Cost of living comparison

Lima, Peru

compared to

Panama City, Panama

Panama City vs. Lima Cost of Living Summary

Panama City is 55.0% more expensive than Lima.

Restaurants: pay 2.2 times more in Panama City
Groceries: pay 73.2% more in Panama City
Transportation: pay 14.6% less in Panama City
Housing: pay 99.3% more in Panama City
Childcare: pay 67.3% more in Panama City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 25.0% more in Panama City
Clothing: pay 13.0% more in Panama City

The cost of restaurants, housing, groceries, childcare, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Panama City are more expensive than in Lima. Notably, restaurants and housing are significantly more expensive in Panama City.

Panama City vs. Lima Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Panama City instead of Lima, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.2 times more for restaurants

	Lima	Panama City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.23 PEN19.46	$13.25 PAB13.25	+153.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.10 PEN22.70	$8.00 PAB8.00	+31.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.83 PEN3.08	$1.86 PAB1.86	+124.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.51 PEN1.90	$1.41 PAB1.41	+177.3%
Average			+121.6%

Lima vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 73.2% more for groceries

	Lima	Panama City
Bread 1 loaf	$2.42 PEN9.03	$2.51 PAB2.51	+3.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.22 PEN15.72	$6.39 PAB6.39	+51.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.95 PEN18.45	$6.80 PAB6.80	+37.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.70 PEN10.07	$2.68 PAB2.68	-1.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.25 PEN8.37	$3.41 PAB3.41	+51.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.87 PEN3.26	$1.48 PAB1.48	+69.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.50 PEN1.88	$0.72 PAB0.72	+43.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.48 PEN1.79	$1.24 PAB1.24	+157.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.52 PEN1.95	$1.40 PAB1.40	+167.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.53 PEN1.99	$0.98 PAB0.98	+84.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.48 PEN1.77	$1.15 PAB1.15	+140.6%
Average			+73.2%

Lima vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries

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pay 14.6% less for transportation

	Lima	Panama City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.39 PEN20.06	$3.69 PAB3.69	-31.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$23.85 PEN88.84	$25.00 PAB25.00	+4.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$23,163.52 PEN86,278.26	$19,750.00 PAB19,750.00	-14.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$20.14 PEN75.02	$16.71 PAB16.71	-17.1%
Average			-14.6%

Lima vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation

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pay 99.3% more for housing

	Lima	Panama City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$26.56 PEN98.94	$52.10 PAB52.10	+96.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$575.58 PEN2,143.89	$1,023.81 PAB1,023.81	+77.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$363.71 PEN1,354.71	$755.88 PAB755.88	+107.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$44.01 PEN163.92	$94.84 PAB94.84	+115.5%
Average			+99.3%

Lima vs. Panama City - Cost of housing

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pay 67.3% more for childcare

	Lima	Panama City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$213.68 PEN795.90	$439.17 PAB439.17	+105.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,818.35 PEN29,121.38	$10,092.67 PAB10,092.67	+29.1%
Average			+67.3%

Lima vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare

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pay 25.0% more for entertainment and sports

	Lima	Panama City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.12 PEN7.90	$3.00 PAB3.00	+41.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.62 PEN9.76	$3.59 PAB3.59	+37.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.30 PEN19.74	$5.50 PAB5.50	+3.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$30.52 PEN113.66	$47.27 PAB47.27	+54.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.95 PEN29.61	$7.00 PAB7.00	-12.0%
Average			+25.0%

Lima vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 13.0% more for clothing

	Lima	Panama City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$42.79 PEN159.39	$53.91 PAB53.91	+26.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.98 PEN130.30	$37.78 PAB37.78	+8.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$85.21 PEN317.37	$87.62 PAB87.62	+2.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$94.35 PEN351.43	$108.75 PAB108.75	+15.3%
Average			+13.0%

Lima vs. Panama City - Cost of clothing

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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: April 2025

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See the cost of living in Peru vs. Panama. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Peru and Panama.

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