In this guide, we’ll take you through a comprehensive tour of the cost of living in Panama. We will start with a breakdown of the various areas of Panama, as this will affect your cost of living greatly. Then we’ll dive into budgetary items that tend to be more set, such as transportation and entertainment.

Topics include:

• City Living
• Panama City, Costa del Este, Clayton, Casco Viejo, Veracruz, Panama Pacifico/Majagual
• Cost of Living in Panama Beach and Mountain Communities
• Coronado-Gorgona, Boquete, El Valle, Pedasi, Bocas del Toro, Las Tablas, David/Las Lajas,
• Colon/Portobelo
• What The Basics Will Cost
• Transportation
• Groceries
• Healthcare
• Sports and Leisure
• Restaurants/Night Life
• Utilities
• Child Care/Domestic Help/International Schools
• Clothing/Shoes
• The Cost of Living in Panama is On You

Options for expat employment in Panama range from salaried positions with multinational companies to remote working online to opening a restaurant or retail shop. In this guide, we explore your options for expat employment in Panama and share stories of expats working in Panama today.

Topics include:

• Many Protected Positions in Panama
• Multinational Companies in Panama
• Remote Employment for Expats in Panama
• Local Expat Employment
• Restaurants and Retail
• Teaching English in Panama
• Taxation for Expats
• Coworking and Collaboration in Panama
• Finding Expat Employment in Panama in 2020

There are plenty of beautiful, inexpensive places to live that struggle under the weight of an unstable or oppressive government. Thankfully, Panama is not one of them. As you’ll learn in this guide, Panama has a stable and well-organized government that is not unlike other modern democratic nations.

Topics include:

• Democratic Republic with Multi-Party System
• Political Parties in Panama
• The Current President of Panama
• Is Panama’s Government Corrupt?
• No Military, But a Strong Police Force
• Elections and Voting in Panama
• Foreigner Rights in Panama
• Government in Panama in 2020

In those initial years, Panama was a bit like the Wild Wild West. People came through Tocumen International Airport with a passport and either didn’t bother to maintain appropriate documentation or they took a quick weekend trip to Costa Rica or Columbia and restarted the clock on their tourist visa. People with true grit took on the bureaucracy of getting a Panama Visa without an attorney. Housing was relatively inexpensive and lots of expats lived well just on their Social Security. Things have changed. You can still live comfortably on less money than it takes in other countries, but you will need to make the investment to get your paperwork in order.

Topics include:

• Not The Wild Wild West!
• Visas Options
• Before You Leave Home
• What You’ll Need
• Panamanian Pensionado Program
• Putting It Together
• Utilities
• Postal Service
• Banking
• Where To Live
• Embracing The Way Of Life In Panama

Panama is not without crime and it is important to take care and be aware when you are out and about, but generally Panama is well patrolled, especially in the more populated, tourist and expat areas especially in Panama City, along the Amador Causeway and Panama Canal.

Topics include:

• The Darien and Mosquito Gulf
• An Unlikely World-Class Resort
• Some Areas Are More Vulnerable
• Safer Than Other Countries
• Take Care of Yourself
• Race Relations in Panama
• LGBTQ+
• Not As Accommodating of Handicaps
• Safety and Crime in Panama in 2020

In this guide, we’ll discuss your many options for grocery shopping in Panama, including what you can expect in terms of pricing and imported goods. In the end, you’ll find that you can get just about anything in Panama, though you may pay more if it traveled far to get here. If you are trying to stick to a budget, you’ll find local, budget-friendly options for grocery shopping in Panama as well.

Topics include:

• Your Options for Grocery Shopping in Panama
• Riba Smith
• El Rey
• Bringing Local Produce To Market
• Super 99
• Machetazo– A Truly One-Stop Shop
• It Depends Which is Closest
• Buying in Bulk
• Farm to Table
• Vegetables from a Volcano
• The Freshest Of Fish
• Upscale Wine and Deli
• The National Spirit Of Panama
• Lots Of Kosher Options
• Organic Is Everywhere
• Los Chinos

Over the past decade, Panama has invested millions of dollars into the large public sector which is composed of the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and the “Social Security” fund (CSS). It is in these nine hundred plus facilities, spread across the country, that Panamanians generally receive healthcare. Panama does not have universal care, but it is close. The CSS facilities provide care for employed local citizens through paycheck contributions along with additional funds paid by the employer. These facilities are also open to foreign nationals, but it takes a bit longer to schedule appointments and receive auxiliary treatments and tests. By law, Panamanian physicians who work in the more advanced private facilities also must work at the CSS and MINSA treatment centers so the skill of providers is universally high.

