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Both have a great cost of living, variety of landscape (mountains, beaches, etc.)
which one do you think has the advantage as for as getting the most for your money, and having a better government/bureaucratic process to make working, living, or retiring abroad as painless as possible. Which is a nicer place to live?
But, I did spend a month in Ecuador. It's a microcosm of South America. You have Pacific Ocean beaches, you have the major cities in the eternal spring-like climate in the mountains, and than you have the Amazon on the other side. It's fairly ideal from that perspective. Quito has a very pleasant climate.
I haven't been to Panama, but the international attention and all the skyscapers seem quite interesting. You'd also have both Carribbean and Pacific oceans, which would be interesting.
That's all the input I can add. It was 14 years ago since I was in Ecuador, so any economical/political experience I would have had than, probably doesn't apply anymore.
But, I did spend a month in Ecuador. It's a microcosm of South America. You have Pacific Ocean beaches, you have the major cities in the eternal spring-like climate in the mountains, and than you have the Amazon on the other side. It's fairly ideal from that perspective. Quito has a very pleasant climate.
I haven't been to Panama, but the international attention and all the skyscapers seem quite interesting. You'd also have both Carribbean and Pacific oceans, which would be interesting.
That's all the input I can add. It was 14 years ago since I was in Ecuador, so any economical/political experience I would have had than, probably doesn't apply anymore.
thanks for the input!. also great username. I love tiger beer.
i agree with Tiger Beer about Ecuador as I spent a year there (approx. 15 years ago). During that time I did encounter American retirees living in Guayaquil as well as Italian expats. All them seems quite satisfied living in Ecuador.
I have never been to Panama. So I can't comment on the life there.
I'd go to the place where they make Panama Hats -- Ecuador.
This made me LOL!
I'll have to say Panama though. Granted I am biased, having lived there. It is a beautiful country- kind of a diamond in the rough- with a very stable economy (and using USD as currency is a plus!). The pensionado visa offers those with steady pension income a huge amount of benefits. It's also extremely safe.
Not to mention it's been topping the lists on many "Top Places to Visit" lists this year (see NY Times Travel, Lonely Planet, etc).
(As an aside, a threat to the economic boom is the education system-- retiring there, I assume you won't be having a need for that, but for us it was a very real reason as to why we could not have a future there. I sincerely hope this improves though.)
I'll have to say Panama though. Granted I am biased, having lived there. It is a beautiful country- kind of a diamond in the rough- with a very stable economy (and using USD as currency is a plus!). The pensionado visa offers those with steady pension income a huge amount of benefits. It's also extremely safe.
Not to mention it's been topping the lists on many "Top Places to Visit" lists this year (see NY Times Travel, Lonely Planet, etc).
(As an aside, a threat to the economic boom is the education system-- retiring there, I assume you won't be having a need for that, but for us it was a very real reason as to why we could not have a future there. I sincerely hope this improves though.)
Thanks, good info on panama. I'm not looking to retire. I'm young. I just mentioned that in the thread title cause it's one of the main reasons people would move to panama or ecuador. so I'm kind of just trying to ask in broad terms.
If I went I'd try to teach english or start an online business or write online to give myself income.
Panama is famous for its low cost of living, mostly due to its large Free Trade Zone in Colon. Latin Americans from all over travel to Panama on shopping excursions. They also have one of the largest malls south of the US, fueled by its relatively low prices.
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variety of landscape (mountains, beaches, etc.)
Panama has plenty of variety, albeit the mountains are not as high as in Ecuador, but the mountainous towns do have a much more pleasant climate than the lowlands.
The beaches are much nicer on the Caribbean side than on the Pacific, but both have their charm.
For the most part, its very lush and luxuriantly tropical.
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which one do you think has the advantage as for as getting the most for your money
Panama
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and having a better government/bureaucratic process to make working, living, or retiring abroad as painless as possible.
Panama has one of the easiest and most comprehensible retirement incentives for foreigners. You should really look into that. Also, their government is quite stable, highly democratic and loyal to capitalistic ideals. The country itself ranks quite high (among the highest in Latin America) in the Human Development Index, which gauges quality of life of the local people.
I say that if the local people have a good life, so too will the foreigners.
In Ecuador there are some issues with their socialist president. In recent years, the country has seen quite a few freedom of speech issues and the president receives much support from Hugo Chavez. I'm not saying Ecuador will become another Venezuela or Cuba, just that the direction the country will take is not as crystal clear, for now at least. This is something you might want to take into account, unless you don't mind taking the risk of potentially having to rush out of the country due to a change of heart from the president and confiscations of all sorts.
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Which is a nicer place to live?
They are both nice, especially in the cities.
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Ovearll, which would you choose
Between the two, I prefer Panama for expatriating.
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Why?
I like to go to sleep knowing that in the morning my property is still my property and that if I choose to leave, I can do it at my own pace and due to my own decision and not rush out due to a change of heart from the government.
The other plus is that Copa Airlines has its hub in Panama, and they fly to every single major city in Latin America and the major cities of the US. Panama is also centrally located for the whole Hemisphere, so that makes going on other trips through out the Americas as easy and convenient as possible.
To the Panamanian expat : how is life & climate in David ?
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