Anyone here live in Panama? How is it?

[Publisher Bucks]

I'm considering buying a property over in Panama as a part-time residential thing, maybe 3 to 6 months of the year, anyone on GFY live in Panama? How it is as far as expat living goes, I know its affordable, but whats it like in terms of sustainability, socially, business wise, etc?

How difficult is it to get a decent internet connection, cable, cell phones and all that important stuff?

[Kaos_internet]

I've been curious about this too.

Here's a good site with quite a lot of info:

https://panamarelocationtours.com/living-in-panama

[brassmonkey]

god throwback!

[geedub]

Originally Posted by Publisher Bucks

I'm considering buying a property over in Panama as a part-time residential thing, maybe 3 to 6 months of the year, anyone on GFY live in Panama? How it is as far as expat living goes, I know its affordable, but whats it like in terms of sustainability, socially, business wise, etc?

How difficult is it to get a decent internet connection, cable, cell phones and all that important stuff?

I've been to Panama several times, mostly Panama City. Internet is fine, can always get prepago sim cards for cell phone. SAP on popular cable channels will let you hear programming in English. The food is pretty blah. The cost of it is cheap, at least it used to be. Colombian hookers are hot if you like those. Only been to the beach in Bocas del Toro and it really wasn't my cup of tea.

[CurrentlySober]

i cunt a4d2 live in Panama...

[INever]

where ever you go, there you are

[Mr Pheer]

I was there in the spring of '94 as part of a deterrent force against any uprising during their democratic elections. Also graduated from Jungle Warfare School during that time. I wouldn't go back there to live or just hang out though.

[Retiree]

Panama is amazing. Kind of like the US, but without the criminality. You will feel safe 24/7.

[Publisher Bucks]

So I just booked a 10 day stay over there in February to check things out a little closer and see what areas of the country I like, its looking like it'll most likely be Panama City itself.

$130k for a 3br property in a somewhat decent area of the city (according to reviews) is a steal, especially if the amenities are as affordable as they seem to be.

Thanks for all the feedback

[Pim(P)]

Originally Posted by Publisher Bucks

So I just booked a 10 day stay over there in February to check things out a little closer and see what areas of the country I like, its looking like it'll most likely be Panama City itself.

$130k for a 3br property in a somewhat decent area of the city (according to reviews) is a steal, especially if the amenities are as affordable as they seem to be.

Thanks for all the feedback

I lived there(Panama City) for a small year after moving away form a high tax EU country.
The tax regime was what drove me to get the permanent residency which is an easy process coming from a 'friendly nation'.
Honestly I think there are better places to live in the world unless you have ties to the region, Panama City is small and there is not much to do in Panama.
Your experience may be totally different, other people love it so take my experience with a grain of salt. Personally I choose Thailand over Panama.

You can get by with English but highly recommended to have decent Spanish skills.
To get around you will need a car(although there is Uber and plenty of taxi's) as the city is not walkable.

In general Panama is considered safe, but that is by Latin American standards.

Business wise I would not recommend Panama as it has quite a bad reputation post Panama Papers internationally, local (business) banking is not so good. People are not really business minded in Panama and can procrastinate, this is not just for low paid employees for my experience.
There are some expat groups to socialize and retirees. I believe a good share of them are American.

Definitely check the location of the property first because for that price I would expect it to not be in the best neighborhood. Which neighborhood is the property?

Anyway, I hope you have a great time in Panama!

[Kaos_internet]

Originally Posted by Mr Pheer

I was there in the spring of '94 as part of a deterrent force against any uprising during their democratic elections. Also graduated from Jungle Warfare School during that time. I wouldn't go back there to live or just hang out though.

Funny how an ex-colony goes to supervise a sovereign country's elections...

One wishes it could take care of its own elections, these are funny enough to watch from abroad. God Save The King

[Retiree]

Originally Posted by Pim(P)

Panama City is small and there is not much to do in Panama.

I didn't find anything that Panama doesn't offer, to be honest. To the contrary...it offers the same what other western countries when it comes to quality of life and a lot more on top of it. Best weather in the world, too.

Originally Posted by Pim(P)

In general Panama is considered safe, but that is by Latin American standards.

I lived in the US, Western Europe and a few other places...and felt the safest in Panama. New York, LA, Paris or London feel like Baghdad compared to Panama City.

[Kaos_internet]

I lived in the US, Western Europe and a few other places...and felt the safest in Panama. New York, LA, Paris or London feel like Baghdad compared to Panama City.[/QUOTE]

I found Florida even worse... At least Paris & London have history and culture.