Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Riga?
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 Riga or Panama City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Riga or Panama City? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Riga or Panama City?
Riga
Riga is the vibrant capital city of Latvia. It continues to gain popularity as a tourist destination in part because it is the base for the airline Air Baltic. This affordable airline offers discount flights around Europe and most of these flights pass through Riga with a forced overnight layover. This encourages travelers to visit this fascinating city for at least a night or two.
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 One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City, and The Best 2-Week Tours from Panama City.
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Riga Prices
Latvia PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayRiga €122Panama City €86
The average daily cost (per person) in Riga is €122, 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 Riga and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personRiga €52Panama City €30
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomRiga €104Panama City €60
Compare Hotels in Riga and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Riga 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: Riga Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Riga €9.63Panama City €9.09
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Riga
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Riga:
- From Private Transfer to Tallinn: $563
- From Private Transfer to Tallinn with Sightseeing: $503
- From Private Transfer to Vilnius with Sightseeing: $468
- 4x4 Off-Road Adventure with Hotel Transfers: $258
- From Cesis and Sigulda Day Trip with Hotel Transfers: $164
- Riga Gun Experience: Roundtrip Transfer and 4 Firearms: $163
- Private transfer Riga - Hill of Crosses - Riga: $137
- Private Transfer From Riga Airport To Riga City Center: $90
- Private Transfer from Riga Airport to Riga City: $78
- Riga City to Riga Airport (RIX) - Private Transfer.: $75
- Riga Airport (RIX) to Riga City - Private Transfer.: $75
- Departure Transfer from Riga to Riga Airport RIX by Car or Van: $68
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 to Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks): $14
- Private transfer from airport to hotels in Panama City: $15
- Private Transfer from Panama City Airport (PTY): $16
- Private Transfer Airport PTY to/from Panama City: $17
- Private One-way Airport Transfer from Panamá to Tocumen Airport : $19
- Transfers from PTY Airport to Playa Bonita or Gamboa and Back: $20
- Private transfer Panama City - Fort Amador Cruise Terminal: $20
- Transfer Airport - City / Min 2 pax: $20
- Panama: Private Transfer from Tocumen Airport: $23
- Transfer from Panama City Hotel to Tocumen Airport: $23
- Private Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Downtown Panama City, Panama: $23
Is it cheaper to fly into Riga or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Riga 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 dayRiga €57Panama City €31
Typical Food Prices in Riga
Some typical examples of dining costs in Riga are as follows:
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Fast Food Lunch€5.77
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Riga
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Riga.
- Central Market Traditional Food Tour in a Small Group: $41
- Central Market Latvian Food Tour: $53
- Khinkali and Pelmeni Cooking Master Class: $70
- Latvian Art Museum, Dinner, and Black Balsam Tasting: $210
- Traditional Latvian Dinner with Private Folk Show: $252
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€7.03
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
- Street Food Tour in Panama City with 24 samples and secret drinks: $69
- 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
- Embera Village Cooking Class Experience in Chagres National Park: $125
- The Real Panamanian Private Food Tour through Panama City: $205
- Street Food Tour in Panama with a Local Guide: $263
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Riga €14Panama City €56
Tours and Activities in Riga
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Riga are as follows:
- Kid-Friendly Riga Private Guided Tour for Families : $265
- 2.5-Hour Riga Cruiser Bike Tour: $88
- 3-Hour Private Paintball Game Experience in Zīles: $94
- 5,5 Hour Small Group Tour to Hill of Crosses from Riga: $90
- Admission Ticket to Live Silver Museum: $13
- Aeroplane Flight Experience: $80
- Aeroplane Flight Experience: $81
- An audio tour of Old from St Peter's Church to the Monument of Freedom: $6.99
- Audio Tour of Riga Old Town: $12
- Bachelorette Party Adventure's Organization: $46
- Beer Bike Experience : $45
- Best of Riga Private Walking Tour: $477
Tours and Activities in Panama City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.
- The Hull Experience Colonial Tour: $14
- Archaeological Site. Admission ticket to Panama La Vieja: $15
- Experience of Salsa in Panama: $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 Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
- Sunset Walking Tour at Casco Viejo El Chorrillo and the fish market: $30
- City Sightseeing Panama City Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $30
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayRiga €20Panama City €15
Sample the Local Flavors in Riga
Also in Riga, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Old town pub & bar crawl, hidden gems, and local party: $21
- Pub Crawl with Local Guide: $29
- Riga Pub Crawl: $41
- Latvian Brewery Visit & 5 Beer tasting: $47
- Riga Evening Adventure: Pub Crawl & Games Night: $50
- Game Night & Pub Crawl: $52
- Latvian Brewery Visit and Beer Tasting : $54
- Riga Brewery Tour: $59
- Prosecco Bike & Pub Crawl: $65
- Riga Brewery Tour: $76
- Riga's Old Town Beer Bike Tour & Guided Pub Crawl: $94
- Shooting Range and Old Town Pub Crawl: $106
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Riga and Panama City, we can see that Riga is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Riga 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 Riga would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Riga 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 Riga Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Riga or Panama City?
Riga has a larger population, and is about 82% larger than the population of Panama City. When comparing the sizes of Riga 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.