Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Lombok?
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 Lombok 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 Lombok 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: Lombok or Panama City?
Lombok
Lombok is an island east of the well-tread Bali and west of lesser-developed Sumbawa. While Lombok is not as popular as its neighbor to the west, it is a great place to visit for that very reason. Less popularity means lower prices for accommodations, food, activities, and less-inundated tourist spots. Nonetheless, Lombok is rapidly developing in tourism, and the government is naming it and Sumbawa the number two tourism spots, following Bali.
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 Wildlife Tours to Indonesia, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Indonesia, The Best Budget Tours to Panama, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City.
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Lombok Prices
Indonesia PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayLombok $55Panama City $101
The average daily cost (per person) in Lombok is $55, 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 Lombok and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personLombok $26Panama City $35
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomLombok $52Panama City $70
Compare Hotels in Lombok and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Lombok 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: Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Lombok $10Panama City $11
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Lombok
Also for Lombok, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- 6, or 8-Day Guided Tour with Transfers: $370
- Private Transfer from Sumbawa Besar Airport (SWQ) to Wisata Alam Semongkat: $215
- Private Transfer from Lopok to Sumbawa Besar Airport (SWQ): $157
- Private Transfer from Brang Biji to Sumbawa Besar Airport (SWQ): $99
- Private Transfer from Sumbawa Besar Airport (SWQ) to Brang Biji: $97
- Private Transfer from Pekat to Sumbawa Besar Airport (SWQ): $94
- Private Transfer from Sumbawa Besar Airport (SWQ) to Brang Bara: $94
- Private Transfer from Brang Bara to Sumbawa Besar Airport (SWQ): $94
- Private Transfer from Sumbawa Besar Airport (SWQ) to Lempeh: $94
- Fast Transfer by Private Speedboat&Car (Gili → Kuta Lombok): $81
- Private Transfer from Sokong to Lombok Airport (LOP): $76
- Private Transfer from Lombok Airport (LOP) to Sigar Penjalin: $76
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City
Also for Panama City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Panama 2 days / 1 night : hotel, transfers and city tour: $278
- Private Transfer from Panama City or PTY Airport to Beach Resort: $220
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Decameron - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $208
- Private Transfer from Panama City Airport to Beach Resorts: $175
- San Blas Day Trip (Transfers & Lunch included): $175
- Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Colon Cruise Port: $160
- Panama Tocumen Airport(PTY) to Colón Round-Trip Private Transfer: $152
- Private Transfer from Panama Tocumen Airport (PTY) to Colón resorts: $146
- Private Transfer from Panama Airport (PTY) to Colón Resorts: $146
- Panama Tocumen Airport PTY to Decameron -Arrival Private Transfer: $104
- Panama Tocumen Airport PTY to Coronado/Gorgona - Arrival Transfer: $104
- Private Transfer Tocumen Airport - Linton Bay Marina: $90
Is it cheaper to fly into Lombok or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Lombok 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 dayLombok $19Panama City $36
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Lombok
For Lombok, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Gili Trawangan: Authentic Indonesian Food Gili Cooking Class: $44
- Kids Cooking Class at Tugu Hotel Lombok: $52
- Babah Peranakan Chinese Cuisine Dinner in Lombok: $66
- Royal Dinner Experience in Lombok at Royal Tugudom: $119
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:
- 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.Lombok $9.25Panama City $66
Tours and Activities in Lombok
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Lombok.
- 2D/1N (Hostel) Backpacker Lombok Tour Package: $205
- 3 Days Lombok Sharing Tour: $147
- 3 day lombok tour gili island, culture trip,waterfall trip: $250
- 3D 2N Mount Rinjani Trekking Tour To Summit And Lake: $232
- Beach Tour in Lombok Indonesia: $51
- Benang Kelambu & Stokel Waterfalls and Handweaving Village Tour: $60
- Benang Kelambu Waterfall Experience from Lombok: $43
- Best Lombok Rice Terrace Walking Tour With Waterfall & Monkey: $60
- Best Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep Waterfalls Tour: $70
- Dirt Bike Adventure at Kuta Lombok: $125
- Discover the Best of South Beaches & Culture: Exclusive Tour: $54
- Exclusive Private Experience: 5 Secret Gili Islands: $73
Tours and Activities in Panama City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.
- "Bridge of the Americas Stand-Up Paddle Private 2 hours Tour ": $100
- 2 Days Island Hopping Adventure San Blas Islands - Private Cabin: $265
- 2 Hours Private Luxury Tour in a Convertible Car in Panama City: $255
- 3 Hours Private Walking Tour in Casco Antiguo Panama City: $45
- 4-Hour Guided Tour of Panama Canal & Old Town & More: $150
- 4-hour tour in Panama: $105
- 5 Hours Private Panama City Tour: $200
- 5-Star Embera Village Tour | Waterfall, Lunch & River: $75
- 5hour tour of Panama City and Panama Canal - Shared or Private: $65
- 5hrs Panama City and Canal Tour + Amenities: $65
- 7 hour Miraflores Locks + Sloth Sancturay in Gamboa Tour: $150
- ALL INCLUSIVE San Blas Islands Day Tour on Sailboat: $240
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayLombok $7.32Panama City $18
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Lombok and Panama City, we can see that Panama City is more expensive. And not only is Lombok much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Lombok 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 Lombok would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Lombok 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 Lombok.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Lombok Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
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.