I like this post a lot because I find cost of living data interesting (also helpful for travels) and because I lived in Boquete, Panama for about 6 months in 2011-2012. I'm new to SteemIt and when I saw in your profile the other day that you lived in Panama I decided to follow in case you wrote up any Panama specific posts. Glad to see one so soon.
Our move to Boquete was the first time my family had left our home country for more than a multi-day trip and despite the short stay it was a real move. We sold our car and our household goods were in storage. I hope I always remember the feeling of riding the bus from David into Boquete on the night we arrived and wondering if I'd made the right decision. It turned out to be a highlight of our lives to date.
In any case we saved significantly during our time there. Our monthly cost of living turned out to be about $1300 per month. We didn't get a vehicle so we just used taxis and buses (and walked a lot). The largest expense was our $500/month apartment.
Have you been to El Valle de Anton? If I needed to be near Panama City but wanted to avoid the sea-level heat I think I would try to live there.
I'm pretty curious to see the new improvement in public transport in PTY whenever I return. I think in 2012 they had just eliminated the old school buses for city bus use.
Enjoy some plantains for me!
Panama City has changed a ton since 2012. The public system is much better now but overwhelmed. El Valle is one of my favorite places in Panama but I could not live there because I don't do well with mold. Due to the moderate climate and constant rain the mold flourishes.
That makes sense about El Valle and mold. I remember it being quite wet.
A tip for any readers who are considering moving to Panama: If you search for information on the "Friendly Nations" residency option you might find some helpful information on gaining residency. I don't know the best resource to link to for that (perhaps @hilarski does or has more to say on that topic).
I don't help lawyers in any way. ; )
I love the Panama posts! I plan to move three within the next 18 months so the information you offer is really valuable to me.
Do you know where in Panama you plan to move to yet? I chose Boquete because I read of it's pleasant climate due to the elevation (I'd always thought of Panama as a hot, humid place prior to that. Hot and humid is quite true of Panama City, David and other sea level locales).
Glad to answer other questions if I can although my experience is not as extensive as Randy's.
We also live in Panama, but we live in Volcan and love it here. It's so quiet, but there is a great expat community here. I am new to steemit but plan to do some writing about things around here. :)
Wow, so cool that our Panama peeps are showing up!
I've been chatting with your mom on here some. Sounds like she enjoys when she gets to come visit! We live up in Volcan and love it here. The weather is nice! I'm sitting in a sweatshirt right now - chilly night! Have a good one! Hope we can meet up sometime. I've gotten 3 other people in Volcan into steemit. :)