Thread: Is Boquete too rich for my blood?

Y'all know when something sounds too good to be true? Well, I've got that sinking feeling...

I've been reading about Boquete, viewing pictures of Boquete, reading rental advertisements for Boquete, reading blogs from people who've traveled there and hope to return to Boquete, yet I can't quite make out whether I can survive in Boquete on a measly $1050 a month U.S.

Doing my research, I get the sinking feeling that Boquete is so attractive that all the American ex-pats with money have already "done" Boquete, and it's probably out of my reach.

Am I right?

And, if I am, based on a similar mild climate, where else in Panama should I be looking?

Your advice is ... priceless!

Originally Posted by jakbeau

Y'all know when something sounds too good to be true? Well, I've got that sinking feeling...

I've been reading about Boquete, viewing pictures of Boquete, reading rental advertisements for Boquete, reading blogs from people who've traveled there and hope to return to Boquete, yet I can't quite make out whether I can survive in Boquete on a measly $1050 a month U.S.

Doing my research, I get the sinking feeling that Boquete is so attractive that all the American ex-pats with money have already "done" Boquete, and it's probably out of my reach.

Am I right?

And, if I am, based on a similar mild climate, where else in Panama should I be looking?

Your advice is ... priceless!

I think you should be looking at Volcan, similar climate,scenery but not too many expats yet,therefore cheaper real estate

You may be right about Boquete. I have been going there and studying the place for 5 years and in this time seen real estate prices soar. It appears the surrounding area has several places that have not experienced this yet, such as Volcan, Caldera, Dolega and others. I will be returning next month and will find a place to rent for after Jan. To do this you need to be scouting out the rental spots in Oct and Nov.

Other areas that have some similarities are Anton El Vlle and the area in the mountains above Santiago. Good luck.

If you want to rent in Valle Escondito and golf every day, then no, you can't live on $1050 in Boquete or anywhere else in the world that I know of. If you want to rent a Panamanian style apartment & live life simply, then yes you can.

If you bought a house, the $1050 a month would be more than enough to buy the basics like food, electricity, internet and TV. Of course my basics may not be the same as yours.....

The real estate prices have come down in the last year and a half, that, or they just sit.

There is no way for any of us to know if your way of life can be lived here. You have to come and experience it yourself and make that decision. Come down and spend some time getting to know this beautiful and strange place.

There are a lot of places for rent in the Boquete area. Don't count yourself out on anything. Stay as cheap as possible in the general vicinity and then make as many friends as possible. You might even find yourself expats that want a house sitter?

Boquete has been over built and as the poster above mentioned prices are falling. I would think living on $1000 a month would be as tough in Panama as it is in the states.

Thank you for your replies.

I haven't given up on Boquete as a place to retire. In fact, the more I learn, the more interested I'm becoming.

I appreciate your various points of view.

Cheers!
jakbeau in Louisville

I know nothing about the Chirique province as my neck of the woods is the Los Santos Province. However, a single guy could live just fine down here near Las Tablos on 1000 bucks a month. The tricky part would be getting started. You could stay in a pensione or hostel while you are scouting and looking for a place to live. You could feed yourself for 5 or 6 bucks a day(army style). You need some seed money in the bank to help out cause when you find a place to live you will need some basic furnishings, especially a fridge and a stove. While living here I have seen housing that is only 50 to 75 bucks a month to rent however it is very basic housing and not suitable for the majority of the forum members. From this house you could take a bus into town for 30 cents or so to get your essentials. Maybe you could write a new book on "simple living". But, it would be do-able. Bring a good qaulity sleeping bag.

Originally Posted by GHamner

I know nothing about the Chirique province as my neck of the woods is the Los Santos Province. However, a single guy could live just fine down here near Las Tablos on 1000 bucks a month. The tricky part would be getting started. You could stay in a pensione or hostel while you are scouting and looking for a place to live. You could feed yourself for 5 or 6 bucks a day(army style). You need some seed money in the bank to help out cause when you find a place to live you will need some basic furnishings, especially a fridge and a stove. While living here I have seen housing that is only 50 to 75 bucks a month to rent however it is very basic housing and not suitable for the majority of the forum members. From this house you could take a bus into town for 30 cents or so to get your essentials. Maybe you could write a new book on "simple living". But, it would be do-able. Bring a good qaulity sleeping bag.

This is very possible in most of the interior including the Chiriqui province. Since the Chiriqui province is so well connected with buses it would probably even be easier to get around.

It's definitely possible and do-able. But, the candidate needs to be on the "earthy side" I think. It might take sometime to accumulate the essentials needed. Anyone wishing to try this on this kind of money needs to start learning some basic Spanish and beefing up on "intestinal fortitude". There may be some solitude involved as well.

"Bring a good qaulity sleeping bag."

We bought 2 of those blowup mattresses that blow themselves up, and sheets and a blanket. We slept on those for a month and a half while waiting on our container. They were worth every penny. We didn't want to spend the money on a hotel when we had a house, just knew we wouldn't be getting the furniture for a while.

Why Boquete? Try David...it has everything a city has plus the rents are cheap. A good starting point, you can visit boquete from there. (oh nm, didnt see the mild climate part)
el valle was nice, too chilly for my taste.

A general david guide here...

Rent incl utils, internet etc. for a 2/1 in the city limits
400-500
Food and booze for 2 ppl 300
misc $?
What else do you need?

If you're renting long distance off craiglist expect to pay a little more, but have a look on there. I have a place in David actually, thinking about renting it...but going to be out of the country for a couple months so can't help you there

Why not David? It's just too hot for us, your mileage may very.