Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Cologne?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Cologne or Panama City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Cologne or Panama City? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Cologne or Panama City?
Cologne
Spanning the Rhine River in western Germany, the city of Cologne dates back 2,000 years, once existing as the largest city of the Holy Roman Empire in medieval times. Today, it is the region's cultural hub - a center of museums, galleries, and towering Gothic cathedrals.
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 Luxury Tours to Germany, The Best Budget Tours to Germany, The Best 2-Week Tours from Panama City, and The Best Adventure Tours to Panama.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCologne €161Panama City €80
The average daily cost (per person) in Cologne is €161, while the average daily cost in Panama City is €80. 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 Cologne and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCologne €91Panama City €33
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCologne €182Panama City €66
Compare Hotels in Cologne and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Cologne 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: Cologne Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cologne €19Panama City €9.94
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cologne
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cologne:
- Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Bonn hotels - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $110
- Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Cologne hotels - Round-trip Private Transfer : $98
- Transfer from Cologne Airport CGN to Cologne City by Luxury Car: $83
- Superior Private Transfer from Cologne City to Dortmund City: $64
- Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Bonn hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $55
- Cologne hotels to Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) - Departure Private Transfer: $49
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City
Also for Panama City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport TRANSFER 1 way Tocumen Howard BLB Albrook Rio Hato Colon: $28
- PTY Airport Transfer Service To Panama City: $50
- PTY Tocumen Airport Private Transfer One Way or Round Trip!: $45
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Panama city - Arrival Private Transfer: $28
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Panama city - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $57
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Playa Bonita/Gamboa - Private Transfer: $38
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Playa Bonita/Gamboa - Round-Trip Transfer: $77
- Panama City Private Arrival Transfer: $17
- Embera Indian Village Tour w/ Airport Transfer: $290
- Guided Panama Canal & City Tour with Transfers: $65
- Half-Day City & Canal Tour w/ Airport Transfer: $215
- Historic District and Canal Tour with Transfer: $65
Is it cheaper to fly into Cologne or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Cologne 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 dayCologne €50Panama City €19
Typical Food Prices in Cologne
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Cologne:
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Dinner€14
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Donner Kebab€4.00
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cologne
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cologne.
- Hard Rock Café with Set Menu for Lunch or Dinner: $27
- Hard Rock Cafe Cologne With Set Lunch or Dinner: $29
- Köln Südstadt kulinarisch – Die Food Tour: $48
- 3-Hour Südstadt Food Tour: $484
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€7.69
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 Dinner and Folkloric Show Ticket with Pickup: $60
- Panama Evening Food Tour: $60
- Panama City FOOD Tour: $65
- Night Out Experience (360 Panoramic Views + Dinner Show): $80
- Panama: 10-Recipe Boozy Panamanian Cooking Class + Dinner: $85
- The 'Real' Panamanian Private Food Tour: $200
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cologne €20Panama City €61
Tours and Activities in Cologne
Here are a few actual costs in Cologne for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 120min - Cologne City Tour: $158
- 3-Hour Cologne Street Art Bike Tour in Small Group with Guide: $44
- 3-Hour Murder Mystery Interactive City Walking Tour in Köln: $75
- 5 Hours Cologne to Aachen Train Tour in Germany: $63
- Aachen City Hall tour (public): $20
- Aachen Private Walking Tour With A Professional Guide: $231
- Aachen Scavenger Hunt and Best Landmarks Self-Guided Tour: $6.55
- Aachen Scavenger Hunt and Self Guided Walking Tour on your Phone: $7.63
- Aachen old town tour - GERMAN (public): $13
- Amusing Stories of Cologne Walking Tour: $13
- Ancient Echoes: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Roman Cologne: $11
- Awesome Sites of Cologne – Private Family Walking Tour: $397
Tours and Activities in Panama City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.
- Bar tour in El Cangrejo with Bar Hopping Panama: $20
- Walking Tour Metropolitan Park Panama City : $25
- POIN Swing Experience: $27
- Poin Glass Observation Deck Ticket with VR Tour: $27
- POIN The Edge Experience: $27
- Panama: Highlights Bike Tour in Casco Viejo & Cinta Costera: $28
- Get to know the city aboard CitySightseeing Panama: $30
- City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
- Sunset Walking Tour at Casco Viejo El Chorrillo and the fish market: $30
- walking tour in Casco Antiguo !: $30
- Bike tour in Panama City and Old Quarter with local guided: $31
- Bike tour in Panama City and Old City with locals: $31
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCologne €23Panama City €17
Sample the Local Flavors in Cologne
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Cologne:
- Public brewery tour in German in Cologne: $18
- Old Town Walking Tour with Brewery and Kölsch Beer: $18
- Guided tour of the old town with a visit to the brewery in Cologne: $19
- Old Town Walking Tour inkl Brewery Visit: $24
- Entertaining Brewery Tour: Feel Good Package including local beer: $27
- South Cologne Walking Tour with brewery visit: $27
- Pub Crawl Cologne Including Admission Fee for Bars and Shots: $27
- Brewery Tour with 3 Kölsch Beer Tastings: $30
- Brewery Tour with Beer Tasting and Halven Hahn: $31
- The Legendary Kölsch Brewery Tour: $32
- The Legendary Kölsch Brewery Tour: $33
- Cologne-Nippes: Gourmet wine tasting with cheese platter: $64
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cologne and Panama City, we can see that Cologne is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Cologne is in Europe 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 Panama City would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Panama City 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 Cologne would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cologne than you might in Panama City.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Cologne Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Cologne or Panama City?
Cologne has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Panama City. When comparing the sizes of Cologne 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.