Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Marseille?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Marseille or Panama City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Marseille or Panama City, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Where Should I go: Marseille or Panama City?
Marseille
Marseille is the second largest city in France and is the largest Mediterranean port in the region. For visitors, Marseille offers an authentic glimpse at France. It has many colorful markets, natural beauty such as the Calanques with its large, beautiful cliffs, and the old harbor area, which offers a glimpse at the areas working class history.
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 Contiki Tours to France, The Best G Adventures Tours to France, 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 dayMarseille €148Panama City €80
The average daily cost (per person) in Marseille is €148, 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 Marseille and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMarseille €71Panama City €33
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMarseille €142Panama City €66
Compare Hotels in Marseille and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Marseille 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: Marseille Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Marseille €28Panama City €9.94
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Marseille
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Marseille:
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Metro Pass€3.00
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Marseille
Also for Marseille, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer Between Marseille Airport and Nice Airport: $1,184
- Private Transfer from Nice to Marseille: $931
- Cannes Private Transfer to Marseille Airport: $646
- Marseille or Aix ⟷Transfer to Nice 7 pax: $537
- Marseille Airport private Transfer to Cannes: $451
- Marseille Airport Transfer From/to Avignon: $377
- Private transfer from Marseille Airport to Cavaillon: $280
- Private Transfer from Marseille Airport to Avignon: $273
- Marseille Provence Airport transfer ↔ Avignon: $269
- Marseille Airport: VIP transfer to Baumaniere: $253
- Marseille Provence One Way Airport transfer to Gordes: $252
- Marseille Provence Airport transfer ↔ Arles: $241
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: $33
- Transfer in private vehicle from Panama Tocumen Airport (PTY)- Panama City: $15
- Transfer in private vehicle from Panama City - Panama Tocumen Airport (PTY): $15
- Transfer in private vehicle from Panamá Tocumen Airport to Playa Bonita: $48
- Transfer in private minivan from Panama Tocumen Airport to Playa Bonita: $70
- Transfer in private minivan from Panama Tocumen Airport to Playa Blanca-Farallon: $160
- Transfer from Playa Bonita or Gamboa to PTY Airport: $35
- Transfer from Panama City Hotel to Tocumen Airport: $23
- Transfer from PTY Airport or Panama City to Playa Blanca and Back: $77
- Transfer from PTY Airport or Panama City to Cruise Terminal: $30
- Transfer from Downtown Panama City to PTY Airport: $24
- Transfer Tocumen Airport to Panama City Hotels.: $25
Is it cheaper to fly into Marseille or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Marseille 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 dayMarseille €42Panama City €19
Typical Food Prices in Marseille
For Marseille, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Orangina€2.50
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Marseille
For Marseille, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Web-cooking workshop / French cuisine or French pastry: $35
- No Diet Club - Unique food tour in Marseille! (Cours Julien): $64
- Sunset Boat Cruise with Dinner and Drinks: $73
- Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $74
- Sunset Sailing Cruise with Dinner and Drinks: $86
- Bakeries, Chocolate & Patisseries Food Tour: $94
- Marseille Sunset Apéro Food tour: $97
- Evening Food Tour with Tastings: $102
- Sunset Sailing Dinner in the Frioul Archipelago: $102
- Walking Food Tour with Tastings: $102
- Marseille Miam Miam Food tour: $104
- Marseille Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience: $108
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.Marseille €38Panama City €61
Tours and Activities in Marseille
For Marseille, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- "Old Marseille" district tour and treasure hunt: $27
- 2H: City-Tour Marseille: $274
- 3h Kayak Tour at Calanques National Park: $68
- A Day in Provence Small Group Tour from Marseille: $180
- Accrobranche - Ecopark Adventures Marseille Saint-Jérôme: $26
- Aix-en-Provence: Half-Day Shore Excursion Tour: $646
- All Inclusive Food & History Tour of Marseille with Local Guide: $144
- Beer tasting experience in Marseille: $43
- Bookbinding experience in the Vieux Port: $93
- Calanques National Park Kayak Day Tour: $113
- Calanques Trilogy Electric Bike Tour from Marseille: $66
- Canyoning Half Day Tour from La Ciotat : $68
Tours and Activities in Panama City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.
- #1 Walking Tour in Casco Viejo, Panama Canal Museum & Lunch : $77
- "Bridge of the Americas Stand-Up Paddle Private 2 hours Tour " : $100
- 1- or 2-Night Experience in San Blas Islands: $260
- 2 Hours Private Luxury Tour in a Convertible Car in Panama City: $255
- 2 Hours Tour to Panama La Vieja for Groups: $170
- 2 Hr Express Tour for Business Travellers & Airport Layovers: $75
- 2-Day San Blas Adventure from Panama City: $270
- 3 Hour Airport Tour from Tocumen: $125
- 3 Hours Private Photo Tour in Casco Antiguo: $90
- 3-Hour Private Tour in Panama La Vieja: $45
- 4-Hour Gatun Lake Boat Tour and Jungle Wildlife: $99
- 5-Hour Tour to Miraflores Locks and Sloth Sanctuary: $140
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMarseille €27Panama City €17
Sample the Local Flavors in Marseille
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Marseille:
- Marseille Bar Crawl Party with Free Shots and VIP Entry: $22
- Marseille Riviera Bar Crawl Party with Free Shots and VIP Entry: $27
- Marseille Pub Crawl : Meet, Drink & Party: $43
- New Year's Eve Bar Crawl Marseille France: $65
- Short Day Tour around Aix en Provence and Wine Tasting : $119
- Bandol and Cassis: Full Day Wine Tour from Marseille: $144
- Luberon: Full-Day Wine Tour from Marseille: $144
- Full-day Wine Tour around Bandol & Cassis from Marseille: $146
- Full-Day Wine Tour around Luberon from Marseille: $146
- Marseille Shore Excursion - Full Day Wine Tour in Provence: $164
- Small Group Marseille Shore Excursion : Avignon & Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Tour: $164
- Côtes du Rhône Wine tour: Avignon, Palace of the Popes: $165
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Marseille and Panama City, we can see that Marseille is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Marseille 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 Marseille would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Marseille 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 Marseille Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Marseille or Panama City?
Marseille has a larger population, and is about 95% larger than the population of Panama City. When comparing the sizes of Marseille 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.