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

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Should you visit San Pedro or Panama City?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

If you're trying to decide where to visit between San Pedro or Panama City, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

Where Should I go: San Pedro or Panama City?

San Pedro

San Pedro is the largest town on Ambergris Caye, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belize. Here you can find a tropical paradise with warm weather, clear blue waters, plenty of activities such as snorkeling and scuba diving, and a host of hotels, restaurants, and other amenities.

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.

Which city is cheaper, Panama City or San Pedro?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in San Pedro is $135, 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 city. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for San Pedro and Panama City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    San Pedro $66
    Panama City $35
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    San Pedro $132
    Panama City $70
Compare Hotels in San Pedro and Panama City

Looking for a hotel in San Pedro 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 San Pedro


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.
    San Pedro $34
    Panama City $11

Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Pedro

Some specific examples of transportation prices in San Pedro:

  • Cave Tubing Adventure Air Transfer: $255

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City

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

  • Transfer to Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks): $11
  • Private Departure Transfer to Panama City Airport (PTY): $12
  • Private Arrival Transfer from Panama City Airport (PTY): $12
  • Shared Arrival Transfer: Tocumen International Airport to Panama City Hotels: $15
  • Shared Departure Transfer: Panama City Hotels to Tocumen International Airport: $15
  • Airport Private Transfer Tocumen Direct to Panama City: $18
  • Transfer to Dreams Playa Bonita: $18
  • Private Airport Transfer: Panama City to Tocumen International Airport (PTY): $19
  • Private Airport Transfer: Tocumen International Airport (PTY) to Panama City: $19
  • Transfer from Panama City to Tocumen Airport: $19
  • Private Transfer from Tocumen Airport to Downtown Panama City, Panama: $20
  • Private Transfer Airport PTY to Panama City: $22

Is it cheaper to fly into San Pedro or Panama City?

Prices for flights to both Panama City and San Pedro 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
    San Pedro $40
    Panama City $21

Typical Food prices in Panama City

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


  • Sandwich
    $8.28

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
  • Food Tour - Panama Gastronomy: $102
  • Casco Antiguo Sunset Walking Tour with Dinner: $170
  • The 'Real' Panamanian Private Food Tour: $200
  • Whale Watching + Beach + Seafood Dinner - BEST VALUE IN PANAMA: $205

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    San Pedro $33
    Panama City $66

Tours and Activities in San Pedro

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

  • Altun Ha Cave Tubing and Zip line Tours from San Pedro Ambergris Caye: $220
  • Ambergris Caye Sunset Sail Tour on the 40' Sirena Azul Sailboat: $62
  • Belize Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley Snorkel Tour - Ambergris Caye: $107
  • Cave Tubing and Zip line Adventure from San pedro Ambergris caye: $208
  • Cave Tubing and Zipline Adventure: $190
  • Caves Kayaking Zipline Experience from Ambergris Caye San Pedro: $142
  • Crossing the highlands: From Cusco to Puno or Viceversa - Private tour: $421
  • Hol Chan Marine Reserve Snorkel Tour on the 40' Sirena Azul Sailboat: $67
  • Jungle Tour in the City - from San Jose: $45
  • Mexico Rocks Snorkel Tour on the 40' Sirena Azul Sailboat: $67
  • The Best of San Jose Walking Tour: $509
  • The best of San Pedro Town walking tour: $496

Tours and Activities in Panama City

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Panama City.

  • Casco Antiguo Virtual Live Tour: $12
  • Skip the Line: Panama La Vieja Admission Ticket: $15
  • Dolphin Sightseeing Tour on The Footloose Catamaran from Panama City Beach: $25
  • Sea Breeze Champagne Adventure: $28
  • Panama City and Canal Tour ( Centro de Visitante de Miraflores): $31
  • Private Panama Canal Tour: $41
  • Shopping Tour in Panama: $42
  • Tour Colonial Panama: $42
  • Panama Viejo Ruins Sightseeing Tour: $43
  • Panama City Tour highlight: $45
  • Panama City E-Bike Adventure: $48
  • Panama City Sunset E-Bike Adventure: $48

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    San Pedro $16
    Panama City $18

Sample the Local Flavors in Panama City

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Panama City:

  • Panama Bar Crawl (private): $33

About these numbers

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

Budget Your Trip

Budget Your Trip has average travel costs for thousands of cities around the world, all provided by other travelers. You can also register to organize your spending by category and location with graphs, maps, charts, and tables.
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San Pedro vs. Panama City Travel Comparison

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