Cost of living comparison
compared to
Panama vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Panama is 47.4% more expensive than South Africa overall.
Panama vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Panama instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 31.2% more for restaurants
South Africa | Panama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $9.33 ZAR158.57 | $8.35 PAB8.35 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.11 ZAR86.86 | $7.75 PAB7.75 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.03 ZAR17.52 | $1.37 PAB1.37 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.80 ZAR13.64 | $1.21 PAB1.21 | |
South Africa vs. Panama - Cost of restaurants
pay 76.1% more for groceries
South Africa | Panama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.00 ZAR17.04 | $2.21 PAB2.21 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $3.88 ZAR65.99 | $6.02 PAB6.02 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.37 ZAR74.25 | $6.86 PAB6.86 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.33 ZAR39.64 | $2.47 PAB2.47 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.13 ZAR36.25 | $3.58 PAB3.58 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $0.73 ZAR12.37 | $2.13 PAB2.13 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.65 ZAR11.08 | $0.60 PAB0.60 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.68 ZAR11.61 | $1.40 PAB1.40 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.71 ZAR12.05 | $1.51 PAB1.51 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.59 ZAR9.95 | $0.96 PAB0.96 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.60 ZAR10.19 | $0.99 PAB0.99 | |
South Africa vs. Panama - Cost of groceries
pay 11.6% more for transportation
South Africa | Panama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.92 ZAR83.64 | $3.87 PAB3.87 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $56.18 ZAR954.32 | $23.75 PAB23.75 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $21,394.82 ZAR363K | $23,416.67 PAB23,416.67 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $9.34 ZAR158.63 | $20.20 PAB20.20 | |
South Africa vs. Panama - Cost of transportation
pay 47.0% more for housing
South Africa | Panama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $39.36 ZAR668.59 | $48.39 PAB48.39 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $404.16 ZAR6,865.77 | $765.94 PAB765.94 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $361.59 ZAR6,142.63 | $630.77 PAB630.77 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $88.13 ZAR1,497.10 | $89.09 PAB89.09 | |
South Africa vs. Panama - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
South Africa | Panama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $173.48 ZAR2,946.96 | $363.00 PAB363.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $3,962.11 ZAR67,307.48 | $9,411.11 PAB9,411.11 | |
South Africa vs. Panama - Cost of childcare
pay 40.9% more for entertainment and sports
South Africa | Panama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.18 ZAR37.00 | $1.95 PAB1.95 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.05 ZAR34.81 | $3.54 PAB3.54 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $2.96 ZAR50.35 | $5.48 PAB5.48 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $30.26 ZAR514.07 | $51.47 PAB51.47 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $6.85 ZAR116.34 | $5.97 PAB5.97 | |
South Africa vs. Panama - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.3% more for clothing
South Africa | Panama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $50.74 ZAR862.01 | $43.33 PAB43.33 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $32.75 ZAR556.39 | $34.17 PAB34.17 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $94.19 ZAR1,600.10 | $80.40 PAB80.40 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $81.80 ZAR1,389.52 | $106.46 PAB106.46 | |
South Africa vs. Panama - 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: June 2026
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Moving from South Africa to Panama · UN DESA 2020
55 people born in South Africa live in Panama.
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