{"id":27493,"date":"2019-12-03T09:18:53","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T14:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=27493"},"modified":"2019-12-03T09:27:20","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T14:27:20","slug":"why-is-panama-so-affordable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/why-is-panama-so-affordable\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is Panama So Affordable?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Unless you are a city person, living in Panama can be very affordable.\u00a0 Jackie Flynn at International Living gives you some hard examples of the cost of living here.<\/p>\n

Why is Panama such a bargain?<\/p>\n

As I shared in my note yesterday, Panama is the kind of place where you can live very comfortably\u2026luxuriously, even\u2026no matter your budget. You can easily afford household help ($20 a day), or a gardener ($30 a day). A doctor’s visit is just $50 or even much less (even as little as $5 in some rural communities). For just a few dollars, you can take a taxi across town or go to a newly released movie in a VIP theater\u2026 A couple can go out to eat and have a couple of beers and spend just $30, including tip.<\/p>\n

And these are just a few examples.<\/p>\n

Why, you might ask, do things cost so little in Panama?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One reason is that labor costs are low in Panama. With affordable public transportation, low healthcare costs, and fresh fruits and vegetables that grow in abundance all over the country, it’s easy to live in Panama on a very low income.<\/p>\n

Plus, there’s not as much bureaucratic overhead for businesses\u2014rents, licensing and permit costs, insurance, taxes, and so on. These are low to non-existent in Panama and these savings are passed on to consumers.<\/p>\n

There’s another perk that makes life in Panama so affordable:<\/strong>
\nIt’s home to the world’s best retirement program.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The government of Panama was very farsighted (and very generous, too) when they created their famous Pensionado <\/em>(Retirement) Program. It was created for Panama’s own seniors\u2014men over 60 and women over 55\u2014but foreigners with a Panama residence visa can also take advantage of it. And it entitles you to BIG discounts on everything from entertainment and dining out to medical services and prescriptions, travel, and more.<\/p>\n

Here are just a few of the discounts this program offers:<\/p>\n