Thread: Panama Rentals

Many of the discussions that involve cost of living cite ".. if you own .."

Most discussions about living arrangements seem to be about ownership or buying land and building dream homes. The comments that I have seen about apartments and rental costs tend to be about Panama City.

At 68 and single, and never sure of the future, annual rentals/leases fit much better in my financial comfort zone.

So I'm wondering if rentals .. apartments, condos, small houses, service apartments are not so common in the outlying areas, especially in the Pacific Coast beach areas that a couple of posters have recommended.

And if someone knows, some representative monthly/annual rents for a comfortable (not necessarily luxurious) abode, I would appreciate knowing.

As a point of reference, I can live very nicely in a well laid out 70-80 sq m apartment or house .. especially if there is a local eatery nearby.

If you are looking for an inexpensive rental in the outlying areas they are there. It all depends what you are comfortable living in/with. If you are looking for a gated community condo or a house to rent it is easily obtainable. My suggestion is to decide how much you want to spend, what area you are comfortable in, and then start contacting real estate agents in that area. Stay somewhere short term till you decide what view or altitude fits you best. Rent a car or take the local buses to get you around and do some exploring. Prices can be all over the place for rentals in the interior.

Originally Posted by MRWOOHOO

If you are looking for an inexpensive rental in the outlying areas they are there. It all depends what you are comfortable living in/with. If you are looking for a gated community condo or a house to rent it is easily obtainable. My suggestion is to decide how much you want to spend, what area you are comfortable in, and then start contacting real estate agents in that area. Stay somewhere short term till you decide what view or altitude fits you best. Rent a car or take the local buses to get you around and do some exploring. Prices can be all over the place for rentals in the interior.

I'm definitely not looking for a gated community cum expat enclave. IMHO it would isolate me from one of the primary reasons I'm an expat .. the local people.

Over the past 12 years I have been living in "middle class" Thai style houses, apartments and condos. Location and neighborhood / community are much more important to me than "status".

All my Thai friends live in better houses than I have, but none of them live in such nice surroundings.

I have a lot of friends that are renting out in the area from Coronado to El Valle to Rio Hato areas. There are condos that are available along the Pacific coast area. It all depends on where you want to be and how much you want to spend.

I have friends that pay $300/month for a nice house on the road to El Valle and another friend that has a nice beach condo in Coronado and pays $1500/month.

Mary
whypanama.com

That is what is great about living among the locals. You can get allot of residence for $300 a month in many places in the interior. Since the bus service in the country is so regular it is fairly easy to get around the country on very little money.

Originally Posted by MRWOOHOO

That is what is great about living among the locals. You can get allot of residence for $300 a month in many places in the interior. Since the bus service in the country is so regular it is fairly easy to get around the country on very little money.

For me, living among the locals is the best part of being an expat. When I bought my own house by the beach, I found out about it after living in an area for almost 2 years .. and a local approached me asking if I was interested. I eventually bought the place, then for a couple of reasons I sold it .. at a substantial profit.

When I would go to the local market, the women would always ask about my wife .. no wife .. "that woman who sells roast pork, she needs a husband and she's a hard worker."

The woman, flushed in embarrassment get a lot of teasing from the stalls nearby. I tell woman #1 she's naughty. Everyone laughs. I never pay the "out of town" price at the market. I'm not Thai, but I "live here".

The woman who sells fried chicken always gives me one or two extra drumsticks. I also got a good deal from the woman selling roast pork.

I would often walk along the beach, and would usually stop and talk with fishermen working on their boats. They were always extremely polite .. pretending to understand what I said in Thai .. and pretending that they knew I really did understand what they said to me in return.

I eventually did figure out the flags on the fish traps were color coded depending on what the trap was designed to catch. Black was for crab.

they are very good hotels many are 4stars and few are five stars...I have my own apartments so i Don't really go there and see the inside...but i have heard they are fabulous...

If I were you I would figure out how much I want to spend and a general idea of where you wanted to settle. Then take a couple weeks and go out looking once you got here rather than doing it all from home.

I'm the type that needs to see places and the people to know that that is where I belong.

Many good points. This is a country worth exploring and experiencing. With global housing bubble bursting and credit problems the world is facing there is no need to rush. Especially when you can truly live so inexpensively if you wish.