My Experiences Living Abroad: Panama and Costa Rica

As my wife and I approached retirement age, we began looking for a place to retire and plant roots for a long-term home. After much research and consideration, we explored Panama as a potential destination.

We found a beautiful place in a small town called “Las Uvas” and met a fantastic family, the Moreno family. They were helpful and accommodating during our stay in Panama and were the best part of our experience there. Unfortunately, Panama was a big disappointment outside of our connection with the Moreno family.

One of the biggest challenges we faced in Panama was the lack of community. The people seemed lethargic, amplified in the food, music, services, and overall community experience. The community seemed to lack enthusiasm and creativity, and there was no sense of togetherness. The general population had their local bars and gathering spaces, and the expats had their community, but both seemed stuck in a routine living that we found hard to connect with.

Additionally, the influx of tourism and land grabs killed Panama’s old community vibe. Events like “Carnival” were boring and not worth the time, as they seemed to be filled with people standing around drinking without any dancing or movement. The food was also basic and disappointing, aside from a few places where we found great pizza.

On the other hand, we did have access to fruits and veggies, which allowed us to develop our food options. There were plenty of grocery stores in driving distance that allowed us to get the supplies we wanted, but the imported food options were a bit pricey.

Beach life was pretty cool in Panama, but the government was terrible, and the immigration and visa departments were also terrible. The whole process was a hustle, with every lawyer and government official having a different story and price for getting citizenship in Panama. Our visa runs were even a hassle, requiring us to renew our visa status every six months and register our car every three months.

After our experience in Panama, we decided to check out Costa Rica. Living on the beach of Playa Negra was amazing and provided us with a nice snapshot of the type of tropical climate we wanted to live in. Walking to the beach, picking coconuts off the tree, beautiful beaches, and playing basketball at the best outdoor court ever with a beautiful backdrop made a living in Costa Rica amazing.

Local food was also impressive; almost every restaurant we visited had excellent food options. However, tourism also played a role in corroding the experience in Costa Rica. Property purchased from wealthy expats had turned a lot of small towns into high-crime areas, with theft and sexual assault being major issues. Safety became a big reason we didn’t want to stay in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.

Overall, our experiences living abroad in Panama and Costa Rica provided us with meaningful and fun experiences but had too many red flags for us to consider them as a retirement destinations. If you’re considering living abroad, make sure you do your research and have realistic expectations.