Which place is cheaper, Crete or Panama City?
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 Panama City or Crete?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Panama City and Crete can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Panama City or Crete?
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.
Crete
The largest and most populous island of Greece, Crete has become a frequent vacation destination for many visitors. The terrain of the place is quite varied - very mountainous stretching east to west, with lush valleys, fertile plateaus, gorges, and famous caves like Idaion, the birthplace of the Greek god Zeus. The surrounding smaller islands and beaches are key attractions as well.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City, The Best 2-Week Tours from Panama City, The Best Contiki Tours to Greece, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Greece.
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Panama City Prices
Panama PricesCrete Prices
Greece Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayPanama City $101Crete $169
The average daily cost (per person) in Panama City is $101, while the average daily cost in Crete is $169. 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 Panama City and Crete in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personPanama City $35Crete $64
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomPanama City $70Crete $128
Compare Hotels in Panama City and Crete
Looking for a hotel in Panama City or Crete? 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 and Crete Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Panama City $11Crete $56
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City
Also for Panama City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- 2 Days 1 Night Tour in Panama : Hotel and Transfers: $278
- Airport To City Hotel transfer: $50
- Arrival Private Transfer Panama PTY Airport to City by Luxury SUV: $84
- Arrival Private Transfer Panama PTY Airport to Panama City by SUV: $75
- Arrival Transfer Panama Tocumen Airport PTY to Panama by Sprinter: $152
- Luxury SUV Private Transfer Panama City to Panama PTY Airport: $84
- One Way Private transfer Panama City PTY Airport to City: $19
- Panamá Tocumen Airport Hotel or airbnb Transfer: $25
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Decameron - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $213
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Playa Bonita/Gamboa - Private Transfer: $34
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Playa Bonita/Gamboa - Round-Trip Transfer: $67
- Guided Panama Canal & City Tour with Transfers: $70
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Crete
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Crete:
- Private Transfer Port/Airport to/from Ierapetra: $299
- Full-Day Trip to Santorini island by Boat from Ag.Nikolaos Elounda with Transfer: $276
- Taxi Transfers from Heraklion Airport to Rethymno City : $263
- Knossos and Arch Museum of Heraklion (Guide+Transfer+Ticket) : $251
- Crete : Samaria Easy way Gorge from Sfakia with Private Transfer: $249
- One-Way Private Taxi/Transfer Heraklion to/from Chania: $238
- Crete Private Taxi and Transfer from Kalyves to Heraklion: $236
- Heraklion and Chania Transfer with Sightseeing in Rethymno: $228
- Transfer from Chania airport to Paleochora up to 3 or vise versa: $219
- Luxury Yacht Escape from Ierapetra with Transfer & Meals Included: $210
- Transfer Heraklion Airport to IERAPETRA area up to 7 customers: $202
- Heraklion: Santorini Day Trip with Boat Transfer & Oia Visit: $198
Is it cheaper to fly into Panama City or Crete?
Prices for flights to both Crete and Panama City 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 dayPanama City $36Crete $68
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 Dinner and Folkloric Show Ticket with Pickup: $60
- Panama Evening Food Tour: $60
- Panama City FOOD Tour: $65
- E-Tickets Emotions Dinner Theater Live Show Admission: $75
- Afro-Panamanian Cooking Class with Meal: $75
- Street Food Tour with 24 Tastings: $75
- Cooking Class in Panama City with 10 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks: $95
- 4-Hour Guided Panamanian Cooking Class and Markets Experience: $95
- Panama: 10-Recipe Boozy Panamanian Cooking Class + Dinner: $95
- Folkloric Dance & Typical Dinner at Sabroso Panamá: $110
- The Real Panamanian Private Food Tour through Panama City: $205
- Street Food Tour in Panama with a Local Guide: $263
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Crete
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Crete.
- Traditional Cretan Night: Live Show and Dinner: $33
- Traditional Dance Show and Buffet Dinner with Wine: $34
- Troy Dinner-Show: $36
- Olive Oil Factory Tour, Dinner & Traditional Dancing: $66
- Olive Oil Festival in Cretan Farm with Traditional Dinner: $78
- Heraklion: Finikia Horse Riding Tour with Lunch or Dinner: $81
- The Delicious Chania Street Food Tour : $96
- Half Day Sunset Tour in Rethymno with Dinner and Wine: $101
- Chania Walking Food Tours Crete with a local!: $101
- Sightseeing Day Trip with Cooking Lesson and Lunch: $102
- Full-Day Jeep Safari Tour with Cooking Lesson: $105
- Chania: Evening Feasts A Journey through Cretan Flavors Food Tour: $108
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Panama City $66Crete $29
Tours and Activities in Panama City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.
- Archaeological Site. Admission ticket to Panama La Vieja: $15
- Spanish Experience in Panama City: $25
- Panama Casco Viejo: Walking Tour Must See Treasures!!!: $25
- Panama: Highlights Bike Tour in Casco Viejo & Cinta Costera: $26
- Panama : Must-See Sites Walking Tour With A Guide: $27
- Get to know the city aboard CitySightseeing Panama: $29
- Panama City Tour and Panama Canal – Miraflores Locks Experience: $30
- Causeway and Old Town Night Tour: $30
- City Sightseeing Panama City Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
- walking tour in Casco Antiguo !: $30
- City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
- Guided Walking Tour in Panama City: $32
Tours and Activities in Crete
Here are a few actual costs in Crete for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 4x4 Safari tour Southern Crete Tripitis Gorge: $118
- Adventure Safari Tour Secrets of the southern Crete : $110
- E-Ticket to Heraklion Archaeological Museum with Audio Guide: $26
- Knossos Palace Heraklion City Tour: $47
- Wine & Olive Oil tasting one day private tour in Crete: $184
- e-bike tour in Crete with guide and stroryteller Soulouksina: $168
- Αrchaeological Museum of Herakleion Entry Ticket: $24
- 4 Hour Fishing and Swimming Boat Experience in Schisma Eloundas: $150
- 4x4 Cretan Experience from Rethymnon: $113
- 5Hour Safari Tour in Crete(Heraklion)with Quad,Jeep,Buggy & Lunch: $105
- 6-Hours Safari Tour in Damnoni and Skinaria Beach, from Plakias: $34
- Adventure Jeep Safari Amazing sunset : $93
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayPanama City $18Crete $26
Sample the Local Flavors in Crete
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Crete:
- Local Wine Tasting & Visit to the Ancient Olive Tree: $143
- Heraklion: Half Day Small Group Wine Tour with Wine Tastings: $150
- Ecobike-Knossos Palace-Wine tasting-Olive oil tasting: $180
- Cave and Cretan Brewery tour with lunch: $186
- PRIVATE Walking Tour with Lunch and Wine Tasting by a Sommelier: $192
- The Gourmet Wine Tour of Heraklion area: $198
- Gastronomy tour and wine tasting in traditional villages : $216
- Heraklion SUV Private Guided Wine Tour with Lunch : $237
- From Elounda Private Heraklion Wine Tour with Tastings and Lunch: $251
- Private Wine Tour: $270
- From Heraklion: Villages and Vines A Scenic Wine Tasting Journey: $289
- Private Knossos Skip The Line Tour inc. lunch & wine tasting: $337
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Panama City and Crete, we can see that Crete is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Panama City is in Central America and Crete is in Europe, 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 Crete would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Crete 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 Panama City Expensive? and Is Crete Expensive?.
Which has a larger population, Panama City or Crete?
Crete has a larger population, and is about 47% larger than the population of Panama City. When comparing the sizes of Panama City and Crete, 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.