Where To Live In Panama: 7 Best Expat Locations 2024

Are you wondering where to live in Panama? Great! We’ll cover seven of the best expat locations, from the Chiriqui highlands to the Azuero Peninsula to Panama City. Read on to find your next perfect place to call home.

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Where To Live In Panama

Whether you love the city, the country, hot weather, spring-like temperatures, the beaches, or the mountains, Panama has something wonderful to offer. After reading this post, we hope you’ll have discovered your sweet spot between weather, amenities, cost of living, and fun activities.

👉🏻 Panama City

Panama City is a vibrant mixture of historic neighborhoods, thriving culture, and modernity. Great healthcare, good education, and professional opportunities abound. Some expats call this the coolest place to live in Panama.

The city is energetic and offers a wide variety of culinary and artistic delights. Although costs are on the higher end, options range from affordable to luxurious. With large expat communities from all over the world, friendly locals, and iconic landmarks, there’s plenty to enjoy.

A few hour’s drive can take you to the beaches of Coronado, Taboga Island, or Portobelo. Attractive river gorges like Los Cajones de Chamey, lakes, forests, and wildlife preserves are all within range.

Traffic makes traveling time-consuming, but residents can easily get around by using efficient and affordable metro and bus systems.

If you love hot and humid weather, Panama City is a great place to land. The average daytime temperature is 86ºF (30ºC) with up to 90% humidity.

With the exception of a few specific neighborhoods, Panama City is fairly safe. It has top-notch medical facilities, international schools, job opportunities with international corporations, and the famous Panama Canal.

In terms of budget, the cost of living in Panama City is higher than other areas in the country but lower than big cities in Europe or the United States. A two-bedroom condo with ocean views can be rented for as little as $1200.

Neighborhoods favored by expats include Costa del Este, Avenida Balboa, Casco Viejo, and El Cangrejo.

👉🏻 Boquete

BEST FOR: Retirees, Families, Outdoor Enthusiasts

BUDGET: Low to Medium

WHAT TO EXPECT: Beautiful Landscapes, Cooler Temperatures, Great Nightlife

Boquete is a scenic mountain town in northern Panama’s Chiriquí Highlands. Thanks to its high elevation at 3,900 ft above sea level, residents enjoy cooler year-round temperatures with averages in the mid-to-high 70s. Local-grown coffee, easy access to the great outdoors, and a thriving expat community add to the attraction.

Retirees, families, and entrepreneurs make their homes in Boquete. Although there are no English international schools, there are several Spanish and bilingual options. Academia Internacional Boquete (AIB) is one of the most well-known bilingual schools in the area.

Healthcare ranges from middle-of-the-road to world-class, depending on your income and willingness to wait for care.

Another perk is that Boquete is safe and friendly. It is within 1.5 hours of the Pacific Coast or 3 hours of the Atlantic. Residents enjoy hiking, birdwatching, volunteering at the Rotary, joining clubs, and playing bridge and pickleball. Nightlife is best on the weekend, with live music at multiple venues.

Rent in Boquete ranges from $600 a month for a Panamanian-style house to $1200 for a three-bedroom North American-style home. Groceries are most affordable if you buy them from local sources.

Drawbacks to living here include weekly power outages and occasional water shortages, less developed infrastructure, and higher costs of living due to its popularity as a tourist destination.

Areas to consider in and around Boquete include Bajo Boquete, Alto Boquete, Valle Escondido, and Jaramillo.

👉🏻 Pedasi

BEST FOR: Beach-lovers, Retirees

BUDGET: Low to Medium

WHAT TO EXPECT: Gorgeous beaches, marine life, quiet laid-back living

If you’re looking for a remote, laid-back life on the beach, Pedasi could be a dream come true. This small town of about 5,000 people is located on the Azuero Peninsula, which juts out into the Pacific Ocean. Residents of Pedasi enjoy a slow pace of life, a friendly community, and a high level of safety. The weather averages 86ºF. Surfing, swimming, fishing, hiking, and visiting nearby national parks are top ways to take advantage of the sunshine.

Due to its rural location, there are fewer amenities, but there are at least three good grocery stores in town, a public clinic, and a 24-hour urgent care facility with a lab, pharmacy, and ambulance services. Nearby Las Tablas and Chitre offer more extensive medical care.

Expats can rent a Panamanian-style home in Pedasi for $500 a month, while larger custom homes can go for $2000 a month or more. The cost of living is quite low here, but keep in mind that its lack of amenities may require you to travel to shop. Bigger stores, movie theaters, and high-end dining are a 1-hour drive away, and private medical facilities are 2 hours away. Panama City is a four-hour drive or a 45-minute flight away.

There is a bilingual school in Las Tablas (30 minutes away), but some families may wish to homeschool, enroll their children in online classes, or send their children to public school in Pedasi.

👉🏻 Coronado

BEST FOR: Retirees, Digital Nomads, Families

BUDGET: Medium to High

WHAT TO EXPECT: Beautiful Beaches, Resort Feel, Private Schools

Coronado is a small resort town on the Pacific coast of Panama. It’s only an hour from Panama City and is a popular getaway spot. If you dream of hot weather, quick access to the beach, and great amenities, it is worth considering.

