Thread: Where To Live With These Requirements

I went to Cancun Mexico and fell in love with the weather and the beach but I was missing one crucial thing for me to work, which was high speed internet.

So my question is in Panama where is the best place to live that meets these requirements.

1) I would like to be very close to a nice beach that is free to go to
2) I need reliable high speed internet
3) Affordable living
4) Somewhere safe from crime / violence and theft. I have an expensive laptop.
5) I would need a furnished apartment / room etc

I was thinking Panama City but then I heard that the beach isn't close. Any advice?

If we define "high speed" to mean >1MB, then, at present, your only choice is Coronado.

Cable Onda is extending their lines and is now as far out as Santiago, but that isn't very close to a beach. They will probably be in the Santa Clara area soon (about 30 minutes west of Coronado), but housing costs there are higher.

And, anyway, Coronado is not cheap; a one-bedroom will typically be in the range of $800-1,200/mo, but you might find something cheaper in somebody's house.

There are many, many cheaper places close to the beach in Panama, but the broadband requirement is the killer. Lots of places have 512KB ADSL through the phone company (Cable & Wireless), but that ain't high speed.

From Panama City, the closest good beach is about an hour's drive. There is one closer (Veracruz), but it isn't considered safe.

This is in response to a question in another thread (http://www.panamaforum.com/panama-tr...-children.html (Travelling with 2 children)), but I thought I'd attempt to answer it here, because this thread has a more appropriate title, and because the question is so common: Where should I live in Panama?

Remember, Panama is a small country (3 million people, area about the size of South Carolina), and it is still third world -- despite realtors' claims to the contrary.

The first choice you need to make is Urban or Rural.

If you choose Urban, then you have only two options: Panama City (1 million people) or David (300,000 people). If Urban is your choice, we can then go through the pros and cons of those two cities.

If you choose Rural, you have many, many options.

But first, remember point #1: This is the third world. This is not the US, where a city as small as 5,000 people can have fine dining, a variety of entertainment options, a first-class hospital, doctors and dentists galore, high-speed internet, cable TV, FedEx deliveries to your door, and an airport with commercial flights. (I know, because I lived in one.) In Panama, you will lose all of that if you live outside Panama City or David.

But if you're OK with all of that, and you still choose Rural, then we can start narrowing your search:
How close, in drive time, do you want to be from one of the two big cities?
How near do you want to be to the beach?
How near do you want to be to the mountains?
How near do you want to be to an airport served by commercial flights?
How near do you want to be to a supermarket (not a Chinita)?
How near do you want to be to a home improvement store (like Home Depot)?
How near do you want to be to restaurants (*any* restaurants)?
How much land do you need/want, and what's your budget?
Do you need/want high-speed internet (> 1MB per second)?
Do you need/want to have a view (ocean, mountains, etc.) from your home?
Do you have kids who need a private, bilingual school?
Are you OK with high heat and humidity, or do you prefer cooler weather?

Answer all of that, maybe with a rating scheme to indicate degree of importance to you, and you'll be able to narrow your search pretty quickly. Like I said, this is a tiny country. :-)

Hi,

That was great feedback thanks! Great job of really breaking things down for those that are curious.

How far is David from a nice beach and secondly how accessible are these beaches? I don't own a car at the moment so I would require some form of public transportation.

David is about half an hour from Playa Barqueta: a nice black-sand beach, but can be dangerous for swimming. Las Lajas is about 45-60 minutes in the other direction (east); not much there, but it's huge and seldom crowded.

A correction to my first post (#2 in this thread): Cable Onda service, with high-speed internet, is now available in David and Boquete. I'm not sure which towns between Santiago and David have it, but, so far, the only beach community they reach is Coronado.

In PC, Cable Onda offers speeds up to 4MB, but it's spendy by US standards: I pay $65/month for 2MB. I assume they offer the same speeds outside PC, but I can't swear to that.

From http://www.panamaforum.com/living-pa...y-new-apt.html (Buying electronics for my new apt?)

How about Coco Del Mar?
I saw a great ocean view apartment on encuentra24.com.
Is it also a nice and safe place to live?

Most of Coco del Mar is upscale and very safe. The main disadvantage is that it's quite aways from the center of town, so getting in and out can be a hassle. And your choice of restaurants/bars/etc. out there is limited.