Most people in Panama City speak Spanish, though many of them know how to speak English as well. There are also groups of native people from around Panama who speak their own languages.
Panama uses the United States dollar, though here it is called the balboa. The paper money looks exactly the same, with green bills with American presidents like George Washington on the front. When you get change, though, you might notice that some of the coins look like the ones in the United States, while others have Panamanian designs like conquistadors and harpy eagles.
Most of the food and drinks cost the same or a little bit less than in the United States, depending on if they can be made in Panama or need to be imported from outside the country. A bottle of water costs around B1.00 (that means one balboa, which equals one dollar).
My friends and I ate dinner at a restaurant on a rooftop with a great view of downtown Panama City. While we took in the beautiful views of the skyscrapers, we ate veggie pizza with bell peppers, mushrooms and corn. I've never had a pizza in the United States with corn on it, but it's apparently very common in Panamanian dishes.
