living in Central America

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Member since 12 September 2008

palmtreeMember12 September 2008 01:24:16

I am a single 58 year old man planning to move to Central America in January, 2009. I am a retired teacher currently subsituting in the San Diego area. I am considering three countries, Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica, but am leaning towards Panama. My problem is this, I have done extensive research on all three countries, expecially the cost of living. I have a pension of $1400 a month, plus some money saved, just in case. While traveling to Costa Rica and Panama, I visited several schools and dropped off my resume.
My research on the cost of living has varied a lot. Some say you can live conservativly on $750.00 a month. Others say you need at least $2000 to get by. That is a big difference. I understand the big difference since everyone is different. I live in San Diego. I am used to living on very little to get by, so that is nothing new to me. I am both desperate and frustrated over this issue. Can you give me a general idea on what the basic cost to live in these countries? I will be using a lot of my pension to make this move. I would hate to put that money out only to end up in the same situation I am in now. Sorry for the long message, but I will DEFINITELY be moving next January and I am very desperate for help.

panamalaw08 Member

Member since 30 October 2008

panamalaw08Member30 October 2008 01:39:22

Hi, I hope to be of some help in this issue. I appreciate that the cost of living in panama will vary depending on the cost of living you are used to or that you expect. Bear in mind that if you apply for a pensionada visa you can get considerable discounts of many services. Also your cost of living will vary greatly depending on your highest cost items. For example I can travel from Gorgona to Panama City on the bus for 1.5 hours for $2.00 The public transport is efficient and cheap. Obviously running a car is much more expensive. The other high cost is accomomdation, if you buy a house, then of course you have no rent costs. Renting in the city can be expensive, renting a house outside of the city can be found from $200-$1000 or more, depending on what you are looking for. An example is a 3 bed American style house near the beach area of Gorgona or Coronado for $600 per month.
Hope this contributes to your enquires. If you make careful choices it is very possible to live within your pension in my view, as many live on less than half that amount, but it will depend on your expectations.
http://www.thepanamalawyer.com

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