One of the great surprises for travelers arriving in Panama is just how affordable accommodation can be. Panama has a reputation for having a sophisticated capital city, modern skyscrapers, luxury resorts, expensive looking beaches and some seriously impressive real estate, so it is easy to assume that finding a comfortable place to stay is going to cost a fortune. Then you open Airbnb and discover that there are thousands of vacation rentals spread across the country, ranging from simple rooms and apartments to jungle cabins, mountain houses, beachfront properties and enormous villas. Suddenly the idea of spending a month traveling around Panama without spending a fortune on hotels becomes much more realistic.
Airbnb has become particularly interesting in Panama because the country offers such a wide variety of accommodation. You can be in a modern apartment overlooking Panama City one night, a mountain cabin surrounded by coffee farms a few days later, and then end up in a wooden Caribbean house over the water in Bocas del Toro. The accommodation does not simply change in price. It changes completely in character.
Panama Can Be Surprisingly Cheap for Accommodation
One of the biggest advantages of using Airbnb in Panama is the sheer range of prices. You do not necessarily have to spend hundreds of dollars a night to get somewhere comfortable and interesting. Airbnb's current listings show vacation rentals in Boquete starting from around $10 per night before taxes and fees, while Bocas del Toro also has listings starting around $10 per night. Apartment listings in Boquete currently start around $30, while apartments in Bocas del Toro start around $20.
Of course, these starting prices do not mean that every good property costs $10. They are the cheapest available listings and taxes and fees can add to the final price. But they demonstrate something important about traveling in Panama: there is a huge range of accommodation available, and travelers willing to search can find considerably better value than they might expect.
This is particularly useful for backpackers, couples, digital nomads, retirees, families and anyone planning to stay in Panama for several weeks or months.
Airbnb Is Particularly Interesting Outside Panama City
Panama City has thousands of vacation rentals, with Airbnb currently showing more than 5,500 listings in the city. But some of the most interesting bargains can be found outside the capital.
Boquete is a perfect example. The town and surrounding mountains have an enormous selection of cabins, apartments, guesthouses, farm stays and houses. Airbnb currently lists more than 500 vacation rentals in Boquete, with an average guest rating of about 4.7 out of 5.
And this is where Panama starts becoming particularly attractive.
Imagine having a private cabin in the mountains, a kitchen, WiFi, a terrace and a spectacular view instead of staying in a conventional hotel room. If you are traveling with another person, the cost can become surprisingly reasonable when you divide the accommodation between two people.
Boquete Is an Excellent Example
Boquete is one of the places where Airbnb makes enormous sense. You have everything from basic rooms to luxury mountain properties, and there are properties scattered around the town and surrounding countryside.
Current Airbnb listings show everything from inexpensive accommodation to highly rated cabins and apartments with mountain views, kitchens, pools, private terraces and other amenities.
The monthly variation in prices is also interesting. Airbnb's current Boquete information shows average prices varying substantially throughout the year, with some months considerably cheaper than the January and February high season.
That creates an opportunity for travelers who are flexible.
If you are not tied to Christmas, New Year, school holidays or the busiest travel periods, you can sometimes find much better accommodation value simply by changing your dates.
Bocas del Toro Is Another Story
Bocas del Toro is a fascinating place to look at Airbnb because the accommodation can range from extremely basic to completely ridiculous in the best possible way.
You can find apartments, wooden Caribbean houses, jungle properties, cabins, beach houses and even properties sitting directly over the water. Airbnb currently lists roughly 890 vacation rentals in Bocas del Toro Province, with listings starting around $10 per night before taxes and fees.
That does not mean you are going to get a luxury overwater villa for $10. You definitely are not.
But it does mean that Bocas has accommodation for very different budgets.
And the interesting thing about Bocas is that sometimes spending a little more can dramatically change the experience. A slightly more expensive apartment with a kitchen, balcony and ocean view can provide much more value than paying the same amount for a basic hotel room.
Sharing an Airbnb Can Make Panama Very Affordable
This is where Airbnb becomes particularly interesting for groups.
A hotel room has a fairly fixed capacity. An Airbnb house might sleep four, six, eight or even more people.
If a house costs $100 per night and four people share it, that is $25 each. If six people share a $150 property, that is also $25 each.
Suddenly something that looked expensive becomes very reasonable.
This is particularly useful for families and groups of friends traveling around Panama. Instead of booking several hotel rooms, you can sometimes rent one house with several bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, terrace and outdoor space.
In some cases, you are paying less per person while getting considerably more space.
The Kitchen Can Save You Money
One of the biggest advantages of an Airbnb is something that has nothing to do with the bedroom.
The kitchen.
Restaurants in Panama can be inexpensive, but if you are traveling for several weeks, eating every meal in restaurants adds up. Having a kitchen means you can buy fruit, bread, eggs, rice, vegetables, coffee, snacks and other basics and prepare some of your own meals.
This can make a huge difference to the total cost of a longer trip.
It also means you do not have to go searching for breakfast every morning. You can wake up, make coffee and sit on the balcony while watching the monkeys, birds or whatever else happens to be outside.
That is a pretty good breakfast.
Airbnb Can Be Better for Longer Stays
The longer you stay somewhere, the more attractive an apartment or house can become.
A hotel room is designed primarily for sleeping. An apartment can become a temporary home.
You can unpack your suitcase. You can cook. You can wash clothes. You can work. You can buy groceries. You can have friends over. You can sit outside.
For someone spending two or three weeks traveling through Panama, this can be a completely different experience from changing hotels every few nights.
And for digital nomads or people spending several months in Panama, the difference can become even more significant.
Panama City Offers an Enormous Choice
Panama City is where Airbnb really demonstrates the scale of the market. There are thousands of listings across the city, ranging from simple apartments to luxury high rise properties with pools, gyms, balconies and spectacular skyline views. Airbnb currently lists more than 5,590 vacation rentals in Panama City.
