City guides Panama
Panama City
A canal city where rents are quoted in dollars, the Metro costs B/. 0.35 to 0.50 a trip and a remote worker visa runs 9 months, extendable once for 9 more. The bar is B/. 36,000 a year from abroad. The catches: the furnished flats found mostly ask over USD 1,100, freelancers need their own company registered abroad, and the official requirements sheet is undated.
Every figure checked 15 Oct 2026
- USD 1,100 to 2,100 a month Asking rent, furnished one-bed, Casco Viejo
- USD 29 Coworking day pass
- B/. 4.50 to 5.00 Fonda lunch
- Country Panama
- Time zone UTC-5 00:27 there now
- Language Spanish
- Currency Balboa (B/.), with US dollars in circulation
How far English gets you Don't count on it. The only official word is the US State Department saying Panama City's Tourist Police "may speak English". No source says how far English gets you in shops, with landlords or with doctors. Every official document behind this guide, from the visa requirements to the canal's price list and the climate study, is in Spanish only, so expect your dealings with Migracion to be in Spanish.
Honestly
Is this your kind of place?
It suits you if
Employees of a foreign company, or owners of their own foreign-registered business, earning at least B/. 36,000 a year. They should be happy to pay USD 1,000 or more for a furnished flat and to work from a USD 29 serviced desk rather than a cafe. The visa can last up to 18 months on one route. It suits someone who might later want residence through Friendly Nations and can meet its USD 200,000 or local job test.
It does not suit you if
A freelancer without a company registered abroad, who cannot use the remote worker route as written. Anyone on a tight budget: the cheapest furnished one-bed found was USD 800, and most asked over USD 1,100. Anyone who wants to wander freely, since GOV.UK advises mugging precautions in Casco Viejo, the old town most visitors want to live in, and it borders two districts on GOV.UK's higher-crime list. From September to November it rains on most days, with 20 rain days in October. And British passports get only 3 months without a visa, not 6.
Money
What everything else costs
| Asking rent, furnished one-bed, El Cangrejo | USD 800 to 1,250 a month | Two Encuentra24 listing titles, the cheapest found |
|---|---|---|
| Asking rent, one-bed, Costa del Este | USD 1,450 to 1,500 a month | Two Encuentra24 listings. Furnished status not always stated |
| Metro, single trip | B/. 0.35 on Line 1, B/. 0.50 on Line 2 | From press reports, not the operator. No monthly pass was found |
| Coworking monthly | Price not checked | Regus: dedicated desk from USD 7 a day on a 24-month contract |
Paperwork
Can you legally stay?
| Evidence | A bank certificate, or a foreign bank statement (or a Panamanian one with the bank's authentication seals) showing the transfer from abroad. No statement period is set |
|---|---|
| The threshold moves | It is a fixed balboa sum, not pinned to a wage. Nothing official says whether it is indexed |
| Official name | Visa de Corta Estancia como Trabajador Remoto (Short Stay Visa as a Remote Worker), a non-resident category, run by the Servicio Nacional de Migracion. It rests on Decreto Ley 3 of 2008, Executive Decree 320 of 2008 and Executive Decree 198 of 7 May 2021 |
| Who qualifies | Employees of a foreign company, and owners of their own company registered abroad. A freelancer qualifies only with a certificate for their own foreign-registered company and a notarised sworn declaration about their clients |
| How long | 9 months, extendable once for another 9 months: 18 months at most |
| Fees | B/. 50 for the visa card and B/. 250 paid to Migracion |
| Still issued? | The requirements sheet is still on Migracion's site, but it is undated and no 2026 statement was found. Check before you apply |
| Permanent residence | Not from this visa, which is a non-resident stay. The usual route for British and American citizens is Friendly Nations: 2 years' provisional residence, then permanent. It needs a Panamanian job contract, USD 200,000 in property or a USD 200,000 three-year bank deposit (law firm summary) |
| Citizenship | Possible after 5 years of permanent residence through Friendly Nations (law firm summary) |
| Without a visa | British passports: up to 3 months, and you may be asked for proof of USD 1,000 or a credit card. You may be asked for an onward ticket, particularly arriving by land from Costa Rica. American passports: under 180 days, and the onward ticket rule is strictly enforced |
| Tax residency | More than 183 days during the year, with physical presence and income generated in Panama |
Where to live
Where to base yourself
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Casco Viejo
About USD 1,100 to 2,100 a month asking for a furnished one-bedThe historic old town
The catch GOV.UK names it for mugging precautions, and it borders El Chorrillo and Santa Ana, both on GOV.UK's list of higher-crime areas