Topics include:

• Coronary Disease, Stroke and Diabetes
• Medical Tourism
• Considering the Whole Picture
• Coronado
• David
• Panama City
• The facilities most popular with expats in the capital city
• What To Consider When Considering Healthcare In Panama
• Dental, Vision and Homeopathic
• Prescriptions
• Professionals
• Stem Cell Institute
• The Gorgas Memorial Laboratory
• Vaccinations
• Easier For Canadians
• A Reference List Of Hospitals Outside Panama City

If you are bringing children to Panama or considering university for yourself, you will be interested in your Panama education options. In short, they are numerous and can be excellent– but you want to do your research to ensure an institute’s curriculum and values are up to your standards.

This guide walks you through 2020 education in Panama– from public and private K-12 schools to Panamanian and even American universities. With so many education options in Panama, chances are you will find one that’s a right fit for your child or even yourself.

Topics include:

• Outstanding Private Schools in Panama in 2020
• K-12 International And Private Programs
• Panama Educations Options Outside The City
• Public Education in Panama
• Improving Public Education
• Private Nonprofit Schools for Low-Income Families
• Increasing Bilingualism in Panama
• Higher Education in Panama
• Transportation/Food/Uniforms
• Many Panama Education Options in 2020

Think yellowfin tuna from the Pacific Ocean, handed over within hours to a waiting chef’s knife or big fat lobsters fresh from the Caribbean waters around Bocas del Toro. Pineapples so sweet, and intense in flavor it’s hard to compare them to any other pineapple. Avocados are large and it’s sometimes difficult to get your hand around them. The vegetables are so fresh they haven’t stopping growing. But, all that wasn’t enough.

Topics include:

• An Evolved Food Scene
• Mario Castrellón
• Empowering The Indigenous People
• Michelin Star Chefs
• Donde Jose
• The Fish Market
• Beer, Wine and Craft Cocktails
• Craft Cocktails With A Twist
• For Beer Lovers
• More Grape Options Please
• Don’t Forget The Coffee
• Competitions And A Private Chef
• A Melting Pot
• Great Restaurants in Panama City
• Rooftops in Panama City
• Outside of Panama City
• Great Restaurants Outside of Panama City, Panama
• The Food Scene in Panama in 2020

For over a century, the Panama Canal has almost single-handedly defined Panama’s personality in terms of tourism. Generally, people who say they have been to Panama explain they “visited” by taking a cruise through the Panama Canal, not that they enjoyed the many beautiful beaches, explored the most cosmopolitan city in Central America, experienced the rainforest and exotic birding, hiked to the top of a volcano or pulled a Black Marlin from the sea.

Topics include:

• A Well-Intended Travel Campaign
• “For Adventurers, Not Tourists…”
• Strong Panama Economy
• Not Dependent On Tourism
• Still an Incredible Destination
• Getting to Panama
• Tourism in Panama City, Panama
• Walk Along The Cinta Costera
• Enjoy The Amador Causeway
• Make Time For the Biomuseo
• Check Out The Balboa Yacht Club
• Learn Something at the Punta Culebra Nature Center
• Helicopter Over The Skyscrapers
• See Real Panama On Avenida Central
• Understand the Artisans Of The Indigenous Tribes of Panama
• Check Out Metropolitan Natural Park or Ancon Hill
• Take A Panama Detour With Joey
• Take A Drive To Costa del Este
• Drive a Golf Ball in Santa Maria
• Buy the Chocolate; Buy the Coffee
• Go Back 500 Years
• Lose the Tourists, Shop Mercado 5 de Mayo
• The Panama Canal
• The Full Transit
• Panama Canal Partial Transit
• Gatun Lake Boat Tour With Monkey Island, Agua Clara Locks and San Lorenzo
• Rainforest, Embera Indigenous Village
• Dining And Training With A Canal View
• The Agua Clara Visitor Center
• Museums & Other Attractions
• Where to Stay in Panama City
• In Casco Viejo
• Tourism Outside of Panama City
• All-Inclusive Resorts in Panama
• Unique and Exquisite Resorts in Panama
• In Coronado
• In El Valle
• In Boquete
• In Bocas del Toro
• In San Blas
• Festivals & Holidays
• Carnival
• Holidays in Panama
• Tourism in Panama in 2020