CheapestPlacesToLive

Learn About Panama

• Don’t Move to Boquete, Stay There

  This was recently posted on the Boquete Guide Blog and I couldn't resist sharing it here. Be sure to read to the end to capture the spirit of the whole piece. Jennifer and Lee do a great job of expressing my my sentiments in this piece.I was reading a Yahoo group posting about moving to Panama City, they were not discussing Boquete Panama but it is close enough to exploit the thread. The theme of the debate was that there is no longer an economic advantage to moving to Panama City from the US. Although both sides made points I will make mine succinct. If you are considering a move to Panama just for economic reasons, do not come here. Not everything is cheaper here, it never was. With the decline in housing prices in the US you might be able to buy well there; if cheaper is your goal, stay there. Electricity costs more per kilowatt hour in Panama, ignore the fact we in Boquete do not need heat or cooling. If the cost of electricity is the deciding factor, stay there. Imports of all kinds including cars cost more here, fuel costs more here, so if those are the factors stay there.LAP says, Panama is still cheaper than many parts of the U.S. and Canada too especially the gas. If you like second class healthcare at the highest prices in the world, stay there. If you need to go to see a doctor in Boquete expect to pay $7 for a consult, if you need health insurance expect to pay less than in the US. If do need a hospital the closest is in David with a new clinic being built in Boquete. If you need a world class hospital you need to go to Panama City. We do have LifeFlight Panama for medical evacuation. If you want to wait in an overcrowded emergency room, stay there. Much of our food is grown in this area so if you don’t like fresh vegetables but prefer food designed for shipping not flavor, stay there. If you prefer your beef with hormones and antibiotics, your chicken grown in a cage, your pork never having had the room to walk, stay there. The farm animals here are content until they reach the slaughter house. Laws are different here, they are enforced differently and nothing is more frustrating than dealing with the government here, it moves like frozen molasses. If you prefer to deal with your Federal, State, County and Municipality, stay there. Here in the wild west of Panama we rely more on our neighbors than the law. If you prefer government in your life everyday, stay there. If your goal is to come to Panama so you can live like you do there, stay there! Half the people that move here leave, half stay. Marriages fail, new relationships are born. Unless you are ready for major life changes, stay there. Those who thrive here are those who have decided to make their new life a different adventure. Come here to explore a new culture, make new friends, be part of a community, enhance your knowledge, share your life experience, enrich your life and most important do not feel that you come from a superior culture consider Boquete. If those are not your goals, you know the refrain, stay there. - 6 weeks ago

• Disney cruise ship pays record fee to cross Panama Canal

  With the US economy on shaky ground many people are asking if Panama Real Estate and in fact the entire Panama economy as a whole will falter and crash now that many Americans can't unload their home to fund a move to Panama. Unlike many countries, Costa Rica for one, who rely very heavily on foreign tourism, Panama has an economy which is based primarily on much more than just tourism or retirement real estate. In fact both of these 'industries' combined don't even come close to generating the amount of revenue the Panama Canal does for the economy. So the answer is, Yes trouble up north in the US will have an impact on Panama and most other countries in the world however, Panama has what I like to call a 'Trump Card' - the Panama Canal. As long as world trade keeps moving so will the Panama economy. Just another reason you can Safely Invest in Panama Real Estate. Here's a great little example to illustrate my point - PANAMA CITY, Panama: The Disney Cruise Line has paid a record US$331,200 for one of its ships to cross the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal Authority says the 964-foot (295-meter) "Disney Magic" made the crossing May 16. Panama increased canal fees last year and now charges cruise liners according to number of beds rather than cargo capacity. The "Disney Magic" has 875 staterooms. Canal authorities said Tuesday that the previous record fee paid by any ship was US$317,142, set on May 7 by the cargo vessel "MSC Fabienne." The high for a cruiser was US$313,000, set last October by two Norwegian Cruise Line ships. The U.S.-built waterway earned US$1.76 billion in fees last year. A US$5.25 billion expansion is to be completed by 2014. - 2 months ago

• Weather in Panama

  FYI - I just added a new page to Learn About Panama. Check it out - Weather in Panama - 2 months ago