Cost of living comparison
compared to
Panama City vs. San Juan Cost of Living Summary
Panama City is 12.3% cheaper than San Juan.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.4% less in Panama City
- Groceries
-
pay 21.4% less in Panama City
- Transportation
-
pay 25.3% less in Panama City
- Housing
-
pay 23.2% less in Panama City
- Childcare
-
pay 26.3% more in Panama City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.1% less in Panama City
- Clothing
-
pay 1.7% more in Panama City
The cost of childcare and clothing in Panama City are more expensive than in San Juan. Expenses including transportation, restaurants, housing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Panama City.
Panama City vs. San Juan Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Panama City instead of San Juan, you would:
pay 23.4% less for restaurants
|
San Juan
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$10.00
PAB10.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.58
|
$8.00
PAB8.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.84
|
$1.70
PAB1.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.40
|
$1.33
PAB1.33
|
|
San Juan vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.4% less for groceries
|
San Juan
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.40
|
$2.56
PAB2.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.74
|
$5.81
PAB5.81
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.97
|
$6.82
PAB6.82
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.42
|
$2.84
PAB2.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.85
|
$3.29
PAB3.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.56
|
$1.65
PAB1.65
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.09
|
$0.70
PAB0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.77
|
$1.40
PAB1.40
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.84
|
$1.46
PAB1.46
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.00
PAB1.00
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.37
PAB1.37
|
|
San Juan vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries
pay 25.3% less for transportation
|
San Juan
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.65
|
$3.44
PAB3.44
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$22.50
PAB22.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,000.00
|
$19,750.00
PAB19,750.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$26.50
PAB26.50
|
|
San Juan vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation
pay 23.2% less for housing
|
San Juan
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$77.14
|
$49.20
PAB49.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,258.33
|
$1,164.71
PAB1,164.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$765.00
|
$953.85
PAB953.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$370.88
|
$95.90
PAB95.90
|
|
San Juan vs. Panama City - Cost of housing
pay 26.3% more for childcare
|
San Juan
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$470.00
|
$476.00
PAB476.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,400.00
|
$15,733.33
PAB15,733.33
|
|
San Juan vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare
pay 21.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Juan
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.00
|
$3.00
PAB3.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.73
|
$3.61
PAB3.61
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$5.92
PAB5.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.66
|
$43.86
PAB43.86
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$8.00
PAB8.00
|
|
San Juan vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.7% more for clothing
|
San Juan
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.33
|
$50.00
PAB50.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$56.25
|
$47.50
PAB47.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.33
|
$89.55
PAB89.55
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$110.00
|
$126.88
PAB126.88
|
|
San Juan vs. Panama City - Cost of clothing
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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