Cost of living comparison

Port Vila, Vanuatu

compared to

Panama City, Panama

Panama City vs. Port Vila Cost of Living Summary

Panama City is 14.1% cheaper than Port Vila.

Restaurants: pay 7.9% less in Panama City
Groceries: pay 25.6% less in Panama City
Transportation: pay 9.3% less in Panama City
Housing: pay 60.4% less in Panama City
Childcare: pay 23.4% more in Panama City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 37.3% less in Panama City
Clothing: pay 18.6% more in Panama City

The cost of childcare and clothing in Panama City are more expensive than in Port Vila. Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Panama City.

Panama City vs. Port Vila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Panama City instead of Port Vila, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 7.9% less for restaurants

	Port Vila	Panama City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$11.23 VUV1,334	$13.25 PAB13.25	+17.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.60 VUV1,139	$8.00 PAB8.00	-16.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.17 VUV257	$1.86 PAB1.86	-14.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.73 VUV206	$1.41 PAB1.41	-18.5%
Average			-7.9%

Port Vila vs. Panama City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 25.6% less for groceries

	Port Vila	Panama City
Bread 1 loaf	$2.46 VUV293	$2.51 PAB2.51	+1.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$10.11 VUV1,200	$6.39 PAB6.39	-36.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.55 VUV1,014	$6.80 PAB6.80	-20.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.20 VUV618	$2.68 PAB2.68	-48.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$8.41 VUV998	$3.41 PAB3.41	-59.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.23 VUV265	$1.48 PAB1.48	-33.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.96 VUV113	$0.72 PAB0.72	-24.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.53 VUV301	$1.24 PAB1.24	-51.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.15 VUV136	$1.40 PAB1.40	+21.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.98 VUV235	$0.98 PAB0.98	-50.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.96 VUV114	$1.15 PAB1.15	+19.0%
Average			-25.6%

Port Vila vs. Panama City - Cost of groceries

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pay 9.3% less for transportation

	Port Vila	Panama City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$7.17 VUV852	$3.69 PAB3.69	-48.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$67.38 VUV8,000	$25.00 PAB25.00	-62.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$23,163.36 VUV2,750,000	$19,750.00 PAB19,750.00	-14.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$8.84 VUV1,050	$16.71 PAB16.71	+88.9%
Average			-9.3%

Port Vila vs. Panama City - Cost of transportation

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pay 60.4% less for housing

	Port Vila	Panama City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$228.83 VUV27,167	$52.10 PAB52.10	-77.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,867.11 VUV221,667	$1,023.81 PAB1,023.81	-45.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,407.24 VUV167,070	$755.88 PAB755.88	-46.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$347.82 VUV41,294	$94.84 PAB94.84	-72.7%
Average			-60.4%

Port Vila vs. Panama City - Cost of housing

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pay 23.4% more for childcare

	Port Vila	Panama City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$469.58 VUV55,750	$439.17 PAB439.17	-6.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,586.82 VUV782,000	$10,092.67 PAB10,092.67	+53.2%
Average			+23.4%

Port Vila vs. Panama City - Cost of childcare

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pay 37.3% less for entertainment and sports

	Port Vila	Panama City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.59 VUV545	$3.00 PAB3.00	-34.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.09 VUV604	$3.59 PAB3.59	-29.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$9.27 VUV1,100	$5.50 PAB5.50	-40.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	??	$47.27 PAB47.27
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$12.63 VUV1,500	$7.00 PAB7.00	-44.6%
Average			-37.3%

Port Vila vs. Panama City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 18.6% more for clothing

	Port Vila	Panama City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$46.33 VUV5,500	$53.91 PAB53.91	+16.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$67.38 VUV8,000	$37.78 PAB37.78	-43.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$101.08 VUV12,000	$87.62 PAB87.62	-13.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$50.54 VUV6,000	$108.75 PAB108.75	+115.2%
Average			+18.6%

Port Vila 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: June 2025

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

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