Photo: Thomas Liptak · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🇵🇦 Panamá

Ciudad de Panamá

Panama City is the hub of the Americas: the dollar as currency, flights across the continent, a nine-month nomad visa and skyscrapers facing the Pacific.

7.2Zabel scoreHow we score →

1.300–1.900 €/mes80 Mb average, decent fibre in tower blocksTropical: hot and humid year-round, dry season December to April

Score breakdown

Cost of living

6.0

Cost of living

Weight 25%

Internet & work

7.0

Internet

Weight 15%

Safety

6.0

Safety

Weight 15%

Nomad community

7.0

Community

Weight 15%

Weather

5.0

Climate

Weight 10%

Paperwork & visa

9.0

Bureaucracy

Weight 20%

What it really costs

Prices checked on the ground by Zabelers. Each line shows when it was last verified.

Accommodation

700–1.100 $

One-bedroom apartment

2026-09 · Encuentra24

Groceries

280–380 $

Monthly single basket

2026-09 · Numbeo

Restaurant

6–9 $

Set lunch

2026-09 · precios locales

Transport

~80 $

Monthly metro and Uber

2026-09 · Metro de Panamá

Coworking

150–280 $

Monthly desk

2026-09 · webs de coworkings

Where to live

El Cangrejo

Barrio caminable con cafés y vida

Good for: Nomads and walkers

The catch: Older buildings

Casco Viejo

Casco histórico restaurado

Good for: Charm and atmosphere

The catch: Expensive and touristy

Costa del Este

Zona nueva de torres y oficinas

Good for: Comfort and safety

The catch: You need a car

Where to work

Coworkings

Cowork PanamáCoworking veterano en El Cangrejo
The steadiest community

Cafés with wifi

Bajareque Coffee HouseCafé de Boquete en Casco Viejo
Good wifi and Panamanian coffee

Time zone: EST (UTC-5), no daylight saving

What living here is really like

Editorial synthesis of public experiences

The biggest reliefs are not changing currency and flying cheaply anywhere in the Americas. Humid heat and traffic are the price.

Síntesis editorial · First stay

Best part:: Dollar and flights
Worst part:: Heat and traffic

Sources: Visit Panamá · Numbeo Panamá

Editorial synthesis of public experiences

Over months the territorial tax system stands out as the big plus, and the lack of pavements and street life outside El Cangrejo and Casco Viejo as the big complaint.

Síntesis editorial · Long stay

Best part:: Territorial taxation
Worst part:: Not a walking city

Sources: Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá

Day to day

Internet: Cable Onda 200 Mb fibre ~$45/month
Safety: Safety varies by area: nomad districts are calm, others are avoided at night
Healthcare: Very good private care, cheaper than the US; visit ~$50
SIM / eSIM: +Móvil/Tigo 25 GB SIM ~$15
Best season: December to April, the dry season
Community: A very mixed international crowd: business, Latin Americans and nomads en route south

Living here legally

Visa

180 tourist days for EU; the nine-month Short Stay Visa for Remote Workers requires $36,000 a year

Check your visa →

Tax

Territorial system: foreign-sourced income is not taxed in Panama

Flights & connections

PTY is Copa's hub: cheap connections across the Americas

Lisbon vs. similar cities

City	Zabel score	Monthly budget	In short
Medellín	7.8	1.000–1.500 €	Medellín has better weather and more community; Panama wins on tax and flights
Ciudad de México	7.9	1.100–1.700 €	Mexico City has far more culture; Panama is smaller and more practical

Transparency

Last checked: 2026-09-18

Official sources

Prices are checked against the dated sources shown. Editorial experience summaries cite their public sources; verified Zabeler accounts are identified separately. Official procedures always take precedence.