Q&A For Current Expats & People Considering Relocating to Latin American/Caribbean Countries

[dogmom]

Originally Posted by c21boquetebocasgold

This is just another example of why I love Panama and the neighborhood I live in, which as I've posted before is comprised of all Panamanians except for me. Yesterday was Big Mama's birthday (she's like 4' but she's Big Mama of the neighborhood lol) and she is the ONLY one, and I mean ONLY one, who ever comes up to my door at night (her daughter has brought me things during the day and knocked on door - but that's it). No one else ever comes up to my door - even that one time I was in a hurry/stupid and left my house keys in the door all night.

Anyway, Mama showed up last night with a HUGE plate of food, sooooo huge I ate some last night and saved the rest for today. I have one of her son's on one side of me, her daughter on the other side of me (who does NOT get along with brother on the other side lol), then another of her son's lives directly across the street - she's next door to him.

As she was taking dinner to the son that doesn't get along with the daughter she brought me a plate of food so I could celebrate her birthday like the 'rest of the family'. I almost cried when she brought it to me, because I never had anyone in the States do that for me, let alone 'neighbors'. Of course I am the adopted Gringa of the family lol, but I thought that was just the sweetest thing in the world that I was included in the birthday celebrations with the rest of the 'family'

Tuesday is Dia de la Madre (Mother's Day) and here it's a national holiday. I always get something for Mama and her daughter, and they always give me something like on Good Friday (and even though I'm not Catholic), Mama gave me a pretty pink Rosary.

So here's to good neighbors who treat each other like family

Joy, how heartwarming that is...you live in a wonderful place..Can't wait to visit!

[soulpatch]

But.....how about medical care in Pedasi or nearby? Or, on the Caribbean coast?
I am currently homeschooling my 5 year old twins with my wife, who has her masters in cross cultural education and is a Spanish teacher her in San Diego, CA. What kind of access to cultural and educational resources would we have in an area outside of the major metropolitan areas?
We are very comfortable in Mexico but Panama is not outside the realm of possibility. On that note, we have a place in baja and are considering the area proximal to Playa del Carmen, MX as a retirement target. And then, there is Colorado, too, but it gets friggin' cold there.
Then, there is the bottom line: I will retire in three years as a firefighter at the age of 50 with some electrical and solar skills and my wife will be 44. We will bring with us a retirement income of about $5k/month US pre-tax and our twins will be eight.
How much to live comfortably would we have to work? If that is even a possibility.
We are seriously into organic food and being healthy and love community and culture.
Also, we are not enamored with owning and would prefer to rent a few years rather than buying.

[JustJoy]

Originally Posted by soulpatch

Hi Soulpatch, since you have a lot of questions I'm going to answer in bold so we stay on the same page.

But.....how about medical care in Pedasi or nearby? Or, on the Caribbean coast?

As far as Pedasi which is on the Azuero Peninsula I'll be honest with you and say I don't know a lot about that area as my brokerages serve the Western Provinces of Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro. Last I was around that area it was a small fishing village and would probably be around, at minimum, 2-3 hours outside of Panama City? With children I'm not sure that would fit your needs (but see my comments below where you talk about renting).

On the Caribbean Coast, at least in my area of Bocas with homeschooling your kids, combined with public schools they would do fine as a lot of younger people with children do live there; however, the medical facilities aren't quite up to par with say the hospitals/clinics in the City of David (Provincial capital of Chiriqui) or the clinics in the Boquete Area (the Highlands). In Bocas where serious injuries, etc. are involved people are airlifted out to either David or Panama City. There is an airport on Isla Colon where Bocas Town is located, so both of the cities are a plane ride away (30 minutes to David 1 hour to Panama City). But things are changing/improving and, again, see my comments below where you're talking about renting.

As far as the Caribbean coast of Costa Arriba in Eastern Panama (Colon Province) you'd be about 1 1/2 hours from Panama City and there are excellent hospitals there as well as universities, private/public schools etc. I would not recommend living in the City of Colon but that's JMO.

I am currently homeschooling my 5 year old twins with my wife, who has her masters in cross cultural education and is a Spanish teacher her in San Diego, CA. What kind of access to cultural and educational resources would we have in an area outside of the major metropolitan areas?

Again, it all depends on where outside of the metro areas you choose to live. If you want the beach, you could live outside of Panama City and family would have access all of the things you want or the beach areas of the Chiriqui Province in Western Panama where you would have access to what you need (including schools, excellent medical facilities, cultural, etc.) Plus the airport is in David so it would be a short plane ride to go to museums, etc. in Panama City.

