
pay 16.6% more in Houston
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, transportation, and clothing in Houston are more expensive than in Panama. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Houston.
Houston vs. Panama Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Houston instead of Panama, you would:
pay 88.5% more for restaurants
|
Panama
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.35
PAB8.35
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.75
PAB7.75
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.37
PAB1.37
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.21
PAB1.21
|
$2.23
|
|
Panama vs. Houston - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.3% more for groceries
|
Panama
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.21
PAB2.21
|
$3.23
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.02
PAB6.02
|
$6.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.86
PAB6.86
|
$3.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.47
PAB2.47
|
$4.35
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.58
PAB3.58
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.13
PAB2.13
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
PAB0.60
|
$0.67
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.40
PAB1.40
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.51
PAB1.51
|
$1.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.96
PAB0.96
|
$1.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.99
PAB0.99
|
$1.05
|
|
Panama vs. Houston - Cost of groceries
pay 53.7% more for transportation
|
Panama
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.87
PAB3.87
|
$2.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$23.75
PAB23.75
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,416.67
PAB23,416.67
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.20
PAB20.20
|
$14.39
|
|
Panama vs. Houston - Cost of transportation
pay 82.7% more for housing
|
Panama
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.39
PAB48.39
|
$70.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$765.94
PAB765.94
|
$1,660.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$630.77
PAB630.77
|
$1,287.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$89.09
PAB89.09
|
$145.65
|
|
Panama vs. Houston - Cost of housing
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
Panama
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$363.00
PAB363.00
|
$1,258.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,411.11
PAB9,411.11
|
$26,120.00
|
|
Panama vs. Houston - Cost of childcare
pay 93.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Panama
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.95
PAB1.95
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.54
PAB3.54
|
$5.41
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.48
PAB5.48
|
$9.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.47
PAB51.47
|
$37.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.97
PAB5.97
|
$15.00
|
|
Panama vs. Houston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.6% more for clothing
|
Panama
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.33
PAB43.33
|
$45.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.17
PAB34.17
|
$44.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.40
PAB80.40
|
$98.95
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.46
PAB106.46
|
$116.43
|
|
Panama vs. Houston - 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
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