Every day, Gretchen and Jon awake to the intense blue of the Pacific Ocean. It glistens outside their massive bayside windows. They take their coffee on the balcony, where they enjoy the cool breeze and soft morning sunlight.
They didn’t have to move to the boondocks to get this lifestyle. This couple found their haven right in Panama City. Comfort and serenity, city lights and night life…the beauty of oceanside, palm-lined living, and the hustle and bustle of a major world hub…they have it all.
Panama‘s Panama City: Everything You Need
When they first visited Panama, visions of piña coladas dancing in their heads, they scouted out the islands. But the challenges of island living and lack of creature comforts got them thinking: “there’s got to be a better way.” Luckily, they had scheduled a few days in Panama City before their return home. Turns out the last place they thought of…offered the First-World comfort they needed.
Where else in the region can you live in a real city? Plus, in Panama City you are an hour or two away from mountains, lush rainforest, and beaches that rival the Caribbean’s best. Live the life you enjoyed back home–great roads, fast Internet, the best flight connections–for much less.
Buy exotic fruit and vegetables bursting with color every time you shop…local El Rey supermarkets offer the comfort of familiar products from the U.S. and Europe and wow you with fresh mangoes and avocadoes for less than a dollar a pound. (You can find these for free, too, falling off trees all over the city.) Have dinner and wine at local favorite Pomodoro, a trendy Italian eatery that’s big on ambience, for less than $20 per person. Or see a European troupe at the plush National Theater for $10.
The best part: there’s a wealth of affordable property. In a safe residential area, you can buy a 1,000-square-foot apartment for $50,000; the unit I saw comes with a nine-year property tax exemption.
Or you can buy an 850-square-foot apartment in a building with social area, pool, and BBQ–plus a 14-year property tax exemption–for $78,000. Indeed, it’s hard to find property without tax exemptions here.
Splurge a little and you can truly pamper yourself. In one of the city’s most highly coveted areas, known as “the garden city,” you can buy a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a balcony for $97,000. It’s in a building with two elevators, garage, and visitor parking. The neighborhood is utterly green and near top bilingual schools, supermarkets, a major mall, and more.
For $160,000 you can buy a home of more than 2,000 square feet in an upscale gated community near a bustling commercial center. The community has its own park, and the four-bedroom house comes with terrace and patio, plus three air-conditioning units.
Find out more about these bargain properties…and my sample budget for a couple looking to live well in Panama City on $1,500 a month…in the current issue of International Living Magazine.
For the next 3 days, when you try a subscription to the IL Magazine, you get this free bonus: the Buy Real Estate for Fun and Profit Audio Collection (a $69 value). This is more than two hours of hard-won advice, revealing stories, and detailed strategies about the best ways for you to take advantage of real estate opportunities overseas today from IL’s top experts. You’ll learn about the hidden affordable Panama…the miles of white-sand Brazilian beachfront below the North American radar…the world’s number one retirement destination…and Ronan McMahon’s four strategies to profit from international real estate. This hand-picked selection of recorded sessions would normally cost $69. (And conference attendees paid as much as $1,295 to gather these insights and ideas in person.) But today, with this special offer, the Buy Real Estate for Fun and Profit Audio Collection is yours free when you subscribe to International Living Magazine. But only for the next 3 days.
Jessica Ramesch
Panama Insider, International Living
