Vietnam vs. Panama Cost of Living Summary
Vietnam vs. Panama Cost Breakdown

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

pay 64.9% less for restaurants

 
Panama
Vietnam
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.45
PAB8.45
$1.92
₫50,067
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.90
PAB7.90
$4.34
₫113,178
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.54
PAB1.54
$0.54
₫14,043

Improve prices ·

pay 41.8% less for groceries

 
Panama
Vietnam
Bread
1 loaf
$2.19
PAB2.19
$0.90
₫23,530
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.66
PAB5.66
$6.05
₫157,860
Milk (1 gallon) $6.43
PAB6.43
$5.46
₫142,406

Improve prices ·

pay 15.5% less for transportation

 
Panama
Vietnam
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.92
PAB3.92
$3.47
₫90,416
Monthly public transit pass $25.00
PAB25.00
$7.11
₫185,342
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,916.67
PAB18,916.67
$35,423.92
₫923,701,543

Improve prices ·

pay 62.0% less for housing

 
Panama
Vietnam
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$47.61
PAB47.61
$8.68
₫226,421
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $747.76
PAB747.76
$297.09
₫7,746,791
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $567.84
PAB567.84
$207.27
₫5,404,683

Improve prices ·

pay 29.4% more for childcare

 
Panama
Vietnam
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $302.08
PAB302.08
$205.27
₫5,352,449
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,548.17
PAB6,548.17
$12,496.31
₫325,849,308

Improve prices ·

pay 56.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Panama
Vietnam
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.95
PAB1.95
$0.88
₫22,852
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.39
PAB3.39
$1.58
₫41,207
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.38
PAB5.38
$1.27
₫33,005

Improve prices ·

pay 25.0% less for clothing

 
Panama
Vietnam
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$47.41
PAB47.41
$28.00
₫730,042
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$34.81
PAB34.81
$22.19
₫578,715
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.21
PAB81.21
$79.50
₫2,072,890

Improve prices ·
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: June 2025
Share this

Compare by city

For example, try comparing the cost of living in Panama City vs. Hanoi

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Vietnam or Panama. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.