8 Things Expats Wish They Knew Before Moving To Panama

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Casco Viejo (Old Town), Panama City

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Panama is a long-standing crowd favorite among expats and retirees, with a pensioner’s visa program that’s often been called the Gold Standard among worldwid

Coast of Bocas del Toro

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e retirement programs.

This little country offers a well-appointed, cosmopolitan capital city, plus two long coastlines—one along the Pacific and another along the Caribbean.

The country is rich in natural beauty and resources, and it’s user-friendly as an expat destination for folks from up north. It has a familiar culture, easy-to-access residency options, and favorable tax policies.

Comfortable yet exciting. Convenient, yet still charmingly rough around the edges. For the potential retiree or foreign resident, Panama offers big and unequaled advantages—year-round warm weather, a low cost of living, a foreign-resident-friendly tax system, one of the best banking systems in the world, a stable political situation, a bright economic outlook, and the world’s best program of discounts and perks for foreign retirees…

Still, Panama is not for everyone. Panama City is often compared with Miami, and the similarities are many. But life is going to be different here than you’re used to… maybe more different than you’re ready for.

Here are a few of the things people wish they had known before they had moved to Panama…

1. Living In Panama City Isn’t Cheap, But The Rest Of The Country Can Be…

Anyone coming into Panama from another country starts their journey in Panama City, which can be misleading. The capital has an economy all its own and it’s not at all representative of the rest of the country.

Costs of living in the city are likely not too far off what you may currently pay, with rents in the center of the city in the thousands and grocery stores offering a huge inventory of pricey imported goods.

And even though the city isn’t huge and there’s a metro and bus system, you’re going to need a car living here, which can be a big part of your monthly budget here.

Just outside the city, though, your costs could be a fraction of what they’d be in the capital. Once you get farther into the interior of the country, living in the countryside or in any of the country’s charming towns or villages, you could easily live on $2,000 a month, or even less.

2. Little Changes On The Equator…

There are no seasonal temperature changes here and you get about 12 hours of daylight every day, year-round.

On the one hand, this means that beach season never ends, and the gorgeous sunny, warm weather is something you can depend onurs every day.

On the other, once you’ve been here a few years, it can be hard to track the passing of time.

Plus, while it’s nice that the sun rises at about 6:30 a.m. every day, it also means the sun sets around 6:30 p.m. every day. It’s a very subjective aspect of life—would you like this consistency or would it get boring?

However, while there’s no temperature change, there is a rainy season…

3. The Thunderstorms Are Epic…

The rainy season is roughly from May to December, but that doesn’t mean there’s six months of non-stop rain.

Thunderstorms here typically only last about 20 or 30 minutes and are usually in the afternoon, the rest of the day is as sunny as ever.

But while short-lived, you’ll be amazed at the amount of water that will fall during a storm. Flooding can be a risk—always bring an extra pair of shoes when you go out.

The rain is often accompanied by thunder and lightning, which are truly spectacular… though better enjoyed from a window than from outdoors.

Never leave the house during these months without an umbrella.

4. This Is The Jungle…

Spiders, cockroaches, mosquitoes, snakes, scorpions, caimans, and other “pests” abound here, even in the city to an extent. Once you leave the capital, these critters will be part of your daily life.

5. You Need A Mail Forwarding Account…

There’s no postal service in Panama, and to receive mail or packages from overseas, you’ll need a mail forwarding service, most of which operate out of Miami.

For a nominal monthly fee, you’ll be able to receive all your mail from back home, as well as shipments, for example from Amazon.

6. Holidays Are Disruptive…

November is called mes de la patria, and it’s chock full of the country’s several national holidays. Most people take off long weekends and businesses may shut down for weeks at a time. This is not the time of year to get administration done…

Dec. 8 is Mother’s Day, another national holiday, and with Christmas a major event in this Catholic country, there aren’t a lot of days to get things done in December, either.

After the new year, there’s carnaval, which takes place in February and is another excuse for folks to shut things down for a week or so.

7. The Lifestye Is Very Laidback…

It’s the reason many folks want to move here—the pace of life here is much slower than up north, and the atmosphere is relaxed. There’s no rush to get anything done, wait times are longer than you’ll expect (whether it’s the grocery store line or trying to get an appointment with a plumber… etc.).

Generally speaking, there’s not much urgency to life in Panama, which is a great thing… except when you need an issue resolved.

8. Fireworks…

All the time, for any and all reasons… or no reason at all!