Cost of living comparison

Qatar

compared to

Panama

Panama vs. Qatar Cost of Living Summary

Panama is 4.0% cheaper than Qatar overall.

Restaurants: pay 44.0% more in Panama
Groceries: pay 59.7% more in Panama
Transportation: pay 21.2% more in Panama
Housing: pay 28.8% less in Panama
Childcare: pay 22.0% less in Panama
Entertainment and Sports: pay 53.7% less in Panama
Clothing: pay 8.6% less in Panama

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

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Panama vs. Qatar Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 44.0% more for restaurants

	Qatar	Panama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.49 QAR23.79	$8.20 PAB8.20	+26.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.14 QAR26.13	$8.90 PAB8.90	+24.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.84 QAR3.08	$1.41 PAB1.41	+67.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.35 QAR1.29	$1.30 PAB1.30	+270.2%
Average			+44.0%

Qatar vs. Panama - Cost of restaurants

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pay 59.7% more for groceries

	Qatar	Panama
Bread 1 loaf	$1.38 QAR5.06	$2.28 PAB2.28	+65.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.99 QAR14.63	$6.18 PAB6.18	+54.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.97 QAR29.21	$7.09 PAB7.09	-11.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.27 QAR11.97	$2.56 PAB2.56	-21.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.56 QAR13.02	$3.42 PAB3.42	-3.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.93 QAR3.41	$1.86 PAB1.86	+99.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.76 QAR2.77	$0.59 PAB0.59	-21.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.68 QAR2.48	$1.76 PAB1.76	+160.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 QAR2.00	$1.67 PAB1.67	+206.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.39 QAR1.44	$1.09 PAB1.09	+177.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.39 QAR1.43	$1.14 PAB1.14	+192.6%
Average			+59.7%

Qatar vs. Panama - Cost of groceries

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pay 21.2% more for transportation

	Qatar	Panama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.14 QAR7.82	$4.34 PAB4.34	+103.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$23.33 QAR85.44	$23.00 PAB23.00	-1.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$27,978.05 QAR102K	$23,920.67 PAB23,920.67	-14.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$17.58 QAR64.40	$16.62 PAB16.62	-5.5%
Average			+21.2%

Qatar vs. Panama - Cost of transportation

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pay 28.8% less for housing

	Qatar	Panama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$86.45 QAR316.63	$49.81 PAB49.81	-42.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,433.67 QAR5,251.26	$789.50 PAB789.50	-44.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$856.18 QAR3,135.99	$614.84 PAB614.84	-28.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$65.24 QAR238.97	$96.53 PAB96.53	+48.0%
Average			-28.8%

Qatar vs. Panama - Cost of housing

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pay 22.0% less for childcare

	Qatar	Panama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$670.94 QAR2,457.53	$543.33 PAB543.33	-19.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,605.02 QAR35,181.22	$7,213.83 PAB7,213.83	-24.9%
Average			-22.0%

Qatar vs. Panama - Cost of childcare

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pay 53.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Qatar	Panama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$11.34 QAR41.55	$2.21 PAB2.21	-80.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.19 QAR19.02	$3.73 PAB3.73	-28.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.67 QAR20.77	$5.29 PAB5.29	-6.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$119.62 QAR438.15	$50.91 PAB50.91	-57.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.43 QAR41.88	$6.13 PAB6.13	-46.4%
Average			-53.7%

Qatar vs. Panama - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 8.6% less for clothing

	Qatar	Panama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$44.75 QAR163.90	$45.56 PAB45.56	+1.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$42.52 QAR155.75	$36.71 PAB36.71	-13.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$98.38 QAR360.34	$69.81 PAB69.81	-29.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$79.08 QAR289.64	$88.33 PAB88.33	+11.7%
Average			-8.6%

Qatar vs. Panama - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Qatar vs. Panama

Salary Calculator · Free tool

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Quality of Life Comparison · 21 statistics

Be 64.3 times more likely to be unemployed in Panama

Size Comparison · See true size

Qatar is about 7 times smaller than Panama.

Moving from Qatar to Panama · Cost, visas & climate

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