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

Should you visit Pingyao 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 Pingyao 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: Pingyao or Panama City?

Pingyao

Pingyao is a small city in the Shanxi Province of China, dating back over 2700 years. The city is most famous for their old town, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old town is one of the best preserved ancient walled cities in the world dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The climate in Pingyao is influenced by monsoons, and therefore gets hot and humid summers and chillier springs. Autumn is a great time to visit as temperatures are fairly mild-in the 50-60's Fahrenheit- and you can avoid the heavy rains of summer. Winter is also a pleasant time to visit, especially since temperatures tend not to dip below 30 and there is not much snow or bad weather.

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 Historical Tours in China, The Best 10-Day Tours in China, The Best Budget Tours to Panama, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City.


Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Pingyao?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

  • Pingyao Prices
    China Prices
    Panama City Prices
    Panama Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Pingyao $72
    Panama City $101

The average daily cost (per person) in Pingyao is $72, 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 Pingyao and Panama City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Pingyao $24
    Panama City $35
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Pingyao $48
    Panama City $70
Compare Hotels in Pingyao and Panama City

Looking for a hotel in Pingyao 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.

Hotels in Pingyao


Hotels in Panama City


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
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Pingyao $14
    Panama City $11
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Pingyao

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Pingyao:


  • Taxi to Train Station
    $1.47

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pingyao

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Pingyao:

  • Private Round-Trip Transfer Service to Wutaishan from Pingyao: $190
  • Private Transfer Servcie to Mianshan (Mian Mountain) from Pingyao: $60

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City

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

  • Transfers to Riu Playa Blanca, The Buenaventura Golf, Rio hato: $8.00
  • Private Departure Transfer to Panama City Airport (PTY): $13
  • Private transfer from airport to hotels in Panama City: $15
  • Private Transfer to Panama City Airport (PTY): $15
  • Private Transfer Airport PTY to/from Panama City: $17
  • Private Airport Transfer PTY to Panama City or Playa Blanca: $18
  • Private One-way Airport Transfer from Panamá to Tocumen Airport: $19
  • Private One-way Airport Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Panamá: $19
  • Private transfer Panama City - Fort Amador Cruise Terminal: $20
  • Private Transfer Tocumen Airport to Panama City or Beach: $20
  • Transfer to or from the airport / Min 2 pax: $20
  • Private Transfer Panama Tocumen Airport PTY to Panama City: $21

Is it cheaper to fly into Pingyao or Panama City?

Prices for flights to both Panama City and Pingyao 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
    Pingyao $36
    Panama City $36
Typical Food Prices in Pingyao

Some typical examples of dining costs in Pingyao are as follows:


  • Casual Lunch (for 2)
    $5.29
  • Mango Juice
    $0.73

Typical Food Prices in Panama City

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


  • Sandwich
    $8.25

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 Evening Food Tour: $60
  • Panamanian Dinner and Folkloric Show Ticket with Pickup: $65
  • Panama City FOOD Tour: $65
  • 3.5 -hour Afropanamanian Cooking Experience in Panama: $70
  • E-Tickets Emotions Dinner Live Show Admission: $75
  • Afro-Panamanian Cooking Class with Meal: $75
  • Street Food Tour with 24 Tastings: $75
  • Street Food Tour Panama (25+ tastings) By Paradox Experience: $90
  • 4-Hour Guided Panamanian Cooking Class and Markets Experience: $95
  • 4h Cooking Class in 10 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks: $95
  • Panama: 10-Recipe Boozy Panamanian Cooking Class + Dinner: $95
  • Folkloric Dance & Typical Dinner at Sabroso Panamá: $110

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Pingyao $20
    Panama City $66
Typical Entertainment Prices in Pingyao

Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Pingyao are as follows:


  • All Day Bike Rental (for 2)
    $2.94
  • Temple Entrance Fee (for 2)
    $7.34
  • Bike Parking Fee (for 2)
    $0.59

Tours and Activities in Pingyao

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Pingyao are as follows:

  • 1-Day Pingyao Ancient Town Sightseeing Walking Tour: $170
  • 1-Day Pingyao tour to Wang Family's Compound and Zhangbi Ancient Fortress: $206
  • All Inclusive Pingyao Private Tour to Qiao Family Compound and Shuanglin Temple: $142
  • Day tour to Wang Family Compound shuanglin temple &zhangbi castle: $210
  • Half-Day Private Walking Tour of Pingyao Ancient City: $72
  • One Day Tour Exploration of Pingyao Old Town and Wang Family Mansion: $183
  • Pingyao Ancient City Full-Day Walking Tour: $145
  • Pingyao Day Tour: Wang Family Mansion and Zhangbi Ancient Castle: $163
  • Pingyao Private Tour: Shuanglin Temple And Wang's Compound: $269
  • Pingyao in One Day: Including City Highlights and Shuanglin Temple Private Tour: $204
  • Shuanglin Temple Tour or Entry Ticket Only Option: $18
  • Private Day Tour in Pingyao Including Zhenguo and Shuanglin Temple: $164

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
  • Private Historic Tour of the Old Town: $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
  • Panama City Must-see Attractions Walking Tour with a Guide: $27
  • Panama City Bike Tour By Paradox Experience: $29
  • Monkey and Sloth Jungle Habitat Panama Tour: $30
  • City Sightseeing Panama City Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
  • City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
  • Half-Day Tour to Miraflores Locks & Casco Viejo: $32
  • POIN Swing Experience: $32

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Pingyao $14
    Panama City $18


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Pingyao and Panama City, we can see that Panama City is more expensive. And not only is Pingyao much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Pingyao 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 Pingyao would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Pingyao 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 Pingyao.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Pingyao Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Pingyao or Panama City?

Panama City has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Pingyao. When comparing the sizes of Pingyao 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.