You can buy real estate in Panama City for less than $100,000

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 in places like El Cangrejo.

You couldn’t ask for a better location than Panama City’s popular and central El Cangrejo neighborhood. As an example, a furnished, one-bedroom, 650-square-foot condo with air conditioning recently sold for $82,000. The building has all the amenities you’d want like social area and pool, sauna, party room, and doorman.

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.

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 a gated development around here would cost $225,000.

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.

Editor’s note: Thirteen days ago, in a packed-to-capacity venue in Las Vegas, 579 IL readers were given a fast and furious tour of Panama’s property markets through the presentation of IL’s Panama insider: Jessica Ramesch. Jessica explained how you can buy your own place in Panama…in the city, in the highlands, or even right on the beach…at low prices that might surprise you. If you want to listen to a recording of the full presentation you can pick up a copy here. Also included in this package is every other presentation recorded at the Live and Invest Overseas Conference 2011.