Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Hanoi?
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 Hanoi or Panama City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Hanoi and Panama City can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Hanoi or Panama City?
Hanoi
Hanoi is the chaotic capital of Vietnam, and it serves as a great introduction to the country for many travelers. It's the second largest city in the country after Saigon and is an interesting combination of East meets West. There's traditional Vietnamese culture with subtle influences brought by the French. The city continues to grow and change rapidly and it's easy to get lost amidst the chaos.
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 Adventure Tours to Vietnam, The Best Eco Tours in Vietnam, The Best Budget Tours to Panama, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City.
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Hanoi Prices
Vietnam PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayHanoi $57Panama City $101
The average daily cost (per person) in Hanoi is $57, 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 Hanoi and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personHanoi $25Panama City $35
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomHanoi $50Panama City $70
Compare Hotels in Hanoi and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Hanoi 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: Hanoi Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Hanoi $6.60Panama City $11
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Hanoi
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Hanoi:
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Taxi to Bus Station$1.15
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Shuttle Bus From Airport (for Two)$3.06
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Local Bus Ride (for Two)$0.38
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Short Taxi Ride$1.30
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Short Motorbike Ride (10 Minutes)$0.77
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Hanoi
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Hanoi:
- Top-Rated Luxury Halong Bay 2-Day Cruise Including Hanoi Transfer: $285
- New Doria Cruise 2 days 1night exploring Lan Ha Bay with transfer: $285
- Hanoi Private Transfer from Hanoi (HAN) Airport to Cao Bang: $285
- Hanoi Private Transfer from Hanoi (HAN) Airport to Vinh City: $280
- Halong Bay Cruise 3D2N - Kayaking Explorer & Round-trip transfer from Hanoi: $280
- Private Transfer by Dcar Limousine Ha Noi from to Sapa: $269
- Halong Bay & Lan Ha Bay 3-Day Trip: Meals, Kayak, Caves, Transfer: $265
- Private car transfer to Hanoi airport: $260
- Halora Nova Cruise 5* Lan Hạ Bay 2D1N with 2 ways transfer: $255
- Deluxe Cabin Doris Cruise 2days1night with roundtrip transfer: $250
- Luxury 2D1N Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay Cruise with 2-Way Transfer: $246
- Aspira Luxury Cruise Halong Bay & Lan Ha Bay – 2D1N with Transfer: $242
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: $29
- Airport To City Hotel transfer: $50
- Arrival Private Transfer Panama PTY Airport to Playa Bonita: $84
- Arrival Private Transfer Panama PTY Airport to Playa Bonita: $75
- Panama 2 days / 1 night : hotel, transfers and city tour: $278
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Coronado/Gorgona - Round-Trip Transfer: $211
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Panama city - Arrival Private Transfer: $24
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Playa Bonita/Gamboa - Private Transfer: $33
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Playa Bonita/Gamboa - Round-Trip Transfer: $66
- Panama Casco Viejo Stopover: Private Tour, Coffee & Transfer: $164
- Panama City Private Departure Transfer: $42
- Panama One Way Transfer: Van from Tocumen Airport to Panama City: $83
Is it cheaper to fly into Hanoi or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Hanoi 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 dayHanoi $23Panama City $36
Typical Food Prices in Hanoi
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Hanoi:
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High End Dinner (for Two)$11
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$4.21
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Bowl of Pho$0.77
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Italian Dinner (for Food)$5.93
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Hanoi
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Hanoi.
- Private Hanoi Cycling Sightseeing & Street Food Tour By Bike: $1.89
- Private Hanoi Old Quarter Street Food Tour with Student Guide: $1.89
- (Group/Individual) HANOI STREET FOOD TOUR: $5.13
- Ninh Binh Hoa Lu Night Show, Dinner and Cruise from Tam Coc: $17
- Hanoi Walking Street Food Tour with Train-Street Visit: $18
- Hanoi Cooking Class: Pho/Bun Cha/Banh Xeo...+Free Egg/Salt Coffee: $19
- Walking food tour & Train Street visit small group: $19
- Hanoi Street Food Tour: Hidden Local Eats & Full Meal Experience: $20
- Hanoi Street Food Tour with Train Street Visit: $20
- Hanoi Street Food Tour with egg coffee making: $20
- Hanoi Street Food Tour with Train Street Visit: $22
- Hanoi Farm-to-Table Cooking Class with Village Cycling: $24
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.Hanoi $8.15Panama City $66
Typical Entertainment Prices in Hanoi
Here are a few typical costs in Hanoi for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Puppet Theater$1.53
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The Hanoi Hilton Entrance$1.53
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National History Museum$1.53
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Puppet Theater Ticket$2.68
Tours and Activities in Hanoi
Here are a few actual costs in Hanoi for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- (Best Selling) Full-Day Ninh Binh Highlights Tour from Hanoi: $52
- (HOT) Hanoi Guided Street Food and Train Street Tour with Local: $25
- (Private) Hanoi French Quarter walking Tour: $5.13
- (Private) Hanoi War Sites Tour: $5.13
- 03 Hours Hanoi Private Walking Tour with Local Culture: $26
- 07 Hours Explore Halong Bay on Pamela Luxury Cruises: $75
- 1 Day Bai Dinh Trang An Mua Cave Luxury Tour from Hanoi: $75
- 1 Day Dia Tang Phi Lai, Cay Thi Pagoda and Trang An Complex Tour: $122
- 1 Day Ha Long Bay Cruise with Titop Island and Luon Cave in Hanoi: $65
- 1 Day Luxury Day Tour in Hoa Lu, Tam Coc & Mua Cave: $54
- 1 Day Luxury Ninh Binh Day Tour Hoa Lu Tam Coc and Mua Cave: $50
- 1 Day Luxury Ninh Binh Tour with Many Options From Hanoi: $46
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
- Panama City Walking Tour: Explore Top Sights & Hidden Gems: $30
- Get to know the city on board CitySightseeing Panama (24 Hours): $30
- Panama City Private Walking Tour with a Local: $35
- Half-Day Casco Viejo The Real City Guided with a Local Touch Tour: $35
- Panama Viejo UNESCO Ruins Tour | The Original Panama City: $35
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayHanoi $7.38Panama City $18
Sample the Local Flavors in Hanoi
Also in Hanoi, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Hanoi Night Bar Crawl with Local Guide & Free Shots: $45
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Hanoi and Panama City, we can see that Panama City is more expensive. And not only is Hanoi much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Hanoi 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 Hanoi would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Hanoi 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 Hanoi.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Hanoi Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Hanoi or Panama City?
Hanoi has a larger population, and is about 4 times larger than the population of Panama City. When comparing the sizes of Hanoi 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.