Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Panama City 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Panama City are 13.5% lower than in San Jose (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Panama City are 2.6% lower than in San Jose
Rent Prices in Panama City are 34.5% higher than in San Jose
Restaurant Prices in Panama City are 1.6% lower than in San Jose
Groceries Prices in Panama City are 17.6% lower than in San Jose
Local Purchasing Power in Panama City is 0.1% higher than in San Jose
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 5,298.38 ₡
(10.40 $)
6,116.12 ₡
(12.00 $)
     +15.4 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 32,501.50 ₡
(63.77 $)
30,580.59 ₡
(60.00 $)
     -5.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 5,000.00 ₡
(9.81 $)
4,204.83 ₡
(8.25 $)
     -15.9 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 1,800.00 ₡
(3.53 $)
1,274.19 ₡
(2.50 $)
     -29.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2,700.00 ₡
(5.30 $)
2,038.71 ₡
(4.00 $)
     -24.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 1,824.19 ₡
(3.58 $)
1,888.31 ₡
(3.70 $)
     +3.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 1,032.14 ₡
(2.03 $)
895.65 ₡
(1.76 $)
     -13.2 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 752.26 ₡
(1.48 $)
680.05 ₡
(1.33 $)
     -9.6 %
Markets
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3,757.23 ₡
(7.37 $)
3,394.75 ₡
(6.66 $)
     -9.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1,235.54 ₡
(2.42 $)
1,110.73 ₡
(2.18 $)
     -10.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 516.51 ₡
(1.01 $)
485.49 ₡
(0.95 $)
     -6.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 1,664.16 ₡
(3.27 $)
1,296.66 ₡
(2.54 $)
     -22.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 2,091.57 ₡
(4.10 $)
2,514.27 ₡
(4.93 $)
     +20.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 2,332.34 ₡
(4.58 $)
1,726.96 ₡
(3.39 $)
     -26.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 3,453.16 ₡
(6.78 $)
2,071.60 ₡
(4.06 $)
     -40.0 %
Apples (1 lb) 1,166.17 ₡
(2.29 $)
713.96 ₡
(1.40 $)
     -38.8 %
Banana (1 lb) 323.73 ₡
(0.64 $)
317.94 ₡
(0.62 $)
     -1.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 666.70 ₡
(1.31 $)
660.08 ₡
(1.30 $)
     -1.0 %
Tomato (1 lb) 655.92 ₡
(1.29 $)
716.20 ₡
(1.41 $)
     +9.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 629.07 ₡
(1.23 $)
479.34 ₡
(0.94 $)
     -23.8 %
Onion (1 lb) 552.18 ₡
(1.08 $)
496.89 ₡
(0.97 $)
     -10.0 %
Lettuce (1 head) 578.48 ₡
(1.13 $)
1,109.90 ₡
(2.18 $)
     +91.9 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1,179.93 ₡
(2.32 $)
731.54 ₡
(1.44 $)
     -38.0 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 8,500.00 ₡
(16.68 $)
4,587.09 ₡
(9.00 $)
     -46.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1,234.04 ₡
(2.42 $)
609.25 ₡
(1.20 $)
     -50.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 1,561.09 ₡
(3.06 $)
946.30 ₡
(1.86 $)
     -39.4 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 2,350.00 ₡
(4.61 $)
2,930.64 ₡
(5.75 $)
     +24.7 %
Transportation
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 450.00 ₡
(0.88 $)
178.39 ₡
(0.35 $)
     -60.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 19,565.22 ₡
(38.39 $)
12,741.91 ₡
(25.00 $)
     -34.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 855.00 ₡
(1.68 $)
1,019.35 ₡
(2.00 $)
     +19.2 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 1,230.37 ₡
(2.41 $)
1,230.37 ₡
(2.41 $)
     0.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 3,562.50 ₡
(6.99 $)
10,193.53 ₡
(20.00 $)
     +186.1 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 2,864.10 ₡
(5.62 $)
1,883.02 ₡
(3.69 $)
     -34.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 16,200,000.00 ₡
(31,784.87 $)
11,340,302.41 ₡
(22,250.00 $)
     -30.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 16,604,110.18 ₡
(32,577.74 $)
10,445,536.98 ₡
(20,494.44 $)
     -37.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 36,746.74 ₡
(72.10 $)
57,413.50 ₡
(112.65 $)
     +56.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 11,300.00 ₡
(22.17 $)
14,950.51 ₡
(29.33 $)
     +32.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 24,348.99 ₡
(47.77 $)
26,411.44 ₡
(51.82 $)
     +8.5 %
Sports And Leisure
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 30,138.24 ₡
(59.13 $)
20,862.76 ₡
(40.93 $)
     -30.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 14,967.74 ₡
(29.37 $)
12,741.91 ₡
(25.00 $)
     -14.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 4,000.00 ₡
(7.85 $)
3,567.74 ₡
(7.00 $)
     -10.8 %
Childcare
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 237,500.00 ₡
(465.98 $)
208,011.73 ₡
(408.12 $)
     -12.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 5,486,019.69 ₡
(10,763.73 $)
4,931,502.52 ₡
(9,675.75 $)
     -10.1 %
Clothing And Shoes
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 42,885.29 ₡
(84.14 $)
27,490.68 ₡
(53.94 $)
     -35.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 26,747.30 ₡
(52.48 $)
20,787.52 ₡
(40.79 $)
     -22.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 64,860.18 ₡
(127.26 $)
42,088.55 ₡
(82.58 $)
     -35.1 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 61,120.92 ₡
(119.92 $)
47,327.10 ₡
(92.86 $)
     -22.6 %
Rent Per Month
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 358,460.74 ₡
(703.31 $)
471,914.12 ₡
(925.91 $)
     +31.7 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 227,111.37 ₡
(445.60 $)
305,098.02 ₡
(598.61 $)
     +34.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 691,039.23 ₡
(1,355.84 $)
1,043,817.50 ₡
(2,048.00 $)
     +51.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 529,939.35 ₡
(1,039.76 $)
608,613.72 ₡
(1,194.12 $)
     +14.8 %
Buy Apartment Price
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 83,946.67 ₡
(164.71 $)
116,515.08 ₡
(228.61 $)
     +38.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 62,933.77 ₡
(123.48 $)
68,995.86 ₡
(135.37 $)
     +9.6 %
Salaries And Financing
San Jose Edit Panama City Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 450,913.89 ₡
(884.71 $)
439,260.68 ₡
(861.84 $)
     -2.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 9.58 6.07      -36.6 %
Last update: April 2024April 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:5286