Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Panama 
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| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Panama is 13.9% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Panama is 4.8% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in Panama are 27.3% higher than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in Panama are 14.3% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in Panama are 13.4% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Panama is 14.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.89 $) |
5,055.12 ₡ (10.00 $) |
+1.1 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (59.35 $) |
25,275.62 ₡ (50.00 $) |
-15.7 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.89 $) |
3,786.29 ₡ (7.49 $) |
-24.3 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (2.97 $) |
1,011.02 ₡ (2.00 $) |
-32.6 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,400.00 ₡ (4.75 $) |
1,769.29 ₡ (3.50 $) |
-26.3 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1,988.42 ₡ (3.93 $) |
1,755.57 ₡ (3.47 $) |
-11.7 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,091.01 ₡ (2.16 $) |
747.15 ₡ (1.48 $) |
-31.5 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
842.40 ₡ (1.67 $) |
618.28 ₡ (1.22 $) |
-26.6 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,797.50 ₡ (7.51 $) |
3,464.02 ₡ (6.85 $) |
-8.8 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,446.23 ₡ (2.86 $) |
1,118.78 ₡ (2.21 $) |
-22.6 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
541.40 ₡ (1.07 $) |
527.54 ₡ (1.04 $) |
-2.6 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,713.07 ₡ (3.39 $) |
1,348.85 ₡ (2.67 $) |
-21.3 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,103.99 ₡ (4.16 $) |
2,683.71 ₡ (5.31 $) |
+27.6 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,146.21 ₡ (4.25 $) |
1,664.43 ₡ (3.29 $) |
-22.4 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,005.95 ₡ (5.95 $) |
2,061.31 ₡ (4.08 $) |
-31.4 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
999.75 ₡ (1.98 $) |
926.05 ₡ (1.83 $) |
-7.4 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
369.68 ₡ (0.73 $) |
303.40 ₡ (0.60 $) |
-17.9 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
731.45 ₡ (1.45 $) |
644.31 ₡ (1.27 $) |
-11.9 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
691.10 ₡ (1.37 $) |
672.41 ₡ (1.33 $) |
-2.7 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
676.70 ₡ (1.34 $) |
481.66 ₡ (0.95 $) |
-28.8 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
644.85 ₡ (1.28 $) |
529.17 ₡ (1.05 $) |
-17.9 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
506.07 ₡ (1.00 $) |
1,049.04 ₡ (2.08 $) |
+107.3 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,243.91 ₡ (2.46 $) |
787.34 ₡ (1.56 $) |
-36.7 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (15.83 $) |
5,055.12 ₡ (10.00 $) |
-36.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,173.12 ₡ (2.32 $) |
607.54 ₡ (1.20 $) |
-48.2 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,377.40 ₡ (2.72 $) |
1,085.26 ₡ (2.15 $) |
-21.2 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (4.95 $) |
2,995.16 ₡ (5.92 $) |
+19.8 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (0.99 $) |
278.03 ₡ (0.55 $) |
-44.4 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (49.45 $) |
12,637.81 ₡ (25.00 $) |
-49.4 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
910.00 ₡ (1.80 $) |
1,137.40 ₡ (2.25 $) |
+25.0 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,609.34 ₡ (3.18 $) |
1,627.09 ₡ (3.22 $) |
+1.1 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (7.61 $) |
10,615.76 ₡ (21.00 $) |
+176.1 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,834.01 ₡ (5.61 $) |
1,775.62 ₡ (3.51 $) |
-37.3 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,101.98 $) |
10,110,249.02 ₡ (20,000.00 $) |
-44.6 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,828,945.55 ₡ (35,269.05 $) |
10,850,614.34 ₡ (21,464.58 $) |
-39.1 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
44,601.89 ₡ (88.23 $) |
55,102.39 ₡ (109.00 $) |
+23.5 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,906.28 ₡ (25.53 $) |
14,895.46 ₡ (29.47 $) |
+15.4 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,504.00 ₡ (54.41 $) |
24,668.29 ₡ (48.80 $) |
-10.3 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
28,764.91 ₡ (56.90 $) |
26,491.25 ₡ (52.40 $) |
-7.9 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
15,308.33 ₡ (30.28 $) |
18,956.72 ₡ (37.50 $) |
+23.8 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,000.00 ₡ (7.91 $) |
3,538.59 ₡ (7.00 $) |
-11.5 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
275,478.06 ₡ (544.95 $) |
225,795.56 ₡ (446.67 $) |
-18.0 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
4,867,938.16 ₡ (9,629.71 $) |
5,269,967.30 ₡ (10,425.00 $) |
+8.3 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,971.02 ₡ (73.14 $) |
24,399.40 ₡ (48.27 $) |
-34.0 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,552.76 ₡ (54.50 $) |
20,803.78 ₡ (41.15 $) |
-24.5 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
62,679.62 ₡ (123.99 $) |
42,294.54 ₡ (83.67 $) |
-32.5 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
54,006.68 ₡ (106.84 $) |
55,836.15 ₡ (110.45 $) |
+3.4 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
390,843.63 ₡ (773.16 $) |
465,301.23 ₡ (920.45 $) |
+19.1 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
267,230.93 ₡ (528.63 $) |
353,161.46 ₡ (698.62 $) |
+32.2 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
735,402.58 ₡ (1,454.77 $) |
912,719.58 ₡ (1,805.53 $) |
+24.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
503,964.52 ₡ (996.94 $) |
683,413.95 ₡ (1,351.92 $) |
+35.6 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
125,648.00 ₡ (248.56 $) |
101,555.83 ₡ (200.90 $) |
-19.2 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
69,901.00 ₡ (138.28 $) |
72,572.91 ₡ (143.56 $) |
+3.8 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
Panama Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
513,065.27 ₡ (1,014.94 $) |
417,696.02 ₡ (826.28 $) |
-18.6 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.29 | 6.30 | -38.8 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | March 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 115 | 90 |
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