Panama

Panama has it all. Where you choose to live will depend on what you want and need to do.

Panama City’s  Casco Viejo  neighborhood, the oldest European city on the Pacific coast of the Americas, continues the renaissance that began here in earnest about a dozen years ago. Businesses are renovating and moving into what were once crumbling colonial structures, and residents are slowly following.

The Streets have been repaved with shiny new red brick and this peninsula is the current hot spot for nightlife.

The tourist areas are safe—and patrolled by police on bicycles—but the neighboring slums are still no-go zones.

On the other side of the country, in the western region of Chiriquí, lies the world-renowned Boquete.

This mountain town north of David, the provincial capital, has been touted as a retirement haven for foreigners going back to the 1800s.

You hear more English than Spanish on the streets here.

Nestled between two rivers at the end of a narrow valley, Boquete is known country-wide for its mountain vistas and spring-like climate.

However, it’s a small town with none of the amenities of the capital (most residents do their shopping in David, a half-hour away) and a central business district that rolls up the sidewalks fairly early every evening.

For coastal living, just look north of Boquete to the  Bocas del Toro  archipelago on the Caribbean coast, with its white-sand beaches, idyllic tropical islands, and shimmering aqua water.

Bocas Del Toro is populated largely by tourists, so you would live in a place surrounded by people who were always on vacation. 

On the Pacific coast west of Panama City, you will find the so-called  City Beaches. Less than two hours from Panama City, these beach towns—Chame, Coronado, Punto Barco, Vista Mar, San Carlos, Bijao, and Buenaventura—are the favorite weekend hangouts of locals and have drawn the attention of expatriate settlers, as well.

Coronado has become particularly popular, with some stunning oceanfront developments. Expats who live there say they live quite comfortably on US$2,500 a month.

Situated near the southeastern-most tip of Panama’s Azuero Peninsula, the small town  Pedasí  has a character that you’ll feel it as soon as you arrive.

The relaxed, friendly village vibe seems to seep through your skin and settle deep down inside you, filling you with something… something that can’t be explained even by those who call the place home.