Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Bali?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Bali or Panama City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Bali and Panama City can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Bali or Panama City?
Bali
Known as the "Island of the Gods," it's not difficult to see why the Gods would want to set up shop in Bali. With a beautifully diverse landscape of hills, mountains, coastlines, beaches, vibrant rice fields and volcanic hillsides, you'll easily go into sensory overload.
Bali is home to 4 million people who all hold true to a deeply spiritual and unique culture. With champion surfing, world class resorts and challenging hiking trails, this Indonesian island accommodates travelers from every walk of life. It's often called, "paradise on earth, " and no one disagrees.
Panama City
Panama City is the cosmopolitan capital city of the country of Panama. With a population of almost 900,000 and almost 1.5 million in the metropolitan area, it's a very diverse city with expat residents from all over the world. You don't have to search far to find someone who speaks English, and many Panamanians are quite helpful and friendly.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Tours for Seniors to Indonesia, The Best G Adventures Tours to Indonesia, The Best Budget Tours to Panama, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City.
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Bali Prices
Indonesia PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayBali $80Panama City $101
The average daily cost (per person) in Bali is $80, while the average daily cost in Panama City is $101. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Bali and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personBali $38Panama City $35
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomBali $76Panama City $70
Compare Hotels in Bali and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Bali or Panama City? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Bali Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Bali $8.22Panama City $11
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Bali
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Bali:
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Motorbike Rental$2.82
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Bali
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Bali:
- Paragliding In Bali With Private Hotel Transfer: $140
- Bali Ultimate Watersport Adventure at Tanjung Benoa with Transfer: $125
- BALI PARAGLIDING Fly, Swing and Soaring above the sea with private transfer: $114
- Luxury Bali Private Airport Transfer Alphard: $113
- West Beach Nusa Penida Tour with Speedboat Transfer from Sanur: $99
- Unforgettable Batur Volcano Hiking With Private Transfer: $85
- Bali Parasailing Adventure,Banana Boat,Jet Ski and Donut Boat with Transfers: $82
- Bali Parasailing, Banana, Jet Ski, and Sea Walker with Transfer: $80
- Batur Volcano Jeep Tour Include Private Transfer: $80
- Bali Sea Walker, Parasailing, Banana Boat, Jet Ski with Transfer: $77
- Bali Quad and Buggy Discovery Tour, Including Round-Trip Transfer: $76
- Bali Water Sports Adventure: Jet Ski, Parasailing with Transfer: $73
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City
Also for Panama City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Departure Transfer to Panama City Airport (PTY): $13
- Private Transfer Airport PTY to/from Panama City: $17
- Private Transfer to Panama City Airport (PTY): $18
- Private Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Panama City: $19
- Private One-way Airport Transfer from Panamá to Tocumen Airport: $19
- Private One-way Airport Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Panamá: $19
- Private transfer Panama City - Fort Amador Cruise Terminal: $20
- VIP Transfer Panama: Playa Bonita, Panama City & Pacific Riviera: $20
- Private Transfer Tocumen Airport to Panama City or Beach: $20
- Private Airport Transfer: $23
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Panama city - Arrival Private Transfer: $24
- Transfers from PTY Airport to Playa Bonita or Gamboa and Back: $27
Is it cheaper to fly into Bali or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Bali change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayBali $32Panama City $36
Typical Food Prices in Bali
Some typical examples of dining costs in Bali are as follows:
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Coffee$1.13
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Lunch for Two$12
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Bali Cafe for Two$24
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Lunch for Two$7.34
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Lunch for 2$8.13
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Dinner for 2$8.92
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Bali
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Bali.
