Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kentucky vs. Panama Cost of Living Summary

Kentucky is 55.4% more expensive than Panama overall.

Restaurants: pay 58.4% more in Kentucky
Groceries: pay 15.3% more in Kentucky
Transportation: pay 16.7% more in Kentucky
Housing: pay 47.5% more in Kentucky
Childcare: pay 2.9 times more in Kentucky
Entertainment and Sports: pay 60.8% more in Kentucky
Clothing: pay 3.5% more in Kentucky

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, transportation, and groceries in Kentucky are more expensive than in Panama. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Kentucky.

Kentucky vs. Panama Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 58.4% more for restaurants

	Panama	Kentucky
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.35 PAB8.35	$15.82	+89.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.75 PAB7.75	$9.59	+23.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.37 PAB1.37	$2.27	+65.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.21 PAB1.21	$1.87	+54.9%
Average			+58.4%

Panama vs. Kentucky - Cost of restaurants

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pay 15.3% more for groceries

	Panama	Kentucky
Bread 1 loaf	$2.21 PAB2.21	$2.62	+18.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.02 PAB6.02	$5.43	-9.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.86 PAB6.86	$3.00	-56.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.47 PAB2.47	$3.14	+27.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.58 PAB3.58	$4.82	+34.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.13 PAB2.13	$2.19	+2.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.60 PAB0.60	$0.66	+10.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.40 PAB1.40	$1.81	+28.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.51 PAB1.51	$2.12	+40.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.96 PAB0.96	$1.35	+41.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.99 PAB0.99	$1.29	+30.1%
Average			+15.3%

Panama vs. Kentucky - Cost of groceries

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pay 16.7% more for transportation

	Panama	Kentucky
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.87 PAB3.87	$2.94	-23.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$23.75 PAB23.75	$39.17	+64.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$23,416.67 PAB23,416.67	$35,897.72	+53.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$20.20 PAB20.20	$14.64	-27.5%
Average			+16.7%

Panama vs. Kentucky - Cost of transportation

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pay 47.5% more for housing

	Panama	Kentucky
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.39 PAB48.39	$65.19	+34.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$765.94 PAB765.94	$1,095.19	+43.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$630.77 PAB630.77	$954.16	+51.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$89.09 PAB89.09	$143.50	+61.1%
Average			+47.5%

Panama vs. Kentucky - Cost of housing

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pay 2.9 times more for childcare

	Panama	Kentucky
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$363.00 PAB363.00	$1,283.80	+253.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,411.11 PAB9,411.11	$20,534.67	+118.2%
Average			+185.9%

Panama vs. Kentucky - Cost of childcare

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pay 60.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Panama	Kentucky
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.95 PAB1.95	$4.88	+150.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.54 PAB3.54	$4.94	+39.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.48 PAB5.48	$7.93	+44.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$51.47 PAB51.47	$30.21	-41.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.97 PAB5.97	$12.61	+111.3%
Average			+60.8%

Panama vs. Kentucky - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 3.5% more for clothing

	Panama	Kentucky
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.33 PAB43.33	$45.82	+5.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.17 PAB34.17	$36.25	+6.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.40 PAB80.40	$88.57	+10.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$106.46 PAB106.46	$97.91	-8.0%
Average			+3.5%

Panama vs. Kentucky - 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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