Travel budget and cost of living in Panama how much does a trip cost?
Are you planning to go to Panama and need to budget for your trip? On this page you can see sample prices. This enables you to get to grips with actual prices and the cost of living in Panama. Then, why not use our free tool to calculate your Panama travel budget.
Travel budget in Panama
Panama: calculate your travel budget
Panama: sample budgets by traveller type
These example budgets assume a 2-week holiday in Panama for 2 people.
Low budget
(backpacker)
Daily budget:
- $ 53 for 2 ppl.
- $ 13 per person
- $ 1.4 per person
- Free activities
Total budget:
$ 1116* (1134 PAB)
Average budget
(traveller)
Daily budget:
- $ 107 for 2 ppl.
- $ 24 per person
- $ 13 per person
- $ 5.9 per person
Total budget:
$ 2654* (2702 PAB)
High budget
(tourist)
Daily budget:
- $ 164 for 2 ppl.
- $ 39 per person
- $ 33 per person
- $ 12 per person
Total budget:
$ 4596* (4676 PAB)
* Estimated local budget for 2 people for 2 weeks. This represents an average across the country (budget may vary depending on the city or region visited).
Cost of living in Panama in 2021
Cost of living: Panama VS United States
On average, the cost of living in Panama in 2021 is 21% less than in the United States (USA).
The graphic below shows the percentage of variation between prices United States in in the United States (USA) and United States by types of expenses:
Explore each type of expense in detail:
Cost of living in Panama by city
See the table below for the variation in the cost of living in different cities in Panama compared to the national average.
Cities | /Panama | View Details |
---|---|---|
Panama City | 9% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Panama City |
Boquete | 10% less | Travel budget and cost of living in Boquete |
David | 14% less | Travel budget and cost of living in David |
Aguadulce | 18% less | Travel budget and cost of living in Aguadulce |
San Miguelito | 24% less | Travel budget and cost of living in San Miguelito |
Local prices in Panama by expense type
Panama: Restaurant budget

($ 3.9 to $ 21)
46% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 13 to $ 40)
19% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 5.9 to $ 7.9)
12% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 3.9)
59% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.2 to $ 3)
26% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.4 to $ 3.9)
31% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 2)
29% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 2)
30% less than in the United States (USA)

Panama: Hotel and accommodation budget

($ 60 to $ 71)
39% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 53 to $ 95)
41% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 115 to $ 179)
21% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 143 to $ 237)
28% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 185 to $ 250)
58% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 48 to $ 70)
52% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 72 to $ 190)
28% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 146 to $ 213)
7% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 67 to $ 108)
61% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 118 to $ 226)
6% less than in the United States (USA)

Panama: Supermarket food budget

($ 1.2 to $ 2)
81% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 2.9)
26% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.8 to $ 3.6)
51% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.4 to $ 3)
10% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 3.9 to $ 30)
11% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 3 to $ 9.8)
19% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.4 to $ 5.4)
27% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 5.9)
33% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.1 to $ 4.9)
37% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.8 to $ 3)
20% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.8 to $ 2.5)
7% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 2)
15% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 3.8 to $ 21)
23% less than in the United States (USA)

Panama: Public and private transport budget

($ 0.2 to $ 0.5)
86% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 15 to $ 60)
57% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.4 to $ 3)
20% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.6 to $ 1)
19% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.4 to $ 3)
38% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 11 to $ 78)
51% less than in the United States (USA)

Panama: Budget for living and housing

($ 52 to $ 149)
45% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.1 to $ 0.2)
19% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 30 to $ 70)
32% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 493 to $ 1181)
45% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 247 to $ 689)
56% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 886 to $ 1967)
35% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 493 to $ 1476)
47% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 21 to $ 65)
18% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 100 to $ 493)
69% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 2705 to $ 17310)
50% less than in the United States (USA)

Panama: Leisure activity budget

($ 4.9 to $ 8.4)
49% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 9.8 to $ 46)
64% more than in the United States (USA)

Panama: Budget for clothes and price of cigarettes

($ 4.9 to $ 7.9)
28% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 26 to $ 75)
5% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 21 to $ 65)
8% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 40 to $ 100)
9% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 46 to $ 124)
11% less than in the United States (USA)

Plane ticket budget

(fair price: $ 462)

(fair price: $ 671)

(fair price: $ 542)

(fair price: $ 510)

(fair price: $ 520)

(fair price: $ 750)

(fair price: $ 836)

(fair price: $ 760)

(fair price: $ 1575)

(fair price: $ 1488)
About the information on the cost of living in Panama
The information about the cost of living in Panama shown on this page comes from multiple sources, including : Numbeo, Easyvoyage and Hotels.com.
Information about cost of living in Panama updated on 15-01-2021.