Cost of living comparison

compared to

Panama City vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary

Panama City is 2.6% cheaper than San Jose.

Restaurants: pay 14.1% less in Panama City
Groceries: pay 9.0% less in Panama City
Transportation: pay 16.1% less in Panama City
Housing: pay 30.9% more in Panama City
Childcare: pay 2.1% more in Panama City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 4.0% less in Panama City
Clothing: pay 8.3% less in Panama City

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

Panama City vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Panama City instead of San Jose, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 14.1% less for restaurants

	San Jose	Panama City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$9.95 CRC4,947.81	$10.00 PAB10.00	+0.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.91 CRC4,924.29	$8.00 PAB8.00	-19.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.06 CRC1,022.01	$1.70 PAB1.70	-17.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.67 CRC831.76	$1.33 PAB1.33	-20.2%
Average			-14.1%

San Jose vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 9.0% less for groceries

	San Jose	Panama City
Bread 1 loaf	$2.64 CRC1,311.09	$2.56 PAB2.56	-2.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.95 CRC2,462.15	$5.81 PAB5.81	+17.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.78 CRC3,868.62	$6.82 PAB6.82	-12.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.88 CRC1,429.67	$2.84 PAB2.84	-1.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.97 CRC1,971.17	$3.29 PAB3.29	-16.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.94 CRC963.65	$1.65 PAB1.65	-15.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.65 CRC324.89	$0.70 PAB0.70	+7.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.95 CRC967.90	$1.40 PAB1.40	-28.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.58 CRC786.24	$1.46 PAB1.46	-7.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.55 CRC768.91	$1.00 PAB1.00	-35.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.43 CRC711.41	$1.37 PAB1.37	-4.6%
Average			-9.0%

San Jose vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries

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pay 16.1% less for transportation

	San Jose	Panama City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.39 CRC2,678.58	$3.44 PAB3.44	-36.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$41.21 CRC20,485.06	$22.50 PAB22.50	-45.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$37,640.45 CRC18,712,315.88	$19,750.00 PAB19,750.00	-47.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$16.12 CRC8,011.83	$26.50 PAB26.50	+64.4%
Average			-16.1%

San Jose vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation

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pay 30.9% more for housing

	San Jose	Panama City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$58.88 CRC29,268.77	$49.20 PAB49.20	-16.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$891.63 CRC443,258.89	$1,164.71 PAB1,164.71	+30.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$560.77 CRC278,778.03	$953.85 PAB953.85	+70.1%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$68.88 CRC34,242.87	$95.90 PAB95.90	+39.2%
Average			+30.9%

San Jose vs. Panama City - Cost of housing

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pay 2.1% more for childcare

	San Jose	Panama City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$600.27 CRC298,412.20	$476.00 PAB476.00	-20.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$12,608.22 CRC6,267,964.49	$15,733.33 PAB15,733.33	+24.8%
Average			+2.1%

San Jose vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare

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pay 4.0% less for entertainment and sports

	San Jose	Panama City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.67 CRC1,329.56	$3.00 PAB3.00	+12.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.85 CRC1,915.58	$3.61 PAB3.61	-6.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.15 CRC2,560.63	$5.92 PAB5.92	+15.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$55.98 CRC27,831.01	$43.86 PAB43.86	-21.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$9.91 CRC4,924.29	$8.00 PAB8.00	-19.2%
Average			-4.0%

San Jose vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 8.3% less for clothing

	San Jose	Panama City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$61.74 CRC30,694.76	$50.00 PAB50.00	-19.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$51.32 CRC25,512.74	$47.50 PAB47.50	-7.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$120.28 CRC59,794.99	$89.55 PAB89.55	-25.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$106.98 CRC53,182.37	$126.88 PAB126.88	+18.6%
Average			-8.3%

San Jose vs. Panama City - 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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