Budget Synopsis: Panama

Days in country: 8

Food: $130.70

Lodging: $223 (no Couchsurfing/Workaway)

Transport: $35.10 (buses)

Other: $196.50 (entrance fees, border fees, departure fees, souvenirs, guidebook)           

TOTAL: $585.30= $73.16/day for 2 people

New record, folks! While Panama was cheaper in many aspects than Costa Rica (food and buses were much more mangeable), we weren't able to secure any Couchsurfing or Workaway opportunities; paying $26-30/night for lodging definitely added up. We also had to purchase a $44 guidebook for South America, a $16 sports bra for me, a few rounds of admissions to the Panama Canal and cough up a whooping $84 for the departure tax out of Panama City charged at the airport. Our guidebook listed a daily basic budget as $35/person and a splurge budget as $50/person—we’re right in line, especially given the incidentals we splurged on, but I'm still aghast at what our daily total evened out to.