A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) vs. Panama City for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) 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 Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) and Panama City can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) or Panama City?

Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)

Situated in the Golfo Dulce, Puerto Jiminez has grown from a logging and gold mining town in the 1960s to become the largest town on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. Today, it serves as a main gateway to Corcovado National Park, a last stopping point before visitors enter the park. Puerto Jiminez also has a lively night life, a beach, and easy access to a number of outdoors activities.

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 Luxury Tours to Costa Rica, The Best Budget Tours to Costa Rica, The Best 2-Week Tours from Panama City, and The Best Adventure Tours to Panama.


Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) is $114, while the average daily cost in Panama City is $86. 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 Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) and Panama City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $49
    Panama City $35
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $98
    Panama City $70
Compare Hotels in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) and Panama City

Looking for a hotel in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) 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 Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)


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: Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) -
    Panama City $11

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City

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

  • Private Departure Transfer to Panama City Airport (PTY): $13
  • Transfer in private vehicle from Panama Tocumen Airport (PTY)- Panama City: $15
  • Private transfer from Panama Tocumen Airport (PTY)- Panama City: $15
  • Transfer in private vehicle from Panama City - Panama Tocumen Airport (PTY): $15
  • Private transfer from airport to hotels in Panama City: $15
  • Panama City Private Arrival Transfer: $17
  • Private transfer Panama City - Fort Amador Cruise Terminal: $20
  • Transfer from Panama City Hotel to Tocumen Airport: $23
  • Transfer Tocumen Airport to Panama City Hotels.: $25
  • Airport TRANSFER 1 way Tocumen Howard BLB Albrook Rio Hato Colon: $28
  • PTY Airport Transfer Service To Panama City: $28
  • Roundtrip Transfer Private Vehicle Panama City Tocumen Airport (PTY)-Panama City: $29

Is it cheaper to fly into Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) or Panama City?

Prices for flights to both Panama City and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) 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
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $34
    Panama City $21
Typical Food Prices in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)

Some typical examples of dining costs in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) are as follows:


  • Dinner at Finca Exotica
    $54

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:

  • Panama Evening Food Tour: $60
  • Panamanian Dinner and Folkloric Show Ticket with Pickup: $60
  • Panama City FOOD Tour: $65
  • Night Out Experience (360 Panoramic Views + Dinner Show): $80
  • 4-Hour Guided Panamanian Cooking Class and Markets Experience: $85
  • Panama: 10-Recipe Boozy Panamanian Cooking Class + Dinner: $85
  • The 'Real' Panamanian Private Food Tour: $200

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $119
    Panama City $66

Tours and Activities in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) are as follows:

  • 30-minute Corcovado National Park Tour by Plane: $256
  • 4 Hour Private Guided Tour in Osa Jungle : $120
  • Bio-Luminescence and Sunset Kayak Tour: $62
  • Corcovado day tour- Sirena Station With Lunch- Small Group : $190
  • Day tours Corcovado Total Adventure: $150
  • Kayak experience on Playa Blanca in Puerto Jiménez: $65
  • One Day Tour To Caño Island From Drake Bay: $125
  • One Day Tour to Corcovado (La Leona Station) From Puerto Jiménez: $299

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
  • Bar tour in El Cangrejo with Bar Hopping Panama: $20
  • Walking Tour Metropolitan Park Panama City : $25
  • POIN The Edge Experience: $27
  • POIN Swing Experience: $27
  • Poin Glass Observation Deck Ticket with VR Tour: $27
  • Panama: Highlights Bike Tour in Casco Viejo & Cinta Costera: $28
  • City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
  • Get to know the city aboard CitySightseeing Panama: $30
  • Sunset Walking Tour at Casco Viejo El Chorrillo and the fish market: $30
  • walking tour in Casco Antiguo !: $30
  • Bike tour in Panama City and Old Quarter with local guided: $31

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) -
    Panama City $18


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) and Panama City, we can see that Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. 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 Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) 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 Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.