Panama City
Central America · Panama · North America
Miami-style skyline meets cobblestoned Casco Viejo, with rainforest and the canal a short drive away.
Panama City is the most modern, skyline-driven city in Central America, with a dollarized economy, a friendly residency program, and a banking-and-logistics hub built around the Canal. It suits people who want big-city convenience, easy banking, and a strategic Americas base with beaches and rainforest close by. The tradeoffs are constant heat and humidity, traffic, a soulless gleaming-tower feel in parts, and a stark gap between the polished business districts and grittier areas.
comfortable monthly budget
1-bed rent, good area
Best for
Not for
A cosmopolitan mix of Panamanian professionals, a large and established expat and retiree community, and Canal-economy internationals; the expat networks are easy to plug into, and nightlife runs from Casco Viejo's rooftop bars to the high-rise club scene.
Where to land
The scorecard
Tax in Panama
Special regime: Territorial: foreign-source income fully exempt
Pure territorial system means only Panama-source income is taxed, making foreign earnings tax-free.
Representative estimate — not tax advice. · source
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Find my placePhoto via Wikimedia Commons · source