Cost of living comparison
compared to
Panama City vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Panama City is 15.0% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.6% less in Panama City
- Groceries
-
pay 10.2% less in Panama City
- Transportation
-
pay 17.2% more in Panama City
- Housing
-
pay 2.8% less in Panama City
- Childcare
-
pay 59.0% less in Panama City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.8% less in Panama City
- Clothing
-
pay 27.0% less in Panama City
Expenses including childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and housing are lower in Panama City.
Panama City vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Panama City instead of United States, you would:
pay 9.6% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$10.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.63
|
|
United States vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.2% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.48
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$5.49
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$5.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.81
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.01
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.49
|
|
United States vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries
pay 17.2% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$2.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$135.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$23,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$19.05
|
|
United States vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation
pay 2.8% less for housing
|
United States
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$66.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,700.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,500.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$127.80
|
|
United States vs. Panama City - Cost of housing
pay 59.0% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$400.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$12,338.67
|
|
United States vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare
pay 13.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.10
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$40.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$12.00
|
|
United States vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.0% less for clothing
|
United States
|
Panama City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$32.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$35.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$60.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$85.00
|
|
United States 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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