Cost of living comparison

compared to

Taiwan vs. Panama Cost of Living Summary

Taiwan is 1.7% more expensive than Panama overall.

Restaurants: pay 37.3% less in Taiwan
Groceries: pay 17.8% more in Taiwan
Transportation: pay 9.8% more in Taiwan
Housing: pay 48.0% less in Taiwan
Childcare: pay 60.1% more in Taiwan
Entertainment and Sports: pay 1.9% more in Taiwan
Clothing: pay 7.8% more in Taiwan

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

Taiwan vs. Panama Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 37.3% less for restaurants

	Panama	Taiwan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.35 PAB8.35	$4.82 NT$151.22	-42.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.75 PAB7.75	$5.16 NT$161.99	-33.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.37 PAB1.37	$0.98 NT$30.70	-28.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.21 PAB1.21	$0.67 NT$21.02	-44.6%
Average			-37.3%

Panama vs. Taiwan - Cost of restaurants

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pay 17.8% more for groceries

	Panama	Taiwan
Bread 1 loaf	$2.21 PAB2.21	$1.77 NT$55.47	-20.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.02 PAB6.02	$9.29 NT$291.60	+54.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.86 PAB6.86	$11.90 NT$373.42	+73.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.47 PAB2.47	$2.61 NT$82.06	+5.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.58 PAB3.58	$3.56 NT$111.70	-0.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.13 PAB2.13	$2.03 NT$63.63	-5.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.60 PAB0.60	$1.00 NT$31.34	+66.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.40 PAB1.40	$1.25 NT$39.17	-11.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.51 PAB1.51	$1.55 NT$48.61	+2.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.96 PAB0.96	$1.20 NT$37.82	+25.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.99 PAB0.99	$1.03 NT$32.24	+3.6%
Average			+17.8%

Panama vs. Taiwan - Cost of groceries

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pay 9.8% more for transportation

	Panama	Taiwan
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.87 PAB3.87	$3.78 NT$118.78	-2.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$23.75 PAB23.75	$34.06 NT$1,069.33	+43.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$23,416.67 PAB23,416.67	$35,728.87 NT$1,121,597.24	+52.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$20.20 PAB20.20	$9.18 NT$288.18	-54.6%
Average			+9.8%

Panama vs. Taiwan - Cost of transportation

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pay 48.0% less for housing

	Panama	Taiwan
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.39 PAB48.39	$21.10 NT$662.43	-56.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$765.94 PAB765.94	$429.29 NT$13,476.23	-44.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$630.77 PAB630.77	$295.73 NT$9,283.44	-53.1%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$89.09 PAB89.09	$54.85 NT$1,721.85	-38.4%
Average			-48.0%

Panama vs. Taiwan - Cost of housing

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pay 60.1% more for childcare

	Panama	Taiwan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$363.00 PAB363.00	$519.45 NT$16,306.62	+43.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,411.11 PAB9,411.11	$16,665.76 NT$523,169.72	+77.1%
Average			+60.1%

Panama vs. Taiwan - Cost of childcare

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pay 1.9% more for entertainment and sports

	Panama	Taiwan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.95 PAB1.95	$1.97 NT$61.79	+0.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.54 PAB3.54	$3.00 NT$94.24	-15.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.48 PAB5.48	$4.54 NT$142.65	-17.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$51.47 PAB51.47	$37.49 NT$1,176.73	-27.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.97 PAB5.97	$10.04 NT$315.31	+68.3%
Average			+1.9%

Panama vs. Taiwan - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 7.8% more for clothing

	Panama	Taiwan
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.33 PAB43.33	$65.08 NT$2,043.13	+50.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.17 PAB34.17	$31.24 NT$980.69	-8.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.40 PAB80.40	$79.60 NT$2,498.69	-1.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$106.46 PAB106.46	$96.29 NT$3,022.88	-9.5%
Average			+7.8%

Panama vs. Taiwan - 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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