Which place is cheaper, Panama City or Rome?
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 Rome or Panama City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Rome and Panama City can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Rome or Panama City?
Rome
Rome is the capital and largest city in Italy. It is also a common entry point for most visitors flying into the country. Rome has been a center of power, culture, and religion for the last millenium, making it one of the most famous and popular destinations in not only Europe, but the world. The influence of the Roman Empire can be seen across continents.
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 Italy, The Best Budget Tours to Italy, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Panama City, and The Best 2-Week Tours from Panama City.
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Rome Prices
Italy PricesPanama City Prices
Panama Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayRome €207Panama City €86
The average daily cost (per person) in Rome is €207, 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 Rome and Panama City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personRome €90Panama City €30
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomRome €180Panama City €60
Compare Hotels in Rome and Panama City
Looking for a hotel in Rome 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: Rome Hotel Prices and Panama City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Rome €21Panama City €9.09
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rome
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Rome:
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Metro Ride (for Two)€2.00
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Train to the Airport€15
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Taxi to Airport€45
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Bicycle Rental (Full Day)€10
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rome
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rome:
- Transfer from Civitavecchia 4 people: $299
- Transfer services from airports to rome for up to 4 persons: $299
- Transfer from Rome Hotel to Civitavecchia Cruise Port and vice versa: $299
- Private transfer with Luxury Car from/to Civitavecchia harbour: $299
- Transfer Fiumicino airport - Civitavecchia port or vice versa: $293
- Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to Saturnia - Arrival Private Transfer: $293
- Rome Airport Transfer & Pompeii Tour to Amalfi/Ravello Viceversa: $290
- Private transfer from Roma to Civitavecchia port: $274
- From Fiumicino to Orvieto Transfer: $274
- Private Transfer from Rome to Sperlonga or Gaeta: $269
- Arrival in Airport Transfer & Exclusive City Introduction: $268
- Rome Private Sightseeing and Catacombs Underground Group Tour with Transfer: $268
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Panama City
Also for Panama City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport To City Hotel transfer: $50
- Arrival Private Transfer Panama PTY Airport to City by Luxury SUV: $84
- Arrival Private Transfer Panama PTY Airport to Panama City by SUV: $75
- Arrival Transfer Panama Tocumen Airport PTY to Panama by Sprinter: $152
- Luxury SUV Private Transfer Panama City to Panama PTY Airport: $84
- PTY Airport Transfer Service To Panama City: $25
- Panamá Tocumen Airport Hotel or airbnb Transfer: $25
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Coronado/Gorgona - Round-Trip Transfer: $213
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Decameron - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $213
- Panama Airport (PTY) to Playa Bonita/Gamboa - Private Transfer: $33
- Guided Panama Canal & City Tour with Transfers: $70
- Historic District and Canal Tour with Transfer: $65
Is it cheaper to fly into Rome or Panama City?
Prices for flights to both Panama City and Rome 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 dayRome €84Panama City €31
Typical Food Prices in Rome
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rome:
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Casual Lunch (for Two)€14
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4 Ice Cream Sandwiches€2.99
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Cafe e doce€4.00
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Pizza (Fast Food)€2.65
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Sitdown Lunch (for Two)€32
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Cheese and bread€10
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Espresso€2.00
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Dinner€58
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rome
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rome.
- Pizzas and Piazzas: A Self-Guided Walk of Rome’s Culinary Culture: $20
- Hard Rock Cafe Rome with Set Lunch or Dinner: $34
- Food Tour of the Vatican with Farmers Market and Wine Tasting: $35
- Rome City Center Largest Farmers Market and Street Food Tour : $35
- Vatican Street Food Tour around the Biggest Fresh Market in Rome: $35
- Street Food tour : Eat like a real local: $40
- Tasty Trionfale Farmers Market Food Tour and Local Wines Tasting: $42
- Vatican Street Food Tour and Wine Experience with Local Guide: $47
- Fettuccine Pasta Cooking Class in Rome City Center: $52
- Trastevere Ultimate Food Tour by Do Eat Better: $52
- Trastevere & Campo de' Fiori Street Food Tour, Eat Like a Local: $53
- Rome Street Food Tour Eat Like a Local: $53
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.Rome €36Panama City €56
Typical Entertainment Prices in Rome
Here are a few typical costs in Rome for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Rome Museum Vaticano (for 2)€69
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Coliseum Tickets (for Two)€33
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Roma Pass€30
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Hop on Hop Off Bus (All Day)€20
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Segway Tour€75
Tours and Activities in Rome
Here are a few actual costs in Rome for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Appian Way and Aqueducts Electric Bike Tour: $90
- Baths of Caracalla Guided Tour -Private or Shared: $130
- Best of Rome by Night Private Sightseeing Chauffeured Tour: $227
- Discover The Churches of Rome guided tour: $178
- Evening Tour of the City’s Most Iconic Sights - Up To 6 People: $190
- Golf Cart Small-Group Guided Tour: Rome City Highlights: $104
- Golf Cart Tour of 3h with local guide and gelato: $215
- Guided Group Walking Tour of Rome Top Sights: $47
- Guided Tour of Rome's Churches and Art: $209
- Guided tour in Chinese between Vatican Museums + St. Peter's Basilica: $154
- Hidden Gems & Rome Catacomb Semi Private Tour by golf cart: $108
- Last Hour Guided Tour To Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel: $102
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 dayRome €18Panama City €15
Typical Alcohol Prices in Rome
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Rome:
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Bottle of Wine€6.50
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Pint of Beer€6.34
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Beer€10
Sample the Local Flavors in Rome
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Rome:
- Unique Wine Tasting in Enoteca in Rome San Pietro Area: $33
- Trionfale Farmers Market and Vatican Quarter Food and Wine Tour: $35
- Rome’s Exclusive Wine Tasting: Sip Near the Colosseum!: $39
- Tour of Rome with wine tasting: $54
- Wine Tasting in Trastevere with Food and Gelato: $54
- Guided Wine Tasting Experience in a Roman Vineyard: $59
- Wine Tour in Historic Center of Rome: $60
- Dolce Vita Burlesque show: $60
- EAT AND DRINK LIKE A LOCAL - Wine Tasting in Trastevere w/ Gelato: $72
- Wine Tour in Romes Historic center: $82
- Devour Rome Food & Wine Tour of Trastevere: $84
- The greatest wine tour of Rome: $84
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Rome and Panama City, we can see that Rome is more expensive. And not only is Panama City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Rome 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 Rome would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Rome 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 Rome Expensive? and Is Panama City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Rome or Panama City?
Rome has a larger population, and is about 6 times larger than the population of Panama City. When comparing the sizes of Rome 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.