Expat Survey: 85% of Expats in Panama Love Living There

Expats in Panama were kind enough to share their opinions and insights about living in the Central American nation in our survey to find best places for expats to live in 2022. Despite rating some individual aspects of their lifestyle lower than other expats throughout the world, expats are still quite happy with their lives in Panama.

Overall, 85.0% of Expats, Retirees and Global Nomads in Panama report that extremely or very satisfied with the quality of the expat experience in their city.

When asked about their entertainment options (movies, concerts, museums, etc.), 48% of expats, retirees and nomads reported that they were either Extremely Satisfied (10%) or Very Satisfied (39%). This is considerably lower than the global average of 65%.

As for local dining options, 55% indicated that they were either Extremely Satisfied (21%) or Very Satisfied (34%), which is 23% lower than the global average.

Survey respondents were also asked about Local Grocery Shopping options, and 76% of respondents said they were either Extremely Satisfied (39%) or Very Satisfied (37%), and 80% were either Extremely Satisfied (50%) or Very Satisfied (30%) with the local fresh food. Both of these averages is inline with what expats reported globally.

When asked about the quality of their local water, 66% of expats globally reported being either Extremely Satisfied (34%) or Very Satisfied (32%). This is 12% lower than the global average.

Overall, (73%) of Expats reported being either Extremely Satisfied (27%) or Very Satisfied (46%) with their social life, and 84% said that they were either Extremely Satisfied (30%) or Very Satisfied (54%) with making friends locally. At 11% and 29% HIGHER than the global averages, this indicates that expats are happy with their ability to establish healthy relationships in Panama.

Direct Quotes from Expats in Panama

"The condo that my wife and I have lived in for the past 5 months is ocean front with a great view, and I know that we couldn't afford something anywhere close to it in the US. The weather here has been for the most time really great, 80 degrees vs 30's back home in Washington State," added one expat living in Panama.

"Boquete, Panama is awesome!!! The best !!," according to one expat in Panama.

"I love the town I live in. It's small but in close proximity to neighboring towns with many dining and shopping options. We are very happy with where we live. There is a good doctor in our neighboring town that speaks English and has specialists come into his office for easy access to people in our area. For more specialized medical procedures, Panama City has many private hospitals with excellent reputations and specialists in every field. We are about an hour from Panama City so access is not very difficult. I do have minor concerns about what would happen if I had a major medical emergency (heart attack, stroke) but I don't worry about it. Our philosophy is to deal with things as they arise. Maybe not the best approach, but our approach," said one expat in to Nueva Gorgona, Panama.

"I find the Coronado, Panama area to have lots of amenities & friendly native people. Most everything we need is here, but if not, it is a 1.5 hour drive to Panama City. Wish the beaches had bigger waves! Love that the currency is the US dollar," stated one expat in Panama.

Panama is located below Costa Rica and is the southern-most nation in Central America. It connects with Colombia at the top of South America.