Cost of living comparison

compared to

South Africa vs. Panama Cost of Living Summary

South Africa is 19.1% cheaper than Panama overall.

Restaurants: pay 20.2% less in South Africa
Groceries: pay 37.4% less in South Africa
Transportation: pay 25.4% more in South Africa
Housing: pay 27.4% less in South Africa
Childcare: pay 55.0% less in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports: pay 20.5% less in South Africa
Clothing: pay 1.7% more in South Africa

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

South Africa vs. Panama Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Africa instead of Panama, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 20.2% less for restaurants

	Panama	South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.35 PAB8.35	$9.33 ZAR159.73	+11.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.75 PAB7.75	$5.11 ZAR87.49	-34.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.37 PAB1.37	$1.03 ZAR17.65	-24.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.21 PAB1.21	$0.80 ZAR13.74	-33.6%
Average			-20.2%

Panama vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants

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pay 37.4% less for groceries

	Panama	South Africa
Bread 1 loaf	$2.21 PAB2.21	$1.00 ZAR17.16	-54.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.02 PAB6.02	$3.88 ZAR66.47	-35.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.86 PAB6.86	$4.37 ZAR74.79	-36.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.47 PAB2.47	$2.33 ZAR39.93	-5.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.58 PAB3.58	$2.13 ZAR36.52	-40.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.13 PAB2.13	$0.73 ZAR12.46	-65.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.60 PAB0.60	$0.65 ZAR11.16	+8.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.40 PAB1.40	$0.68 ZAR11.70	-51.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.51 PAB1.51	$0.71 ZAR12.14	-52.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.96 PAB0.96	$0.59 ZAR10.02	-38.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.99 PAB0.99	$0.60 ZAR10.27	-39.5%
Average			-37.4%

Panama vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries

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pay 25.4% more for transportation

	Panama	South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.87 PAB3.87	$4.92 ZAR84.25	+27.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$23.75 PAB23.75	$56.18 ZAR961.29	+136.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$23,416.67 PAB23,416.67	$21,394.82 ZAR366,106.47	-8.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$20.20 PAB20.20	$9.34 ZAR159.79	-53.8%
Average			+25.4%

Panama vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation

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pay 27.4% less for housing

	Panama	South Africa
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.39 PAB48.39	$39.36 ZAR673.48	-18.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$765.94 PAB765.94	$404.16 ZAR6,915.94	-47.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$630.77 PAB630.77	$361.59 ZAR6,187.51	-42.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$89.09 PAB89.09	$88.13 ZAR1,508.04	-1.1%
Average			-27.4%

Panama vs. South Africa - Cost of housing

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pay 55.0% less for childcare

	Panama	South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$363.00 PAB363.00	$173.48 ZAR2,968.50	-52.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,411.11 PAB9,411.11	$3,962.11 ZAR67,799.29	-57.9%
Average			-55.0%

Panama vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare

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pay 20.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Panama	South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.95 PAB1.95	$2.18 ZAR37.27	+11.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.54 PAB3.54	$2.05 ZAR35.06	-42.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.48 PAB5.48	$2.96 ZAR50.72	-45.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$51.47 PAB51.47	$30.26 ZAR517.83	-41.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.97 PAB5.97	$6.85 ZAR117.19	+14.8%
Average			-20.5%

Panama vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 1.7% more for clothing

	Panama	South Africa
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.33 PAB43.33	$50.74 ZAR868.31	+17.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.17 PAB34.17	$32.75 ZAR560.46	-4.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.40 PAB80.40	$94.19 ZAR1,611.79	+17.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$106.46 PAB106.46	$81.80 ZAR1,399.67	-23.2%
Average			+1.7%

Panama vs. South Africa - 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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