10 Things We Wish We'd Known Before Moving to Panama

The honest, practical guide that the expat forums never give you — written from 12 months of lived experience on the ground.

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Welcome to Retire 2 Panama

As fairly recent retirees here we are still learning — but we know we have answers that will save you time and money. Book a video conference with us any time. We do not time-limit our calls, so you have the space to discuss your questions in depth. We use WhatsApp video, which is internet-based and costs nothing per minute. No clock watching, just honest conversation.

The Pensionado Visa: Panama's Greatest Gift to Retirees

To qualify you need a lifetime pension income of at least $1,000 USD per month for a single person, or $1,500 for a married couple — NZ Super, Australian Age Pension, and KiwiSaver drawdown all count. Permanent residency is granted from day one. Benefits include 50% off entertainment, 30% off fares, 25% off restaurant meals, 15% off hospital bills, 20% off medical consultations, a one-time tax-free household goods import, full property-tax exemption on your primary residence, a 25% electricity discount, and a 10% lump-sum land-tax discount on investment properties. Our legal costs as a couple were well under NZD $2,000 in 2025. The process took around four months. We used PTY Legal, who handled every document and Ministry submission on our behalf.

The Secret Nobody Tells You: You Can Retire Here at 45

Age is not a consideration at all for Panama's retirement visas. As long as you can prove income of $1,000 USD per month — rental income qualifies — the door is open. Finding this out after we arrived was a real eye-opener. We would have moved at 45 had we known. There are multiple visa pathways, not just the Pensionado. Kathyel at PTY Legal can walk you through every option and tell you exactly which one fits your situation.

The Real Cost of Living — Groceries, Dining & Utilities

After 12 months on the ground: groceries run $100–200 USD per month for two — Panama's markets are extraordinary and fresh produce is cheap in a way that takes getting used to after Pak'nSave prices. Dining out adds $60–80 USD; a good lunch for two with drinks is $12–15 USD, plenty of options under $8 per person. Utilities — power at $80/month plus Starlink at $80/month — total $160 USD. Power is the variable: air conditioning in the wet season makes a real difference. In total we spend around $600 USD per month — roughly $1,000 NZD. The same lifestyle in the Manawatu would cost $2,100–$2,600 NZD per month minimum.

Transport & Fuel — No Road User Charges Here

We run a Ford Explorer Diesel. Fuel in Panama is around $0.85 USD per litre — roughly a third of the $2.90 NZD per litre we were paying in the Manawatu. A full tank costs about $60 USD. No road user charges. Our monthly transport spend is $50–70 USD. Over a year that difference in fuel alone adds up to a meaningful sum — and that is before you factor in the absence of registration and WOF costs as we knew them.

Healthcare — World Class at a Fraction of the Cost

Doctor visits cost $20 USD. Specialists run around $60 per visit. As Pensionado holders we get 20% off prescriptions — my blood pressure medication is $18 per month, and because they return the prescription you never need a repeat appointment to refill regular meds. My wife's full course of stem cell knee treatment at a private hospital in Coronado — quoted at $13,000 NZD in New Zealand — cost $800 USD here (around $1,400 NZD). No insurance. No waiting list. We self-insure and have had zero issues in 12 months.

Land Tax — Numbers That Will Make Your Eyes Water

In New Zealand we paid $6,000 NZD per year in rates on a smaller plot with roughly the same size house. Our Panama land tax this year was $680 USD. Next year, with a 10% discount for paying a year in advance and a 20% main-residence reduction as Pensionado holders, the bill comes down to around $470 USD — roughly $800 NZD per year. That is a saving of over $5,000 NZD annually on rates alone. Every single year.

Where to Live — Coronado and the Lowland Pacific Coast

Where you settle depends on what you actually want. We came from the Manawatu where summer is a few weeks in January and February and the rest is freezing cold. For us, the Coronado area was an easy choice — and we love it. The dry season reaches the high 30s Celsius; the wet season, when everything grows like crazy, sits in the high 20s. Beautiful year-round. The Pacific is on the doorstep. Panama City is 90 minutes away for hospital visits and airport runs. It is the right balance of beach life and convenience.

The People — Honest, Warm, and Genuinely Trustworthy

I left my phone in a department store in Coronado with $200 cash, all my cards, and my IDs. It was handed in at the front desk with everything intact — including the cash. That tells you everything you need to know. Panamanians are warm, helpful, and genuinely honest. Serious crime is virtually unheard of. There are no gangs visible on the street, the drugs situation is well under control, and we have never experienced any racial tension. Panama is a genuine melting pot of cultures. People are smiling and happy. Kids have respect for their parents. It feels, in the best possible way, like New Zealand in the 1960s.

The One Thing Most Expat Blogs Never Tell You About Community

The logistics of moving — visa, shipping, selling the house — are actually the easy part. Building genuine friendships takes active effort. Panama's expat community is large and welcoming, but it does not come to you. Show up to in-person events. Join the hiking club, the Tuesday market, the Saturday breakfast group. Learn even basic Spanish — the willingness to try creates immediate goodwill with Panamanian neighbours and opens a whole layer of community that English-only expats miss. Give it 12 months. The first three are almost always the hardest. By month twelve, most people who moved with genuine intention have built something real.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Book a one-on-one Zoom consultation and get answers tailored to your specific situation — pension type, budget, timeline, and preferred lifestyle.

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Bonus Resource

Pensionado Visa Application Checklist

A step-by-step guide to gathering your documents, navigating apostilles, and reaching approval.

Confirm pension income of at least $1,000 USD/month (NZ Super, Australian Age Pension, KiwiSaver drawdown all qualify)
Obtain an official pension letter from your provider confirming the amount and that it is lifetime/permanent
Confirm you hold a valid passport with at least 12 months remaining

Typical Fee Summary

Government filing fees ~$250–400 USD · Attorney fees (couple) well under NZD $2,000 · Apostille and translation ~$200–500 NZD · Total for a couple typically NZD $3,000–4,500.