Panama Forum

panamajames
Joined 2012
Posts: 5096

5 years ago

Is Panama a Good Place to Live?

5 years ago

Here is a story I found that tells a story and a good perspective on life in Panama from someone who lives in the city........................

Is Panama a good place to live?
It definitely depends on what you mean by "good". I've lived exclusively in the city in the capital, so it might be different if you're thinking of relocating elsewhere.

Panama uses the USD, which isolates the economy from the general instability that other countries in the region suffer from, because of their volatile currencies. The Panamanian economy has actually maintained a steady growth (around 5% per year).
Since you're relocating, you will find that living expenses are quite low when compared to other USD territories. However, salaries are comparatively lower as well. This is beneficial to people who already have some money saved and are relocating in. However, there is one important market where this does not apply: Housing. Due to the fact that it is one of the most stable economies in the region, lots of wealthy foreigners (mostly Venezuelans, but not exclusively) have moved in and set up shop in Panama. This, combined with just regular population growth and supply/demand has driven housing prices in the city through the roof, and consequently prices in the suburbs and pretty much everywhere else, really.

Depending on where you are from, you might be used to a reliable public transportation system. If that is the case, forget that idea and consider buying a car. Public transportation is horribly crowded, slow, unscheduled, and subject to traffic. Having a car still makes getting around the city slow, unscheduled, and subject to traffic, but at least you move around in comfort. Traffic is... heavy, to say the least (it is my number one gripe with living in Panama). To the point that "traffic was terrible" is still an acceptable excuse for being late pretty much across the board in Panama, even for people who have lived there their whole lives. To illustrate: The same drive from point A to point B which can take 15 minutes without traffic at 2am can take you as much as 2 hours between 6-8am and 4-7pm. Due to this, drivers are constantly angry to the point I personally believe it's pathological by now.

Depending on where you are from, you might be used to riding a bike as an alternative to getting around. It's not great. Even if your workplace has a shower for you to clean up after riding a bike under the searing Panama heat, it's a pretty risky experience considering there are no dedicated bike lanes. This forces you to ride on the narrow space on the edges of the streets, or use sidewalks. The average Panamanian sidewalk is little more than 3 feet wide.

Perhaps I've been lucky, but I believe crime, while being a serious problem like everywhere else, is overhyped and considerably less than other countries in the region where going out at night is simply not an option. Don't leave visible valuables in your car, always look around when out at night, don't drive in bad neighborhoods at night, watch for pickpockets in crowded areas, etc. Just be aware of your surroundings and you should be safe. Do know that criminals tend to target foreigners (which in Panama pretty much means "white") more often than locals. For what it's worth, the only experiences I've had with crime in my life in Panama were two bikes stolen from my (fenced, but open) garage, and a broken car window (nothing was stolen. Could've been an accident as far as I know).

Due to how crime is hyped, the Panamanian police force is much more "in your face" than what you might be used to if you're coming from a developed country. If you're going out at night, expect to see lots of "checkpoints" (retén) around the city:

Basically, a small group of cops will stop each individual car and decide by looking at your face if they signal you to keep going, ask to see your license, make you take a breathalyzer test, check the inside of your car, or simply make you pull over to waste your time. These are my personal prejudices, so take the following with a grain of salt: The Panamanian police force is the rudest, corrupt, self-serving and power-tripped organized group of public servants in the country. If you try to be nice and cooperate whenever you run into one, they will take your niceness as a weakness that may lead them to uncover any excuse (real or made up) to inconvenience you and get a bribe. Cooperate, but don't go out of your way to show how much of a beacon of light of a human being you are because all they see in you is what they can get out of you.

That being said, there's always something new to experience in the city: The variety of culinary options you have is outstanding (I still have a mile-long list of places I need to try). Beautiful beaches are less than an hour drive from the city. There's tons of sights and outdoorsy stuff that you can just wake up early on a Sunday for, go do, and be back in your home by that same evening. Not everyone knows English, but it's very prevalent (especially compared to the rest of Latin America, perhaps with the exception of Puerto Rico). You should have no problems finding employment in a non-arts related field. It's a great place to live, just be aware that, like everywhere else, it's not all good.

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