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El Cangrejo
About USD 800 to 1,250 a month asking for a furnished one-bedThe cheapest furnished one-beds found, and Regus lists a centre here
The catch It sits on Via Espana, which GOV.UK lists for mugging precautions
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Costa del Este
About USD 1,450 to 1,500 a month asking for a one-bedRegus lists a centre here
The catch Asking rents run above El Cangrejo's, and one listing does not say if it is furnished
-
Punta Pacifica
Price not checkedRegus has a centre at Oceania Business Plaza
The catch No asking rent was found at all, so budget blind
Timing
The best time to come
- Jan 33.6C, 26mm, dry season
- Feb 34.2C, driest, 10mm
- Mar 34.8C, 15mm, hot and dry
- Apr 35.3C, hottest, rains start
- May 34.6C, 233mm, rains begin
- Jun 33.9C, 238mm, wet
- Jul 33.9C, 177mm, veranillo
- Aug 34.1C, 220mm, wet
- Sep 33.3C, 247mm, very wet
- Oct 32.6C, 330mm, 20 rain days
- Nov 33.0C, 252mm, still wet
- Dec 33.2C, 99mm, rains easing
Come now Fine Avoid
Come between January and March. Panama's met service, IMHPA, puts the dry season at January to mid-April, with only 10mm of rain in February. The rainy season runs May to November and peaks in September and October: October averages 330mm over 20 rain days. A drier spell, the veranillo, comes in July. It is hot all year, with highs of about 33 to 35 degrees. These are averages for Tocumen, 1977 to 2010. We found no official figures for tourist seasons or price swings.
Connectivity
The internet, honestly
We found no current speed figure for Panama or the city. For daily video calls, don't rely on cafes: the verified option is a desk at Regus or Spaces, from USD 29 a day. Regus has centres in El Cangrejo, Costa del Este, Punta Pacifica, Obarrio and Marbella. Ask a landlord what line the flat has, in writing, before you sign.
Somewhere to work
Coworking in Panama City
Work
Remote roles open to someone in Panama
A remote job is not in any one city. These are roles whose employer will hire someone living here, pulled from the board as you load the page.
Eating
What to eat, and what it costs
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Fonda menu del dia
B/. 4.50 to 5.00Rice, legumes, salad and chicken, beef or pork: the everyday working lunch at a fonda
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Fonda special plate
B/. 5.00The step up from the standard set lunch
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Fonda seafood menu
B/. 6.50 to 8.50The fish or seafood version of the set lunch
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Fonda staples
Price not checkedChicken, rice, beans, salad and ripe plantain are the most ordered
Days off
Worth a Saturday
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Miraflores Visitor Centre, Panama Canal
B/. 17.22 for a non-resident adultWatch ships work the Pacific-side locks from the terraces, with the canal film included. Residents with Panamanian ID pay B/. 3.00
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Agua Clara Visitor Centre
B/. 10.00 for a non-resident adultThe locks of the expanded canal on the Atlantic side, with the video. Residents pay B/. 3.00
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Casco Viejo on foot
FreeThe old town. GOV.UK advises mugging precautions here, so keep valuables out of sight
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Panama Jazz Festival
Price not checked14 to 16 January 2027, at venues including Ciudad del Saber
The rest
Things the other guides leave out
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Carry ID
You must carry ID such as your passport. Police will usually accept a printed copy
-
The canal charges foreigners more
Miraflores costs a non-resident B/. 17.22 against B/. 3.00 for a resident adult, nearly six times as much
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The Metro charges on exit
Since September 2026 the fare is taken when you tap out, so the balance at the entry gate is not what you will have left
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Freelancers need a company
The remote worker visa needs a certificate for your own foreign-registered company plus a notarised sworn declaration. An employer letter will not do
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Report crime before you leave
GOV.UK says police may not investigate a crime reported after you have left Panama
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Smoking fines
Smoking where it is banned costs USD 25 to 100, and e-cigarettes are banned in public places
Work out whether you can actually afford to go
Every role on the board says which countries you can live in and still take it, so remote means remote.
Every figure on this page was checked on 15 Oct 2026. Prices move and rules change; tell us when something is wrong and we will fix it.