Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Lisbon?
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 Lisbon or Panama City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Lisbon 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: Lisbon or Panama City?
Lisbon
Portugal's capital city of Lisbon continues to grow in popularity as a travel destination. The cultural scene has come to life in recent years and the city itself is stunningly beautiful. It sits on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and is made up of hills that create a dramatic and scenic layout. The city has many white-bleached limestone buildings, narrow alleyways, and a laidback charm that appeals to visitors.
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 One Week (7-Day) Tours in Portugal, The Best 2-Week Tours in Portugal, The Best 2-Week Tours from Panama City, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Panama.
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Lisbon Prices
Portugal PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayLisbon €167Panama City €90
The average daily cost (per person) in Lisbon is €167, while the average daily cost in Panama City is €90. 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 Lisbon and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personLisbon €63Panama City €31
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomLisbon €126Panama City €62
Compare Hotels in Lisbon and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Lisbon 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: Lisbon Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Lisbon €25Panama City €9.51
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Lisbon
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Lisbon:
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Taxi Ride€6.50
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Lisbon
Also for Lisbon, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Madrid to Lisbon Private/Executive Transfer: $1,356
- Lisbon to Seville or vice versa private transfer one way: $814
- Lisboa - Porto, Private Transfer, up to 3 cities visits: $780
- Transfer to Six Senses Douro Valley from Lisbon: $734
- Full Day Tour - Transfer to Algarve from Lisbon with Stops: $678
- From the Algarve to Lisbon; Guided transfer with extra Wow!: $661
- Private Transfer to Porto with Obidos/Nazare Tour: $565
- Porto: Private Transfer Between Porto City and Lisbon City: $564
- Lisbon - Coimbra, Private Transfer & up to 3 Cities visits: $554
- Private Transfer to Porto with stops until 3 cities: $508
- Private Door to Door Transfers from/to (Seville - Lisbon): $508
- Premium Transfer to Porto with Obidos and Nazare: $486
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City
Also for Panama City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfers from PTY Airport to Playa Bonita or Gamboa and Back: $20
- Transfer to Panama City, Hotel and City tour - 1 night: $266
- Transfer to Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks): $14
- Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Panama City Hotels : $25
- Transfer from Panama City Hotel to Tocumen Airport: $23
- Transfer from Panama Airport to Colon Cruise Terminal: $110
- Transfer from PTY/Panama City to Cruise Terminal or to the Marina: $32
- Transfer from Downtown Panama City to PTY Airport: $24
- Transfer Tocumen International Airport - Playa Blanca, Rio Hato, Buena Ventura: $75
- Transfer Panama City to Amador Cruise Port : $30
- Transfer Colon Cruise Port - Panama Airport: $45
- Transfer Airport or Hotel To Playa Venao Panama or vice versa: $260
Is it cheaper to fly into Lisbon or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Lisbon 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 dayLisbon €73Panama City €32
Typical Food Prices in Lisbon
For Lisbon, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Coffee€2.50
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Lisbon
For Lisbon, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Food Tour: Portuguese wine & Tapas with Ginjinha Tasting: $40
- Food Tour: Portuguese wine & Tapas with Ginjinha Tasting: $40
- Alfama Tour and Live Fado with Traditional Dinner: $56
- Fado Show and Portuguese Dinner: $56
- Fado Night with Dinner with Live Performance: $57
- Portuguese street food cooking class with Drinks: $57
- 2-Hour Pastel de Nata Cooking Class: $57
- Legendary Beer Dinner: $57
- Pastel de Nata Cooking Class in Lisbon: $57
- Associação: Dinner in Lisbon–Portuguese live music–Fado Show: $57
- Portuguese street food cooking class with Drinks: $57
- Erotic Cabaret Show and Dinner: $62
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€7.35
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:
- Causeway: Bike & Panamanian Food Tour now with Audio Guide.: $49
- Panamanian Dinner and Folkloric Show Ticket with Pickup: $60
- Panama Evening Food Tour: $60
- Panama City FOOD Tour: $65
- 3.5 -hour Afropanamanian Cooking Experience in Panama: $70
- 4-Hour Guided Panamanian Cooking Class and Markets Experience: $85
- Panama: 10-Recipe Boozy Panamanian Cooking Class + Dinner: $85
- Folkloric Dance & Typical Dinner at Sabroso Panamá: $115
- The Real Panamanian Private Food Tour through Panama City: $200
- Street Food Tour in Panama with a Local Guide: $252
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Lisbon €24Panama City €59
Tours and Activities in Lisbon
For Lisbon, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Óbidos - Nazaré - Mafra (National Palace of Mafra)Private tour from Lisbon: $166
- 2-Hour Private Historic Lisbon Tour by Tuk Tuk: $183
- 4 Hours Lisbon Private Tuk Tuk Tours with Hotel Pickup: $149
- Explore Lisbon Private Tour with Tuk-tuk: $275
- Fatima, Batalha, Nazare, Obidos Small Group Tour From Lisbon: $74
- Lisbon Essential Walking Tour: History, Stories and Lifestyle: $29
- Lisbon Food and Drink Tasting Tour: $97
- 8h Tour to Nazaré, Óbidos & Alcobaça (Church Incl.): $102
- Private Tour in a Piaggio Ape Calessino: $103
- Private Walking Tour in Belém: $115
- Saint George Castle Guided Tour from Lisbon: $40
- Sintra or Cascais Half-day Private Tour - The real portuguese essence!: $126
Tours and Activities in Panama City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.
- Canopy-ziplining Adventures in Anton Valley: $195
- Embera Village Tour,Canoe Ride, Hidden Waterfall: $75
- Gatun Lake Panamá Wildlife Adventure Guided Experience: $159
- Private Layover Canal & City Tour: $60
- Panama a quick and memorable tour: $68
- #1 Panama Stayover City & Canal Tour 2 Visits 1 Fare - Fees incl.: $170
- #1 Walking Tour of Casco Viejo Panama with Lunch included : $70
- “Bike Tour Casco Viejo and Panama City Discover the Essence: $40
- "Panama Tour: Canal, Old Town, Amador, and Americas Lookout": $145
- 2 Days Island Hopping Adventure San Blas Islands - Private Cabin: $265
- 2-Day San Blas Adventure from Panama City with WiFi: $260
- 3 Hour Airport Tour from Tocumen: $125
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayLisbon €18Panama City €16
Sample the Local Flavors in Lisbon
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Lisbon:
- 1-Hour Portuguese Wine Tasting Session: $21
- Pub Crawl with Open Bar and VIP Club Entry: $23
- Lisbon Pub Crawl: Unlimited Drinks, Shots & V.I.P Club Entry: $23
- Pub Crawl with Open Bar, Shots, & VIP Club Entry: $23
- Private Bar Crawl in Lisbon: $23
- Pub Crawl Lisbon - 1 Hour of Unlimited Beer and Sangria and more!: $23
- Portuguese Wine Tasting: $24
- Guided Port Wine Tasting Apéritif/Digestif: $27
- Port Wine Tasting Apéritif/Digestif at Portuguese Wine Bar: $28
- Beer Tasting in a Classic Brewery: $28
- Lisbon Wine Tasting: $28
- Brewery Experience with 5 Craft Beer Tastings: $28
Sample the Local Flavors in Panama City
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Panama City:
- Casco Antiguo Guided Bar Crawl: $50
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Lisbon and Panama City, we can see that Lisbon is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Lisbon 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 Lisbon would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Lisbon 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 Lisbon Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Lisbon or Panama City?
Lisbon has a larger population, and is about 27% larger than the population of Panama City. When comparing the sizes of Lisbon 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.