Residents enjoy snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, golfing, playing tennis and pickleball, sunbathing, and tromping through the nearby rainforest.

As far as amenities go, Coronado is home to several private schools, supermarkets, banks, strip malls, pharmacies, a movie theater, a hardware store, clinics and hospitals, and great dining options.

Since this is a tourist hotspot, Coronado isn’t the cheapest place to live in Panama. However, it is still accessible. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment costs $800 or more. Budget $100 a month for utilities (including air conditioning).

Transportation is affordable, with taxi rides costing about $2. Buses to Panama City cost about $10 one way.

Keep in mind that the internet speeds here can be slow, so you may need a backup system if you’re relying on it for work.

👉🏻 Volcan

BEST FOR: Nature lovers, Couples, Digital Nomads

BUDGET: Low

WHAT TO EXPECT: Lots of Nature, Beautiful Scenery, Cool weather & Good Amenities

Volcan is just under two hours from Boquete, on the opposite side of Volcán Baru. It’s high elevation makes it one of the cooler spots to live, with average temperatures of 75ºF during the day, dipping to 45ºF at night.

Unlike many of the other places we’ve covered, this town of 15,000+ is home to only a few hundred expats. It’s a great place to immerse yourself in Panamanian culture and the Spanish language.

While the infrastructure isn’t the best, Volcan offers many excellent amenities, including restaurants, hardware stores, grocery stores, farmer’s markets, medical labs, a public hospital, and doctor’s offices.

There are full-scale grocery stores, hardware stores, many different shops and services, local farmers’ markets, doctor’s offices, medical labs, and a public hospital. High-speed fiber internet is also available. Fresh vegetables grow in abundance.

The cost of living can be quite low. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Volcan averages about $500 a month. The real estate market is very active if you prefer to buy.

Expats in Volcan enjoy a wholesome and relaxed lifestyle with the option to buy land and go off-grid.

👉🏻 Chitre

BEST FOR: Retirees, Young Professionals

BUDGET: Low to Medium

WHAT TO EXPECT: Great amenities, relaxed lifestyle, colorful festivals

For city vibes and cultural immersion on Panama’s Azuero Peninsula, take a look at Chitré. This city mingles colonial charm with great amenities and a vibrant history and culture. There’s plenty to attract, with a slower pace of life and access to everything you could need.

American, Canadian, German, and Italian expats make their home here, though numbers remain relatively small. Locals enjoy sitting on their porches or in hammocks and are very welcoming, making it easier to integrate.

Amenities include private hospitals, grocery stores, shopping centers, fast food, hotels, casinos, pharmacies, car rentals, car sales, gyms, movie theaters, a golf course, and professional services.

From Chitre, it’s easy to access beaches, ecotourism spots, and nearby villages.

The cost of living here is quite reasonable. Total monthly expenses range from $1500 to $2100.

Neighborhoods to consider in Chitre include upscale Canta Rana, Los Guayacanes, Residencial Villas del Golf, Monagrillo, Los Perales, Los Milagros, and San Juan Bautista. 

👉🏻 David

BEST FOR: Families, Couples, Young Professionals

BUDGET: Low

WHAT TO EXPECT: Great Amenities, Hot Weather, Access to the Beach

David is another favored expat location in the Chiriqui Province of Panama. It’s the second-largest city in the country but doesn’t have “big city” vibes.

At a hop skip and jump from the Pacific Ocean, David experiences hot weather all year and offers quick beach access. Note that the nearest beaches aren’t the best for swimming.

Expats in David tend to be integrated into the local culture, so there is less of an organized expat community. It has a relatively low cost of living, good healthcare, private school options, and safe neighborhoods.

Rent here starts as low as $300 a month, and meals are easy to find for about $5.

Amenities include an immigration office, driver’s license office, hardware stores, grocery stores, bulk food stores (like Costco), farmer’s markets, public and private healthcare, an airport, universities, and some of the best private schools in the country.

As far as cons, public transportation isn’t the best in David, and crime rates are increasing.

Festivals and close proximity to Boquete’s lush rainforests add to David’s attraction.

How To Move To Panama

Moving to Panama is relatively straightforward thanks to the number of favorable visa and residency options available. These include the retirement visa, digital nomad visa, friendly nations visa, and various investment visas.

It’s always a good idea to get health insurance for your travels and learn as much Spanish as you can before you go.

Check out our detailed post on how to move to Panama.

Frequently Asked Questions: Where to Live in Panama

Conclusion

We hope this brief introduction about where to live in Panama has been helpful. Although there are many more places we could have talked about, the Azuero Peninsula, the Chiriqui Highlands, and the Panama City region are favorites among expats.

Thanks to this Central American country’s diversity, it’s easy to choose between city, town, and rural settings, modern amenities or life off the grid, and hot or cool weather, from freewheeling on the beach to relaxing in the temperate highlands.