Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Granada?
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 Granada or Panama City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Granada and Panama City. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Granada or Panama City?
Granada
Granada is Nicaragua's oldest colonial city, and arguably, the most beautiful city in the country. It sits on the northern edge of Lake Nicaragua (Lago Cocibolca) and has many beautifully colored buildings and nice churches. The city's beauty and colonial architecture, along with its relative safety and accessibility, make it one of Nicaragua's top tourist destinations. The city has long been a center for commerce, but today its economy depends heavily on tourism. The city is the sixth largest in Nicaragua and a real estate boom in the early 2000's brought a large number of expats to the town.
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 2-Week Tours in Nicaragua, The Best Adventure Tours to Nicaragua, The Best Budget Tours to Panama, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City.
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Granada Prices
Nicaragua PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayGranada $50Panama City $101
The average daily cost (per person) in Granada is $50, 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 Granada and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personGranada $17Panama City $35
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomGranada $34Panama City $70
Compare Hotels in Granada and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Granada 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: Granada Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Granada $8.59Panama City $11
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Granada
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Granada:
- One-Way Private Transfer From/To Airport or Hotels in Granada: $40
- From San Jorge: One way shared transfer to Granada: $39
- San Juan del Sur: One way shared transfer to Granada: $39
- Leon: One way shared transfer to Granada: $39
- From One way shared transfer to Leon: $39
- From One way shared transfer to Rivas: $39
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City
Also for Panama City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer to Panama City Airport (PTY): $14
- Private transfer from airport to hotels in Panama City: $15
- Private Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Panama City: $19
- Private transfer Panama City - Fort Amador Cruise Terminal: $20
- Transfer to or from the airport / Min 2 pax: $20
- Private Transfer Tocumen Airport to Panama City or Beach: $20
- Private Transfer Panama Tocumen Airport PTY to Panama City: $21
- PTY Tours & Airport transfers - Giants V.I.P Tours: $22
- Private Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Downtown Panama City, Panama: $23
- Transfer from Downtown Panama City to PTY Airport: $24
- Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Panama City Hotels: $25
- Private Transfer Tocumen Airport - Old Town(Casco Viejo): $27
Is it cheaper to fly into Granada or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Granada 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 dayGranada $24Panama City $36
Typical Food Prices in Granada
Some typical examples of dining costs in Granada are as follows:
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Pizza$2.29
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Granada
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Granada.
- San Juan del Sur: Granada Tour with Breakfast and Dinner: $580
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$8.25
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:
- Panama Food Tour Local Markets Immersion (Tasting tour + Lunch): $50
- Italian-Panamanian Ravioli Cooking Class + meal in Panama City: $55
- Panama City FOOD Tour: $65
- Panamanian Dinner and Folkloric Show Ticket with Pickup: $65
- 3.5 -hour Afropanamanian Cooking Experience in Panama: $70
- Street Food Tour Panama (25+ tastings) By Paradox Experience: $90
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Granada $10Panama City $66
Typical Entertainment Prices in Granada
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Granada are as follows:
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Lago de Nicaragua Boat Tour$8.19
Tours and Activities in Granada
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Granada are as follows:
- Aguas Agrias & Monteverde Chocolate Tour: $140
- Aguas Agrias: Horseback Ride, Chocolate Tour, & Lunch: $185
- Bird Watching Tour: $90
- Boat Tour and Granada City Tour: $135
- Charming Granada Outdoor "Private Tour": $92
- Cigar Factory Tour from Granada: $110
- City Tour Granada, Nicaragua.: $40
- Coyotepe Fortress, Colonial Granada & Masaya Volcano – Premium Sightseeing Tour: $81
- Epic Night Tour to Masaya Volcano: $80
- From Costa Rica: Nicaragua Full Day Experience: $400
- From Managua: Colonial tour and hiking at Mombacho volcano: $130
- Full Day Tour Isletas + Pueblos Blancos + Laguna from Granada: $120
Tours and Activities in Panama City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.
- Panama City Sunset Bike Tour (Cinta Costera & Casco Viejo): $22
- Private Historic Tour of the Old Town: $25
- Spanish Experience in Panama City: $25
- Panama City Must-see Attractions Walking Tour with a Guide: $27
- City Sightseeing Panama City Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
- Monkey and Sloth Jungle Habitat Panama Tour: $30
- Get to know the city on board CitySightseeing Panama (24 Hours): $30
- Panama City Walking Tour: Explore Top Sights & Hidden Gems: $30
- Half-Day Casco Viejo The Real City Guided with a Local Touch Tour: $35
- Panama Viejo Ruins & Museum Tour – Guided Exploration: $35
- Panama City Private Walking Tour with a Local: $35
- Craft Your Own Rum: The Casa Barú Experience Casco Viejo: $35
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayGranada $7.52Panama City $18
Typical Alcohol Prices in Granada
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Granada:
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Tequila$1.37
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Granada and Panama City, we can see that Panama City is more expensive. And not only is Granada much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Granada would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Granada 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 Granada.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Granada Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Granada or Panama City?
Panama City has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Granada. When comparing the sizes of Granada 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.