I never expected to retire to Panama -- but we are living 'very comfortably' on $1,200 a month

[Zorro]

This couple moved from Florida without speaking much Spanish

Kris Cunningham never expected to be living in Panama. When her husband, Joel, started talking about retiring to Central America, “I thought he had lost his mind.” She didn’t have a passport and had never been abroad.

But after nine years of living in David, a city of 83,000 near the Pacific Ocean and close to the border with Costa Rica, “we are super happy here,” the 69-year-old says. “It’s worked out beyond my wildest expectations.”

She learned Spanish, taught herself to play bass guitar and joined her husband’s rock band, called Monkey Nerve, when the bass player moved to Colombia. She seems to fall into conversation with everyone, has biked from home across Costa Rica and into Nicaragua, and blogs about her life.

Backtrack a decade. Cunningham was working in Florida as a visiting nurse, burned out but knew she and her husband, already retired from his home-remodeling job, couldn’t afford to stay in Sarasota without a paycheck or her Social Security check. And even a reduced check was a few years away.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-never-expected-to-retire-to-panama-but-we-are-living-very-comfortably-on-1-200-a-month-11633001564

[Walleye]

1. I was privileged to go to high school for a semester in Panama as an exchange student

They were having political problems of course, but who doesn’t. The people were absolutely nice to me and kind and patient with my Spanish. I’ve always been grateful for the opportunity to have gone there

[localroger]

2. I have visited Panama a couple of times

One surprise is the large number of very good Italian restaurants just about everywhere. There is a reason for that, which I will leave to the imagination. The big hurdle is of course the income requirement for a visa, since the main reason they'll let you move in is that you will be bringing in money. This makes it easy if you are retired with a pension, and almost impossible if you are young. It is also a little freaky to drive between the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the country in about 45 minutes.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. I know someone else who moved to Panama several years ago after retirement.

While I understand the appeal of various other countries as being far more affordable, I don't believe I would be willing to be so far from family.

How is the Covid situation there? Does anyone know?

[snowybirdie]

4. We tried retiring

to a foreign country. Lasted 3 years! Had a beautiful place, wonderful neighbors, cheap living. What could be wrong? Sanitation problems, substandard medical care, lack of communication and family far away. Carefully consider all of the issues before you leap.

[LakeArenal]

5. Same here in Costa Rica.