Cost of living comparison

Antigua and Barbuda

compared to

Panama

Panama City vs. Saint John's Cost of Living Summary

Panama City is 0.6% more expensive than Saint John's.

Restaurants: pay 17.1% less in Panama City
Groceries: pay 19.8% less in Panama City
Transportation: pay 24.3% less in Panama City
Housing: pay 4.9% more in Panama City
Childcare: pay 3.9 times more in Panama City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 8.8% more in Panama City
Clothing: pay 30.6% more in Panama City

The cost of childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, and housing in Panama City are more expensive than in Saint John's. Expenses including transportation, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Panama City. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Panama City.

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Panama City vs. Saint John's Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Panama City instead of Saint John's, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 17.1% less for restaurants

	Saint John's	Panama City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$16.65 EC$45.00	$11.50 PAB11.50	-30.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.25 EC$25.00	$8.00 PAB8.00	-13.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.95 EC$5.27	$1.97 PAB1.97	+1.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.20 EC$3.25	$1.60 PAB1.60	+33.0%
Average			-17.1%

Saint John's vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 19.8% less for groceries

	Saint John's	Panama City
Bread 1 loaf	$2.78 EC$7.50	$2.52 PAB2.52	-9.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.26 EC$11.50	$6.18 PAB6.18	+45.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.40 EC$22.71	$7.09 PAB7.09	-15.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.66 EC$18.00	$2.75 PAB2.75	-58.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.52 EC$9.53	$3.07 PAB3.07	-13.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.96 EC$8.00	$1.87 PAB1.87	-36.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.11 EC$3.00	$0.82 PAB0.82	-25.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$3.70 EC$10.00	$1.92 PAB1.92	-48.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.70 EC$10.00	$1.86 PAB1.86	-49.8%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.30 EC$3.50	$1.55 PAB1.55	+19.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.30 EC$3.50	$1.96 PAB1.96	+51.2%
Average			-19.8%

Saint John's vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries

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pay 24.3% less for transportation

	Saint John's	Panama City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.11 EC$16.50	$4.62 PAB4.62	-24.3%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$21.00 PAB21.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	??	$21,262.00 PAB21,262.00
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	??	$16.98 PAB16.98
Average			-24.3%

Saint John's vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation

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pay 4.9% more for housing

	Saint John's	Panama City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$81.40 EC$220.00	$48.70 PAB48.70	-40.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,048.39 EC$2,833.33	$1,262.50 PAB1,262.50	+20.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$678.37 EC$1,833.33	$874.18 PAB874.18	+28.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$198.07 EC$535.29	$100.29 PAB100.29	-49.4%
Average			+4.9%

Saint John's vs. Panama City - Cost of housing

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pay 3.9 times more for childcare

	Saint John's	Panama City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$185.01 EC$500.00	$543.33 PAB543.33	+193.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$1,850.10 EC$5,000.00	$9,641.50 PAB9,641.50	+421.1%
Average			+291.2%

Saint John's vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare

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pay 8.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Saint John's	Panama City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.41 EC$6.50	$3.30 PAB3.30	+37.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.70 EC$10.00	$4.11 PAB4.11	+11.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	??	$6.00 PAB6.00
Monthly membership at local gym	$64.75 EC$175.00	$46.40 PAB46.40	-28.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$6.29 EC$17.00	$8.50 PAB8.50	+35.1%
Average			+8.8%

Saint John's vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 30.6% more for clothing

	Saint John's	Panama City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$50.00 EC$135.13	$66.67 PAB66.67	+33.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	??	$48.43 PAB48.43
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$74.00 EC$200.00	$94.62 PAB94.62	+27.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	??	$111.67 PAB111.67
Average			+30.6%

Saint John's vs. Panama City - 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 October 2026). How we calculate this

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See the cost of living in Antigua and Barbuda vs. Panama. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Antigua and Barbuda and Panama.

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