Planning to move to Panama

Briefly, plan on coming down and exploring a few areas of interest. Think about all the places you've lived, write down what you liked and disliked. Keep that list handy as you refine your possible locations.

Highly suggest, you refine a lot before coming. By that I mean listing priorities and must haves. Also, life on the beach here isn't the same as in the US.

Search on VSO Panama. You'll find lots of help to get your benefits lined up.

Panama is very easy in some ways. But being open-minded is critical. As you've lived overseas, this process should be easier than most expats who never made the plunge.

@Illinois contact me at *** for some information about panama, make sure you mention your from expat.com and asking for info on panama, will be glad to share what i know

My husband and I are considering moving to Panama.  We hope to visit in the fall of 2024.  I want to live on the Caribbean side but all I know is Boccas del Toro which seems like too much of a party town for us.  Are they any other places on the Caribbean side one would recommend?

Thank you.

@mojeda2447  There are places east of Colon that are supposed to be nice, but I've never been there. Most of the Caribbean side is Comarca (indigenous territory)   

@kristc99 Thank you for the information.  Michelle

@kristc99 Colon is too dangerous!

@mojeda2447 Isla Colón is THE party town. It's very well adapted to foreigners but it parties hard.

@kristc99 Colón City is dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it. There are some exclusive developments going on that are worth the visit but you are excluded from everything and you'll end up traveling Panama City to get some things.  The PROs of living there is the access to Colon Free Zone but that's a place you aren't going to go every day.

@mojeda2447 Slow paced towns are Pedasí (but hot!), Mariato / Torio (beaches and still on early development), Santa Catalina / Lagartero (known for it's world class surfing beaches), Boquete (slow paced and well adapted to expats)

Panama City is a little chaotic now that drains my energy whenever I drive there.

@Illinois Gator

A good place to retire? Boquete for it's cool climate, Pedasí for beaches.  Mostly because of the day-to-day pace and because of the developments, real estate and bilingual staff at stores and restaurants.  And of course, Panama City that has everything we want but the traffic is a pain.

Do not go to Colón, Arraiján, San Miguelito, Pacora.  Some expats have moved there and quickly moving out elsewhere or even out of Panama.

@Illinois Gator  The weather in Panama is pretty constant.  95F+/-10F at the beach and it gets cooler as you go up in altitude.  If you don't like the heat and humidity, then head up hill.  My wife and I live a 4200' in Boquete, 75F +/-10F all year long for the daily high.  I am measuring temps in C now, so 25C+/-5C for the high and 18C+/-5C for the lows.  Dec - Mar is the dry season, they call it Summer down here, and the rest of the year is the rainy season.  Before you move down permanently, spend a week or two in October in Panama.  That is the wettest month.  The sunset only moves 30 min all year, so we do not do Daylight Savings Time.  Everybody communicates by email or WhatsApp, so you need to add that to your phone.  Good luck.  If you want to know why not to go to Costa Rica, ping me back.

Hello,

I plan to be an part time expat, living between the US and Panama.

I'm wondering if I should rent an Air BnB or a something similar for the times I am in Panama?

My Pensionado is pending and I'll be back for the permanent once approved.

I did very little scouting but I did like the area near Cinta Costera but I know it's probably an expensive.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you,

Christina

@Christinalhill Cinta Costera is super expensive.

You can do the part-time AirBnB but with your own property because otherwise it'd be really expensive in the city and you can generate income.  City Suburbs aren't "friendly" for this and cluttered. So if you want something close to the city and still have city-vibes, that'd be La Chorrera which is at 40km, a 30min drive on low traffic and a 2hr drive on peak hour.

Other areas you can see are Coronado, Chame, Sorá, Chicá which are relatively close to centers where you have supermarkets, hospitals, restaurants, etc.  Further than this, the usual Boquete and Pedasí towns that already have a growing expat community.