Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Panama City 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Panama City is 9.8% lower than in San Jose (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Panama City is 0.8% higher than in San Jose
Rent Prices in Panama City are 36.5% higher than in San Jose
Restaurant Prices in Panama City are 1.8% higher than in San Jose
Groceries Prices in Panama City are 13.6% lower than in San Jose
Local Purchasing Power in Panama City is 0.9% lower than in San Jose
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 5,603.29 ₡
(10.76 $)
6,117.74 ₡
(11.75 $)
     +9.2 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 30,003.00 ₡
(57.63 $)
31,239.54 ₡
(60.00 $)
     +4.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 5,000.00 ₡
(9.60 $)
4,165.27 ₡
(8.00 $)
     -16.7 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 1,725.00 ₡
(3.31 $)
1,561.98 ₡
(3.00 $)
     -9.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2,500.00 ₡
(4.80 $)
2,082.64 ₡
(4.00 $)
     -16.7 %
Cappuccino (regular) 1,832.40 ₡
(3.52 $)
1,918.59 ₡
(3.68 $)
     +4.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 1,006.08 ₡
(1.93 $)
919.81 ₡
(1.77 $)
     -8.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 744.45 ₡
(1.43 $)
691.25 ₡
(1.33 $)
     -7.1 %
Markets
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3,731.14 ₡
(7.17 $)
3,511.97 ₡
(6.75 $)
     -5.9 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1,265.06 ₡
(2.43 $)
1,176.40 ₡
(2.26 $)
     -7.0 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 527.49 ₡
(1.01 $)
504.81 ₡
(0.97 $)
     -4.3 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 1,668.55 ₡
(3.20 $)
1,363.09 ₡
(2.62 $)
     -18.3 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 2,012.82 ₡
(3.87 $)
2,741.86 ₡
(5.27 $)
     +36.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 2,346.58 ₡
(4.51 $)
1,799.26 ₡
(3.46 $)
     -23.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 3,474.51 ₡
(6.67 $)
2,199.11 ₡
(4.22 $)
     -36.7 %
Apples (1 lb) 1,046.15 ₡
(2.01 $)
720.51 ₡
(1.38 $)
     -31.1 %
Banana (1 lb) 332.86 ₡
(0.64 $)
352.59 ₡
(0.68 $)
     +5.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 705.54 ₡
(1.36 $)
643.72 ₡
(1.24 $)
     -8.8 %
Tomato (1 lb) 655.98 ₡
(1.26 $)
726.16 ₡
(1.39 $)
     +10.7 %
Potato (1 lb) 633.34 ₡
(1.22 $)
491.57 ₡
(0.94 $)
     -22.4 %
Onion (1 lb) 569.11 ₡
(1.09 $)
514.67 ₡
(0.99 $)
     -9.6 %
Lettuce (1 head) 581.62 ₡
(1.12 $)
1,080.37 ₡
(2.08 $)
     +85.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1,180.16 ₡
(2.27 $)
787.50 ₡
(1.51 $)
     -33.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 8,500.00 ₡
(16.33 $)
4,685.93 ₡
(9.00 $)
     -44.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1,217.92 ₡
(2.34 $)
628.17 ₡
(1.21 $)
     -48.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 1,583.23 ₡
(3.04 $)
1,013.28 ₡
(1.95 $)
     -36.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 2,300.00 ₡
(4.42 $)
3,058.87 ₡
(5.88 $)
     +33.0 %
Transportation
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 450.00 ₡
(0.86 $)
182.23 ₡
(0.35 $)
     -59.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 19,565.22 ₡
(37.58 $)
13,016.47 ₡
(25.00 $)
     -33.5 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 855.00 ₡
(1.64 $)
1,171.48 ₡
(2.25 $)
     +37.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 1,256.88 ₡
(2.41 $)
1,361.62 ₡
(2.62 $)
     +8.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 3,562.50 ₡
(6.84 $)
10,933.84 ₡
(21.00 $)
     +206.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 2,868.29 ₡
(5.51 $)
1,919.31 ₡
(3.69 $)
     -33.1 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 16,200,000.00 ₡
(31,114.42 $)
11,584,661.28 ₡
(22,250.00 $)
     -28.5 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 16,803,110.85 ₡
(32,272.78 $)
10,670,615.60 ₡
(20,494.44 $)
     -36.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 34,029.98 ₡
(65.36 $)
62,873.26 ₡
(120.76 $)
     +84.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 11,300.00 ₡
(21.70 $)
15,294.36 ₡
(29.38 $)
     +35.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 24,458.81 ₡
(46.98 $)
26,911.56 ₡
(51.69 $)
     +10.0 %
Sports And Leisure
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 30,295.13 ₡
(58.19 $)
22,344.95 ₡
(42.92 $)
     -26.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 15,002.06 ₡
(28.81 $)
11,714.83 ₡
(22.50 $)
     -21.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 4,000.00 ₡
(7.68 $)
3,644.61 ₡
(7.00 $)
     -8.9 %
Childcare
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 237,500.00 ₡
(456.15 $)
215,748.05 ₡
(414.38 $)
     -9.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 5,609,581.44 ₡
(10,774.00 $)
4,716,128.62 ₡
(9,058.00 $)
     -15.9 %
Clothing And Shoes
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 43,633.24 ₡
(83.80 $)
27,955.38 ₡
(53.69 $)
     -35.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 26,206.59 ₡
(50.33 $)
21,043.30 ₡
(40.42 $)
     -19.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 64,052.59 ₡
(123.02 $)
44,874.29 ₡
(86.19 $)
     -29.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 60,895.22 ₡
(116.96 $)
55,142.51 ₡
(105.91 $)
     -9.4 %
Rent Per Month
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 353,293.24 ₡
(678.55 $)
488,923.53 ₡
(939.05 $)
     +38.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 226,256.01 ₡
(434.56 $)
317,755.08 ₡
(610.29 $)
     +40.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 671,257.54 ₡
(1,289.25 $)
1,029,484.71 ₡
(1,977.27 $)
     +53.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 573,630.34 ₡
(1,101.74 $)
654,294.73 ₡
(1,256.67 $)
     +14.1 %
Buy Apartment Price
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 89,832.60 ₡
(172.54 $)
122,739.88 ₡
(235.74 $)
     +36.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 63,188.85 ₡
(121.36 $)
74,167.94 ₡
(142.45 $)
     +17.4 %
Salaries And Financing
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 462,195.01 ₡
(887.71 $)
461,701.97 ₡
(886.76 $)
     -0.1 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 9.88 6.02      -39.0 %
Last update: May 2024June 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:5489