Cost of living comparison

compared to

Panama City vs. San Salvador Cost of Living Summary

Panama City is 39.6% more expensive than San Salvador.

Restaurants: pay 38.3% more in Panama City
Groceries: pay 14.5% more in Panama City
Transportation: pay 1.5% more in Panama City
Housing: pay 21.4% more in Panama City
Childcare: pay 2.7 times more in Panama City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 40.8% more in Panama City
Clothing: pay 8.1% less in Panama City

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, groceries, and transportation in Panama City are more expensive than in San Salvador. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Panama City.

Panama City vs. San Salvador Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 38.3% more for restaurants

	San Salvador	Panama City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$7.00 SVC61.08	$10.00 PAB10.00	+42.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.00 SVC61.08	$8.00 PAB8.00	+14.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.14 SVC9.90	$1.70 PAB1.70	+49.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.91 SVC7.95	$1.33 PAB1.33	+46.4%
Average			+38.3%

San Salvador vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 14.5% more for groceries

	San Salvador	Panama City
Bread 1 loaf	$1.95 SVC17.01	$2.56 PAB2.56	+31.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.77 SVC32.86	$5.81 PAB5.81	+54.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.84 SVC59.68	$6.82 PAB6.82	-0.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.01 SVC26.26	$2.84 PAB2.84	-5.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.99 SVC26.05	$3.29 PAB3.29	+10.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.77 SVC15.46	$1.65 PAB1.65	-7.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.76 SVC6.60	$0.70 PAB0.70	-7.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.17 SVC10.17	$1.40 PAB1.40	+20.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.22 SVC10.61	$1.46 PAB1.46	+20.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.97 SVC8.44	$1.00 PAB1.00	+3.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.98 SVC8.51	$1.37 PAB1.37	+40.0%
Average			+14.5%

San Salvador vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries

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pay 1.5% more for transportation

	San Salvador	Panama City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.82 SVC33.34	$3.44 PAB3.44	-9.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$15.00 SVC130.88	$22.50 PAB22.50	+50.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,500.00 SVC222,494.28	$19,750.00 PAB19,750.00	-22.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$29.93 SVC261.12	$26.50 PAB26.50	-11.5%
Average			+1.5%

San Salvador vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation

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pay 21.4% more for housing

	San Salvador	Panama City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$43.33 SVC378.09	$49.20 PAB49.20	+13.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$900.00 SVC7,852.74	$1,164.71 PAB1,164.71	+29.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$758.33 SVC6,616.66	$953.85 PAB953.85	+25.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$82.16 SVC716.84	$95.90 PAB95.90	+16.7%
Average			+21.4%

San Salvador vs. Panama City - Cost of housing

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pay 2.7 times more for childcare

	San Salvador	Panama City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$162.67 SVC1,419.31	$476.00 PAB476.00	+192.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,420.00 SVC56,016.21	$15,733.33 PAB15,733.33	+145.1%
Average			+168.8%

San Salvador vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare

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pay 40.8% more for entertainment and sports

	San Salvador	Panama City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.00 SVC17.45	$3.00 PAB3.00	+50.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.25 SVC28.35	$3.61 PAB3.61	+11.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.00 SVC34.90	$5.92 PAB5.92	+48.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$30.80 SVC268.74	$43.86 PAB43.86	+42.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.25 SVC45.81	$8.00 PAB8.00	+52.4%
Average			+40.8%

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

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pay 8.1% less for clothing

	San Salvador	Panama City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$62.60 SVC546.20	$50.00 PAB50.00	-20.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$45.83 SVC399.91	$47.50 PAB47.50	+3.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$131.80 SVC1,149.99	$89.55 PAB89.55	-32.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$109.17 SVC952.51	$126.88 PAB126.88	+16.2%
Average			-8.1%

San Salvador 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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