On La Barqueta beach near the city of David, a three-bedroom condo is for sale in this building for $225,000

I love Panama City and all there is to do in and around the gleaming capital—from operas to charity walks to fun classes like improv and foreign film appreciation. Anything goes.

You might think that makes Panama City expensive for property. Sometimes it is. You can find condos listed at luxury prices—$250,000 and up.

But you can also find condos for much less. A unit here recently sold for $82,000.

You couldn’t ask for a better location: Panama City’s popular and central El Cangrejo neighborhood. It’s a furnished, one-bedroom, 650-square-foot condo with air conditioning. The building has all the amenities you’d want like social area and pool, sauna, party room, and doorman. See a photo of the building here:

David is the capital of the Chiriqui province, about a five-hour drive west of Panama City, not far from the Costa Rican border. It has long been Panama’s third largest city, but in the past five years it has grown more than in the past few decades.

Traditionally, potential expats choose as their base the highland regions just north of David. The town of Boquete is a well-known retiree destination, and just a 45-minute drive from David. But some of Panama’s newest transplants have begun to realize that David is the perfect hub.

Today it offers most every city comfort, but on a smaller scale than big, bustling Panama City. High speed Internet, malls and movies, government offices, hospitals and banks—David has it all.

In David, you’ll find there are more houses than apartments. The closer you get to the town center, the higher the price. The closer to the airport (or to any neighborhood 10 minutes or more from the town center), the lower the price.

Humble abodes go for as little as $50,000 in these parts, but even fancier digs don’t cost much more. This 800-square-foot, two-bedroom house five minutes from the David town center is on a 5,000-square-foot lot. It’s for sale for $80,000:

On La Barqueta beach, a tawny smooth stretch of silky sands near David, condos tend to run in the $200,000+ range. It’s well connected—one expat here says his Internet is better than it was back in Florida!

A unit in this gated development is on sale for $225,000 (see main photo above).

Right on the beach, the furnished, three-bedroom condo has air conditioning, satellite television, and high speed Internet. It has a balcony and the building has a swimming pool, social area, sauna and Jacuzzi.

There are more…many more…places in Panama where you’ll find good value property. A Swiss-style chalet in the mountain town of Cerro Azul…a sun-filled beach condo at the sea-side town of Coronado…and more.

I’ll be discussing these areas in detail during International Living’s Live and Invest Overseas Conference in Las Vegas in October. In addition to bargain real estate, you’ll learn about cost of living, health care, expat tips, and much more. Full details here.