A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Panama City vs. Nashville for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Panama City or Nashville?

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 Nashville can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Panama City or Nashville?

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.

Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee, known as Music City USA and home to the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, is waiting for vacationers and tourists. Even though musical attractions may be Nashville's main showcases, there are still plenty of other places and activities to check out, like hiking along shorelines, visit urban parks filled with entertainment, fishing, zoos, museums, take in shows in a variety of venues and so much more. Nashville tourism is also a discount, coupon friendly town for independent travelers and families. There are also many free attractions to enable you to enjoy all that this part of God's country has to offer.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours from Panama City, The Best Adventure Tours to Panama, The Best Cultural Tours in United States of America, and The Best Photography Tours in United States of America.


Which place is cheaper, Nashville or Panama City?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Panama City is $86, while the average daily cost in Nashville is $172. 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 Nashville in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Panama City $35
    Nashville $99
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Panama City $70
    Nashville $198
Compare Hotels in Panama City and Nashville

Looking for a hotel in Panama City or Nashville? 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.

Hotels in Panama City


Hotels in Nashville


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 Nashville Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Panama City $11
    Nashville $21

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

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Nashville

Also for Nashville, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Private transfer to Nashville Airport and Hotel: $128
  • Airport to Hotel Private Transfer: $125
  • Nashville Airport: One-Way Private Transfer to Nashville: $111
  • Nashville accomodation to Nashville Airport (BNA) - Departure Private Transfer: $66

Is it cheaper to fly into Panama City or Nashville?

Prices for flights to both Nashville 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Panama City $21
    Nashville $41
Typical Food Prices in Panama City

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Panama City:


  • Sandwich
    $8.27

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

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Nashville

For Nashville, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Nashville Delicious Donut Adventure & Walking Food Tour: $70
  • Neighborhood Food Tour on E-bikes: $79
  • The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Show - Franklin, TN: $94
  • The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show - Nashville, TN: $94
  • Nashville Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours: $99
  • General Jackson Showboat Lunch or Dinner Cruise in Nashville: $113
  • General Jackson Showboat Dinner Cruise: $138

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Panama City $66
    Nashville $27

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

Tours and Activities in Nashville

For Nashville, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Franklin Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour with Live Narration: $39
  • Nashville Ghosts: Hauntings of Music City Tour By Junket: $30
  • 1 Hour Nashville Insider Photoshoot Tour in the Gulch: $79
  • 2 Hour Narrated Sightseeing Tractor Tour of Nashville: $59
  • 2-Hour Guided E-Bicycle Sightseeing Tour of Nashville: $117
  • 90-Minute Monster Truck Joyride City Tour of Nashville: $53
  • Adventureworks Ziplines at Nashville West: $61
  • Amazing Nashville Scavenger Hunt Adventure: $44
  • Beer, Bourbon & BBQ: Nashville Adventure: $189
  • Best of Nashville City Sightseeing Tour on Double Decker Bus: $40
  • Big E’s Bronco Tours - Nashville Music History and Cultural Tour: $45
  • Civil Rights Tour Of Nashville: $156

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Panama City $18
    Nashville $15

Sample the Local Flavors in Nashville

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Nashville:

  • Nashville's Annual New Year's Eve Pub Crawl: $25
  • Nashville's Annual Crawl-O-Ween Pub Crawl: $25
  • Nashville's Annual Saint Patrick's Day Pub Crawl: $25
  • Music City Pub Crawl: $25
  • Belle Meade Guided Mansion Tour with Complimentary Wine Tasting: $29
  • Seeking Spirits Haunted Pub Crawl: $30
  • Nashville Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl: $30
  • Nashville's Honky-Tonk Walking Sightseeing Pub Crawl: $31
  • Drinkers & Thinkers Pub Crawl: $33
  • Nashville's Lost Spirits: Murder and True Crime Haunted Pub Crawl: $35
  • Nashville Lost Spirits: Murder True Crime Haunted Pub Crawl: $35
  • Nashville Drinkers & Thinkers Pub Crawl: $35


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Panama City and Nashville, we can see that Nashville 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 Nashville is in North 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 Nashville would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Nashville 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 Nashville Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Panama City or Nashville?

Nashville has a larger population, and is about 30% larger than the population of Panama City. When comparing the sizes of Panama City and Nashville, 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.