Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Masai Mara?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
Jump to 
Should you visit Masai Mara 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 Masai Mara 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: Masai Mara or Panama City?
Masai Mara
Masai Mara National Reserve is a beautiful, scenic, nature reserve in southwest Kenya, just west of the capital city, Nairobi. The reserve belongs to the Masai people and was created in order to protect the land and the people and animals living on it. Masai Mara is considered to be one of the best reserves in all of Africa, offering the quintessential African safari experience.
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 Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City, and The Best 2-Week Tours from Panama City.
-
Masai Mara Prices
Kenya PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMasai Mara $132Panama City $101
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $132, 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 Masai Mara and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
-
Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMasai Mara $37Panama City $35
-
Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMasai Mara $74Panama City $70
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara 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: Masai Mara Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
-
Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Masai Mara $47Panama City $11
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Masai Mara
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Masai Mara:
- Nairobi Airport (NBO) Private Transfer to Nairobi City/Hotels: $17
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 Masai Mara or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Masai Mara 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 dayMasai Mara $57Panama City $36
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Masai Mara
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Masai Mara.
- Carnivore experience Lunch Or Dinner (Optional Bomas of kenya ): $40
Typical Food Prices in Panama City
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Panama City:
-
Sandwich$8.24
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
-
Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Masai Mara $60Panama City $66
Tours and Activities in Masai Mara
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Masai Mara are as follows:
- Airport Layover Tour to Nairobi National Park and Giraffe Center: $225
- Amboseli national park full day tour: $160
- Bomas of Kenya cultural Dance and Acrobatic Show Tour: $64
- Day Tour To Mt. Kenya : $285
- Fairview Coffee Farm Day Tour in Nairobi: $120
- Full Day Tour Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Center: $275
- Giraffe Center Half-Day Guided Tour from Nairobi: $75
- Half Day Giraffe Center,Baby Elephant&Karen Blixxen Guided Tour: $38
- Half Day Private Tour to Lake Nakuru National Park: $80
- Nairobi African Shopping Tour: $55
- Nairobi City Tour and Afternoon Visit to Bomas of Kenya: $80
- Nairobi Museum KICC Tower Kobe and Bomas of Kenya Day Tour: $115
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
-
Alcohol Drinks for one dayMasai Mara $26Panama City $18
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Panama City, we can see that Masai Mara is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Masai Mara is in Africa 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 Masai Mara would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Masai Mara 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 Masai Mara Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
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.