We are very comfortable in Mexico but Panama is not outside the realm of possibility. On that note, we have a place in baja and are considering the area proximal to Playa del Carmen, MX as a retirement target. And then, there is Colorado, too, but it gets friggin' cold there.

LOL I moved here from decades in Colorado so I know what you mean about friggin' cold. That's why when I applied for franchise rights for my own offices I chose Bocas del Toro (again, Bocas Town is on the island of Isla Colon in the Caribbean and is the provincial capital for Bocas del Toro) AND Boquete which is a beautiful town in the mountains of Chiriqui - as well it's one of the top retirement destinations in the world, though we do have younger couples with children moving here. Reminds me a lot of Summit County or the Vail Valley in late spring/early summer and NO SNOW lol we do get rain because it is a rain forest but my primary residence is outside of Boquete and I take a 30 minute plane ride to my office in Bocas. Boquete is about 35 minutes from the City of David and there are schools up here, as well as in David like I mentioned before.

A lot of people like Mexico - actually my son is of Mexican decent. I simply preferred for my 'new home' Panama as I'm too young to retire (though I'm a bit older than you are - I'm 51). Plus I like living in Central America and on New Year's Eve will have lived here for 5 years. I love the people, the different climates and with the country being so narrow, I literally can have it all (mountains and beach)

Then, there is the bottom line: I will retire in three years as a firefighter at the age of 50 with some electrical and solar skills and my wife will be 44. We will bring with us a retirement income of about $5k/month US pre-tax and our twins will be eight.
How much to live comfortably would we have to work? If that is even a possibility.

Well, on that amount of pension you all would do fine (and if you come in on a pensionado (retirement) VISA, you qualify for all kinds of discounts which I listed in either one of my blogs or in a previous post on this thread. I'm not sure how much the US government taxes retirement funds, so unsure of what your net retirement amount would be but would 'hope' they don't tax the heck out of retirees. Panama doesn't do the double taxation thing, so people are only taxed on income they generate in the Republic.

As far as working, what you would want to do is what others do and that is to form your own company/corporation and get a business license utilizing the skill sets you have. First the wages here are a lot less than in the States, though offset by the lower cost of living - so you could, as example, form a company to either provide consulting work for another company or oversee your own. Your wife for example could teach Spanish or English (even teach Spanish to English speaking children so they got the English pronunciation correct or vice-versa; teach English to Spanish speaking children so they know how to pronounce English words correctly). This is where I get clients with attorneys because what you don't want to do is screw up your pension from the States, you know? Another thing is also speaking with someone regarding utilizing some of your retirement funds towards a purchase down the line, i.e., self-directed IRAs

We are seriously into organic food and being healthy and love community and culture.
Also, we are not enamored with owning and would prefer to rent a few years rather than buying.

This is where I want to address renting before buying. We actually encourage people to try before they buy. Some people only need to rent a month before they decide 'yes this is for me' or 'no this is not for me', others rent for a year. Everyone is different. What we want are 'happy' communities, not people buying then regretting it and being miserable.

Plus, by renting you have a 'base camp' to explore all of the areas in the country. You're actually very smart to rent first because then you can see for yourself all of the areas you've already asked about, as well as others. Trust me: when you see the right place to call home you'll know it, as well as the opposite - you could be renting, travel around and just decide Panama is not for you.

And Panama isn't for everyone - we are not little North America (not that I'm criticizing NA) but we're Panama - of course we do use the dollar as our currency and a heavy US influence from the past (canal, etc). I'm sitting here on my high speed internet, satellite TV on with a US program showing, great restaurants right down the hill, almost everything one can find in NA.

We are rich in history and culture, but one of the 'many' reasons we spend so much time talking with clients is to 'see' if they really will be happy living here. If they are wanting an area and, just using an example I know personally like Cabo, where last time I was there I felt like I was in the States, then I encourage them to check those areas out. There's nothing worse, at least IMO, than an expat throwing a fit in one of the banks, screaming at the teller because the teller doesn't speak English (though a lot of people here are fluent in English).

I'm sorry, but it's a Spanish speaking country and, just like in the US, one should learn the native language or at least attempt to learn enough to get by. Not be screaming at locals because 'they' don't speak the language of the expat, you know? Even after 5 years, I'm not 'fluent' but know enough to converse and Panamanians are just happy when people 'try'. I'll point to something and ask how to say it in Spanish, they tell me - then I tell them how to say it in English: win/win for all of us.

