There are so many things that I love about living in Panama. Here’s my shortlist of the 7 things that I like best:
I appreciate that my cost of living is much less than it was in Texas. In Texas, my electric bill was $250 to $450 a month. In Panama, my electric bill is rarely over $25 a month. In Texas, my water bill was $80 a month. In Panama, I pay $100 for water for the whole year. My cell phone bill is only $15 a month. It’s only $12 to see an excellent doctor. And my international health insurance is 80% less than I’d have to pay in the US. I especially love that I do not have any property taxes, and my house and car insurance are less than $200 a year each. These all add up to big savings!
I love that Panama is a small country. I can drive from my house in the mountains to the Pacific Ocean in about 1 hour. I can drive to the Caribbean Sea in 3 hours. If I ever get in the mood to go to Panama City, it is a short 35-minute flight. In Panama, when you drive just 30-60 minutes, the scenery will change, and the weather will be different too.
I love how friendly and welcoming the Panamanian people are to foreigners and to each other. Because foreigners have been coming to Panama for hundreds of years, the Panamanian people feel comfortable being around foreigners. The Panamanian government puts out the red carpet for foreigners by making it super easy to get a residency Visa to live in Panama indefinitely. And with certain Visas, you can even get a work permit to legally work in Panama.
I love that living in Panama reminds me of what it was like when I lived in the United States in the 60s and 70s (but with high-speed internet and cable TV added). It’s a simpler stress-free lifestyle. People are friendly. Neighbors talk to each other. Panamanians are extremely patriotic. Sure, there are inconveniences, but they seem so minor compared to all the pluses.
I love that I can grow just about anything in the mountains of Panama. Flowers, vegetables, bananas, fruit trees all flourish in Panama. Anything that I cannot grow at my altitude (4500 feet), like pineapple or rice, grow easily at lower altitudes. Plus, there are fish from two oceans. There is a 365-day growing season which supplies food without importing anything.
I love the natural beauty in Panama. If you’re a beach person, you’ll love the long sandy beaches. There are 1500 miles of coastline in Panama, and every beach is a little different. If you’re a mountain person, you’ll love the lush green mountains and miles of rolling vistas. You can walk through a rain forest. You’ll see thousands of unique flowers and trees. There are 1200 species of birds in Panama, including many rare birds. I have hundreds of hummingbirds at my property every day.
The thing I love the most about living in Panama is the weather and the fresh air. One of the reasons I left Texas was because I was fed up with living in 100-degree summers and cold, icy winters. In Texas, I either had my air conditioner on or my heater on almost all year. But in Panama, living in the mountains, I don’t even need an air conditioner or heater. I have my windows open every day, so I can get fresh clean air. Daytime temperatures are in the low to mid-70s. Evening temperatures are in the mid-60s. To me, this is perfect weather and the perfect place to live.
I’m praying that when the time comes for me to house hunt to rent in March. I can find a place very similar to yours at a reasonable price. Based on the bit of research I’ve done, the prices have gone up quite a bit and there aren’t many new listings. I did find a few. But either no pets or in a neighborhood where the homes were close together in the community. I’m looking for something different than what I have here in Texas. A little paradise similar to yours🙏🏽🙂