The interesting thing about Panama City is that you can choose your experience.
You can stay in the middle of the modern city surrounded by skyscrapers, stay closer to Casco Viejo, choose a quieter neighborhood or find an apartment with views over the Pacific.
For travelers accustomed to expensive North American or European cities, Panama City can sometimes offer considerably more space for the money, particularly when comparing apartments rather than traditional hotel rooms.
You Can Find Some Truly Unusual Places
This might be the best part of Airbnb in Panama.
The country has an enormous variety of landscapes, and accommodation takes advantage of that.
You can find jungle cabins, coffee farm stays, mountain cottages, beach houses, apartments overlooking the ocean and Caribbean properties surrounded by tropical vegetation.
Bocas is particularly famous for unusual accommodation. Current listings include properties on Bastimentos, houses over the water, beachfront homes and jungle accommodations.
Boquete offers a completely different atmosphere, with mountain cabins, farms and properties overlooking the highlands.
That is one of the reasons Airbnb can be more interesting in Panama than simply booking a chain hotel.
The accommodation itself can become part of the trip.
Look Beyond the Main Tourist Center
One of the best ways to find affordable accommodation in Panama is to look slightly outside the most obvious tourist center.
A property five or ten minutes outside the center might cost considerably less while giving you more space, better views and a quieter environment.
This is particularly useful in places such as Boquete, where the surrounding countryside is part of the attraction anyway. You may actually prefer waking up among coffee farms and mountains rather than directly beside the busiest street.
The same principle works in Bocas del Toro and Panama City.
The cheapest and most interesting property is not always the one sitting directly in the middle of the tourist action.
Read the Reviews
The fact that Panama has affordable Airbnb accommodation does not mean you should book the cheapest thing you see.
Read the reviews.
Look carefully at comments about cleanliness, WiFi, water pressure, noise, air conditioning, location and communication with the host.
A property can look spectacular in photographs and be considerably less spectacular when you discover that the "ocean view" means standing on the toilet and leaning through a window.
Reviews are your best defense against this.
Fortunately, there are plenty of properties with enormous numbers of reviews. Airbnb currently shows highly rated properties in Boquete with hundreds of guest reviews, including properties rated around 4.9 out of 5.
Watch the Final Price
There is one important warning when talking about cheap Airbnb accommodation.
The advertised nightly price is not necessarily the price you actually pay.
Taxes and additional fees can increase the final cost. Airbnb itself specifically notes that the starting prices shown for its Panama listings do not include taxes and fees.
So do not compare a $25 Airbnb with a $30 hotel simply by looking at the first number.
Look at the total price for the entire stay.
That is the number that matters.
Panama Is Particularly Good for Budget Travelers
The combination of inexpensive transportation, relatively affordable food and a large range of accommodation makes Panama an interesting country for budget travelers.
You do not have to travel like a backpacker sleeping in the cheapest dorm every night.
You can travel comfortably without spending a fortune.
That is the sweet spot.
You can stay in a hostel for a few nights, rent an apartment for a week, spend a couple of nights in a mountain cabin and then splurge on a beachfront property.
Panama allows you to mix different styles of travel without completely destroying your budget.
Airbnb Versus Hotels
Hotels still have advantages. You get reception, daily housekeeping, sometimes breakfast, restaurants, pools and other services.
But Airbnb can win when you want space, privacy, a kitchen, multiple bedrooms or a longer stay.
A couple may prefer a private apartment to a standard hotel room. A family may prefer a house with a kitchen and several bedrooms. A group of friends can split the cost of a larger property. Someone staying for a month may value having a washing machine and a proper kitchen far more than having a hotel lobby.
There is no universally better option.
The advantage of Panama is that you have plenty of choices.
The Secret Is Flexibility
The travelers who get the best accommodation deals are usually the ones who are flexible.
If you can change your dates by a few days, consider several neighborhoods, stay slightly outside the center and do not insist on having an ocean view from your bed, your options increase dramatically.
The same applies to season.
Airbnb's current data for Boquete and Bocas shows noticeable variations in average prices during different months, with some periods substantially cheaper than others.
This is something worth remembering when planning a longer Panama trip.
Sometimes the cheapest way to save money is not finding a cheaper property.
It is simply going at a different time.
Panama Gives You a Lot for Your Accommodation Dollar
Perhaps the biggest reason Airbnb works so well in Panama is that you can often get things that would cost considerably more elsewhere.
A private apartment.
A balcony.
A kitchen.
A swimming pool.
A mountain view.
A garden.
A beach nearby.
Sometimes even a house surrounded by jungle.
You do not necessarily have to choose between affordability and comfort.
And that is what makes Panama such an interesting destination for travelers who want to stay longer.
Panama is one of those countries where accommodation does not necessarily have to be a major part of your travel budget. Airbnb has created an enormous selection of vacation rentals, from simple inexpensive rooms to luxury apartments, mountain cabins, jungle houses and spectacular Caribbean properties.
Current Airbnb listings demonstrate just how broad the market has become. Panama City has thousands of vacation rentals, Boquete has more than 500, and Bocas del Toro Province has close to 900.
And the real attraction is not simply that you can find cheap accommodation.
It is that you can find interesting accommodation without necessarily paying luxury prices.
You can wake up in the mountains around Boquete, spend a few days in a Panama City apartment, move on to a Caribbean island and stay in a wooden house surrounded by tropical vegetation, and still keep your accommodation costs surprisingly reasonable.
For travelers who are willing to compare properties, read reviews, avoid the busiest dates and look beyond the obvious tourist centers, Panama can offer an extraordinary amount of accommodation for your money.
And that might be one of the country's best kept travel secrets.