So sorry this is a novel lol and hope I answered your questions. If you have any others please feel free to post again or DM me. Hope you and your family are enjoying the holiday weekend. I had a great Christmas dinner, because my Panamanian neighbor always brings me a HUGE plate of food - so much I can feed for days lol so that's another reason why, at least for me, there's no place else I'd rather live.

[soulpatch]

I guess it comes down to this: We better get our traveling shoes on in the next few years and see what's what.
We love the Quintana Roo but it really seems as if Panama could be a good fit, too.
If I were in the Chiriqui province then my surfing pastime might be more accessible and I know my wife definitely wants access to cultural and educational opportunities.
However, my wife do love the Caribbean.....I guess these are good dilemnas to have to address in the next few years,
Another factor will be the world economy......we'll see how that effects everything.
Thanks again for the response.
Saludos

[JustJoy]

Originally Posted by soulpatch

I guess it comes down to this: We better get our traveling shoes on in the next few years and see what's what.
We love the Quintana Roo but it really seems as if Panama could be a good fit, too.
If I were in the Chiriqui province then my surfing pastime might be more accessible and I know my wife definitely wants access to cultural and educational opportunities.
However, my wife do love the Caribbean.....I guess these are good dilemnas to have to address in the next few years,
Another factor will be the world economy......we'll see how that effects everything.
Thanks again for the response.
Saludos

You're very welcome and don't forget: you can live in Chiriqui and it's a short plane ride to the Caribbean. But yes lol get on your traveling shoes so you can see for 'yourself' what I'm talking about. Maybe even plan a 1 month stay so you can explore and narrow things down for the future. By then, Bocas (which also has primo surfing) will have better services so you 'both' get your wish. I love a win/win

I agree the global economy is a driving force and why so many people since things went global are exploring other (more affordable) options for living.

Best to you and your wife.

[ExNooYawk]

Originally Posted by c21boquetebocasgold

Thanks! I actually found a poster in the World forum who has questions about cost of living in Mexico and Belize (so much gets posted there that bless her heart her questions were like on page 1,000,000 and no response). Anyway, I let her know about this thread so maybe someone who has a second home or lives there can answer her questions. IMO people can't have too much info and that's what I'm hoping this thread will evolve into. Expats in various Latin American/Caribbean countries helping other people decide if moving to a Latin American country is 'right' for them and get some good info from people who have experienced it. More info, more to compare and evaluate = informed decision

I am so glad to have stumbled on this thread. My husband and I are considering a relocation to Mexico or Panama. We got caught in this dreadful economy. He retired four years ago and our pension fund is down to half of what it was. Our retirement home has lost $100k of value, at least. I can see us having to make the choice between groceries and medical insurance/care someday. Medical costs in this country are beyond ridiculous. We didn't work this hard merely to eke out an existence in retirement. Not that we expect a mansion on the beach and trips around the world but a comfortable home and lifestyle with some travel were part of the plan. So. We have to make a decision.

Boquete sounds ideal. How humid does it get there? What about bugs? Also, how does one get to the airport in PC to travel to the states? That remoteness could be a deal-breaker for us as we want to be in contact with family on a regular basis.

Any answers would be most appreciated! I am enjoying reading all the posts.

[seekersofie12]

I would love to hear from any 40-50ish age singles, couples, women who have relocated from USA to Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Belize, Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic ? or small towns near these cities ?

I am a 48 year old woman with a 27 year old daughter. We both are single and want to relocate for these reasons:

1. To escape the USA rush, hurry, make money, live the American illusion dream, the
2. To be learn to speak Spanish and be immersed in the culture.
3. To not have humidity, not too hot, 75-83 degrees is nice and warm enough for us. Do not mind a few cloudy or rainy days.
4. Prefer to be within 30 minutes of an ocean and 30 minutes of modern convenience. We are not camper types, hikers, nor do we enjoy living too rustic. However, we love going where the locals go, eating all the ethnic and different foods, art and music appreciators.
4. Most important to us : a culture/medium to small town with a feeling of community and friendliness.
5. Family and Faith/Spirituality, Health are important.
6. Being near an expat community for resources and English speaking contacts, but we do not want to do the English gated community thing at all! We might as well stay in the US if we wanted that.

I soooo appreciate all of your input, suggestions and tips in advance! Or if you know of some little community that I did not mention, feel free ! Need a good airport, good health care, too !

sofie