Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Porto?
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 Porto or Panama City?
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 Porto and Panama City can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Porto or Panama City?
Porto
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal. It is also the capital of the Northern Region and a hub for commercial and industrial activity. The city is not as large as you might expect, with a population of only about 300,000 residents, but the metropolitan area has a population of about 2.5 million. This includes nearby cities such as Gaia, Matosinhos, Maia and Gondomar.
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 Family-Friendly Tours to Portugal, The Best 10-Day Tours in Portugal, The Best Budget Tours to Panama, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City.
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Porto Prices
Portugal PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayPorto €160Panama City €89
The average daily cost (per person) in Porto is €160, while the average daily cost in Panama City is €89. 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 Porto and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personPorto €72Panama City €31
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomPorto €144Panama City €62
Compare Hotels in Porto and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Porto 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: Porto Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Porto €21Panama City €9.37
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Porto
Also for Porto, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private transfer from Santiago de Compostela to Oporto: $544
- Private Transfer between Porto and Vigo: $294
- Private Transfer from Porto to Santiago de Compostela: $294
- Porto Airport: Transfer to/from Coimbra Center: $291
- Private Transfer to Lisbon from Tarouca: $287
- Private Geres National Park Tour with Lunch and Transfers: $268
- From Transfer to Lisbon with up to 3 City Stops: $265
- Private Transfer from Porto to Lisbon: $265
- Transfer- Porto to Lisbon (or reverse) with optional stops: $247
- Transfer Service Porto to Lisbon with Optional Stops: $247
- Private transfer between Porto and Lisbon - up to 5 stops: $235
- Private Transfer between Porto and Santiago de Compostela: $206
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City
Also for Panama City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfer to Panama City, Hotel and City tour - 1 night: $266
- Private Transfer from Panama City or PTY Airport to Beach Resort: $220
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Decameron - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $209
- San Blas Day Trip (Transfers & Lunch included): $175
- Private Transfer from Panama City Airport to Beach Resorts: $175
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Playa Blanca Round-Trip Private Transfer: $157
- Private Transfer from Panama Airport (PTY) to Colón Resorts: $147
- Private Transfer from Panama Tocumen Airport (PTY) to Colón resorts: $147
- Transfer Hotel/Airport to Resorts in Playa - return or return: $125
- Panama Tocumen Airport PTY to Coronado/Gorgona - Arrival Transfer: $104
- Private Transfer Tocumen Airport - Linton Bay Marina: $90
- Premium Private Transfer : Airport to Hotel Panama city: $85
Is it cheaper to fly into Porto or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Porto 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 dayPorto €63Panama City €32
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Porto
For Porto, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Pastel de Nata Cooking Class with Porto Wine (Sé do Porto): $41
- Vegan Pastel de Nata Cooking Class with Port Wine: $41
- Dinner with Fado and Portuguese Traditional Music: $71
- Authentic Porto Small Group Food Tour with Local Tastings: $87
- Shopping, cooking and eating together at my home in Porto: $88
- Authentic Porto Food Tour + Traditional Restaurant Stop: $88
- Porto Food Tour with Craft Beer by Taste Porto (since 2013): $88
- 4 Hour Traditional Aveiro Portuguese Food Tour: $88
- Private Walking Food Tour with Tastings: $94
- Porto Heritage Night Tour With Fado Show And Dinner Included: $100
- Authentic Porto Food Tour & Market Experience: $101
- Porto After Dark Small Group Dinner and Wine Walking Tour: $105
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€7.25
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:
- Italian-Panamanian Ravioli Cooking Class + meal in Panama City: $44
- Panama City Market Food Tour & Lunch by Paradox Experience: $50
- Panama City FOOD Tour: $65
- 3.5 -hour Afropanamanian Cooking Experience in Panama: $70
- 4h Cooking Class in 10 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks: $77
- 4-Hour Guided Panamanian Cooking Class and Markets Experience: $95
- Street Food Tour Panama City (25+ tastings) By Paradox Experience: $95
- Embera Village Cooking Class Experience in Chagres National Park: $125
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Porto €25Panama City €58
Tours and Activities in Porto
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Porto.
- 1 Day Tour to Douro Valley from Porto: $224
- 1 Day Tour to Passages and Bridge 516 Arouca: $106
- 2 Hour City Highlights Segway Guided Experience in Proto: $88
- 3 Hour Complete Porto City Tour: $233
- 3 Hour Old Town Riverside Bike Tour Guided Experience in Porto: $52
- 3 Hour Porto Highlights on a Electric Bike Guided Tour: $52
- 3-Hour Cano-Rafting Tour on the Paiva River: $47
- 3-Hour Guided Walking Tour of Porto: $33
- 3-hour private guided walking tour of the BEST of Porto: $199
- 4 Hour Blissful Wave Experience at Maceda Haven: $82
- 50-Minute Private Douro River Cruise with Panoramic Views: $23
- 516 Arouca Bridge & Paiva Walkways Tour with Lunch from Porto: $122
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
- 1- or 2-Night Experience in San Blas Islands: $260
- 1st Mysteries and FreeMasons Tour: $38
- 2 Days Island Hopping Adventure San Blas Islands - Private Cabin: $265
- 2 Hours Private Luxury Tour in a Convertible Car in Panama City: $255
- 2-Day San Blas Adventure from Panama City with WiFi: $260
- 4-hour tour in Panama: $105
- 5 Hours Private Panama City Tour: $200
- 5 hours Whale Watching Experience from Panama City: $100
- 5hour tour of Panama City and Panama Canal - Shared or Private: $65
- 5hrs Panama City and Canal Tour + Amenities: $65
- 6-Hour Culture and Nature Tour in Embera Tribe - All Included: $155
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayPorto €19Panama City €16
Sample the Local Flavors in Porto
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Porto:
- Crazy Pub Crawl with 9 Drinks, Free Shots, Wild Games +VIP: $15
- Pub Crawl Porto: $25
- Classic Wine Tasting with GUIDED TOUR: $29
- Wine tasting of 5 Port Wines with a Sommelier: $29
- Fado Concert with Port Wine Tasting at Quinta da Boeira: $29
- Porto Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour with Wine tasting & Night tour: $32
- Cálem Cellar Tour, Live Fado Show and Wine Tasting: $33
- Douro Valley Wine Tasting Tour at Quinta da Levandeira: $38
- Portuguese Tile Painting Workshop with Port Wine Tasting: $41
- Authentic Oporto Walking Tour with Wine Tasting: $41
- Porto : Douro River Cruise with Local Wine Tasting: $51
- Wine Tasting with Tapas Walking Tour in Porto: $53
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Porto and Panama City, we can see that Porto is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Porto 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 Porto would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Porto 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 Porto Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Porto or Panama City?
Panama City has a larger population, and is about 64% larger than the population of Porto. When comparing the sizes of Porto 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.