While articles concerning the cost of buying real estate in Panama are easy to come by its not easy to find out the low down of how much it actually costs for an expat to live in the great capital of Panama. Being a young, ESL teaching, gringo, expat on a budget, the cost of living is an extremely important factor in determining my place of residence. Everything from the price of local cervezas to rent play major roles in why I chose to live in Panama, and here you will find out the true prices of everything from a Panamanian transplant who’s beginning to feel like a local.
As Panama is a sizable city with tremendous diversity in people Read more
This is a very difficult question for many people when they take the bold decision to move to this interesting and quirky, tropical paradise. The city offers such a diverse range of neighborhoods, housing and prices one could spend the better part of a year doing research on what’s the best area to live in! Now this Panamanian Gringo is one of a very laid back nature, and with month-to-month rent being the standard for most apartments in the city I literally just chose the first place I was shown in a neighborhood I was recommended over the web. Please read my article on how I became an ESL teacher in Panama to better understand my situation, but to Read more
When you’re sitting at home dreaming of adventures trying to scheme up a way to travel and make money, ESL jobs often come to mind. Choosing the country, finding a job and getting hired are the first massive hurdles, but once you have successfully completed these, what is it really like? Do you really just play with kids and speak English for a couple of hours a day then use your money to lounge in paradise?
If you haven’t read my article on how I randomly ended up as an ESL teacher in Panama City, please read this article so you better understand my story. The school that has chosen this gringo as their English language educator is Read more
In all honestly I scoured the internet for weeks looking for an article with this title. I knew I wanted to go to Panama but there seemed to be so little information about jobs on the net I nearly gave up and considered heading to South Korea for the top dollars and plentiful job offers on the net. How does one find a job teaching English in a country of their choice when programs are not offered to make the process a piece of cake beforehand? I learned purely through experimentation, but managed to land a gig teaching elementary school English at one of the highest paying schools in Panama (I’m making $1,500 a month teaching 3-5th grade English). Read more
The names Al Explorer and I Like Going Places. I recently up and quit my job, left my entire life in the United States behind and moved to Panama. Despite my lack of Spanish I managed to land a job as an English Teacher and now I live in El Cangrejo one of the best neighborhoods of Panama City. I’m an avid adventurer who’s had the opportunity to set foot in 41 different countries thus far, but the more I travel the more itchy my feet become for more! A hybrid of English and American descent, I was born in London, but raised in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain’s in the great Boulder, Colorado of the USA. My shiny Read more
The housing market in Panama never ceases to amaze me. While browsing some real estate listings for a friend I discovered this seemingly great deal on a home in David, Panama. This 3 bedroom 4 bath home located in a safe and comfortable neighborhood is only listed for $100,000. You’d be hard pressed to find a home in Panama City or anywhere in the US with this much space for that price. The home is fairly new and boasts landscaping and private terraces. And, ou wouldn’t have to worry about driving too far for any conveniences as it’s located close to a new shopping center, plenty of restaurants and stores.
With the definition of the “American Dream” changing and ideas regarding how we’re supposed to work and live evolving, the sabbatical can be seen as an excellent route to self discovery, renewed faith or enlightenment of sorts. The word sabbatical is derived from the Latin word sabbaticus which means “ceasing”. Recent economic changes have driven many of us to change what we were previously doing in trade for a different pace. The idea of working hard to gain a higher standard of living, more possessions and ample time to enjoy them in retirement doesn’t have the same appeal anymore.
Perhaps too many of us have seen the fruits of our labors vanish beyond our control. Or, perhaps we have Read more
I can recall, during my first few weeks in Panama, my Panamanian friend Charlie and I discussing random topics about the city over dinner. As a very “well endowed” young lady walked by the restaurant, catching attention from every man in a two block radius, I chuckled as Charlie nearly choked on his patacone. He looked at me in all seriousness and said “Honey, in Panama, nothing is real and everything is what it seems.” I laughed his comment off as I dug into my tamale; but I knew that the statement held more truth than anything I had seen or heard since arriving on this mystifying little isthmus.
As any country struggling to develop and define itself Panama has Read more
One of the questions I hear so often when talking about Panama is “What are property prices like in Panama?” If you crave the ocean air, warm beaches, tropical climate and are willing to live without many of the unnecessary conveniences that many of us have grown accustomed to, then oceanfront property in Panama may be a perfect place for you to think about buying property. A chunk of comparable beach front property in the states goes easily two or three times higher than in Panama.
For example: this beach front lot that I just found in Chiriqui Panama is priced around 66 thousand. In the states you may be looking at millions for a similar sized lot in Read more
When most of us think about moving abroad one of the last things we consider is where we’re going to stock our cabinets. So it was funny to me that on my first day in Panama City after enjoying my morning cup of coffee and taking in the views I got ready and headed to the grocery store. It’s that daunting task that we all hate to do even in our home countries.
On my first grocery excursion in Panama I hit up Riba Smith in Mall Multiplaza in Punta Pacifica. After all of my time spent in this country I still consider this store as The Good among grocers in Panama. Riba Smith boasts probably the cleanest (aside Read more
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