- Jimbaran Sunset Beachfront Seafood Dinner for 2: $16
- Romantic Seafood Dinner at Jimbaran Beach Bali include Sunset: $21
- Bali Sunset and Dinner: Uluwatu, Tanah Lot and Jimbaran: $32
- Amazing Private Tour-Uluwatu Kecak Dance and Romantic Seafood Dinner: $33
- Bali Romantic Seafood Dinner under sunset jimbaran Beach: $36
- Romantic Seafood Dinner at Jimbaran beach: $38
- Private Tour Uluwatu Sunset Kecak Dance and Dinner at Jimbaran: $41
- Nusa Dua: Bali Cooking Class Spice Herb Garden Visit-Free Pick Up: $45
- Bali Village Sunset Experience – Jamu, Local Sweets & Dinner: $45
- Padang-Padang Beach+ Uluwatu Sunset and Kecak Dance + Dinner: $49
- Bali's Best Sunset: Uluwatu Kecak Dance & Dinner Jimbaran Beach: $50
- Nusa Dua Beachfront Bali Cooking Class, Market Tour, Free Pick Up: $53
Typical Food Prices in Panama City
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Panama City:
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Sandwich$8.24
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Panama City
For Panama City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Panamanian Ravioli Masterclass + Dinner in Panama City center: $55
- 3.5 -hour Afropanamanian Cooking Experience in Panama: $70
- E-Tickets Emotions Dinner Live Show Admission: $75
- Street Food Tour Panama City (28+ tastings) By Paradox Experience: $95
- 4h Cooking Class in 10 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks: $95
- Embera Village Cooking Class Experience in Chagres National Park: $125
- The Real Panamanian Private Food Tour through Panama City: $245
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Bali $9.85Panama City $66
Typical Entertainment Prices in Bali
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Bali are as follows:
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Spa for Two$49
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Snorkelling Trip$11
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Cooking School$25
Tours and Activities in Bali
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Bali are as follows:
- All-Inclusive Ubud Melukat Tour: Holy Water Cleansing Experience: $58
- 1 Day Penida Island And Uluwatu Temple Private Guided Tour: $123
- 2 Day Tours Ubud Art Village, Dance And Other Tourist Attractions: $186
- 2-Hour Jimbaran Aromatherapy Massage & Luxury Spa Experience: $65
- 3-Days Lombok,Gili island Tour Hopping around departure from Bali island: $300
- 5 Hours Bali Blue Lagoon Snorkeling Tour Including Tanjung Jepun: $59
- ATV Jungle Adventure with Waterfalls and Tunnel Ride: $43
- ATV Ride Adventure in Bali: $32
- All Inclusive Bali Benoa Watersports and Jet Ski Adventure: $23
- All Inclusive Tour to Tanah Lot Temple and Monkey Forest: $56
- Amazing Day Tour: Highlights of Ubud Village Hidden Waterfall: $29
- Amazing Experience ATV Quad Bike with Bali Swing: $75
Tours and Activities in Panama City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.
- Sunset Bike Tour/ Cinta Costera Casco Viejo by Paradox Experience: $22
- Experience of Salsa in Panama: $25
- Casco Viejo Walking Tour: History, Culture & Local Tasting: $25
- Spanish Experience in Panama City: $25
- Casco Viejo Golden Hour Rooftop Sunset Social Experience: $26
- Panama City Must-see Attractions Walking Tour with a Guide: $27
- City Sightseeing Panama City Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
- Get to know the city on board CitySightseeing Panama (24 Hours): $30
- Panama City Walking Tour: Explore Top Sights & Hidden Gems: $30
- Panama Viejo UNESCO Ruins Tour | The Original Panama City: $35
- Panama City Private Walking Tour with a Local: $35
- Half-Day Casco Viejo The Real City Guided with a Local Touch Tour: $35
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayBali $2.91Panama City $18
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Bali and Panama City, we can see that Panama City is more expensive. And not only is Bali much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Bali is in Asia and Panama City is in Central America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Bali would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Bali and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Panama City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Panama City than you might in Bali.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Bali Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Bali or Panama City?
Panama City has a larger population, and is about 1% larger than the population of Bali. When comparing the sizes of Bali and Panama City, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.