Panama, A Top Spot For Retirees
(costaricapages.com) A popular international relocation services has ranked Panama as the third best country to retire in. International Living has been ranking destination for years and assisting people with real estate purchases and other services.
Though I cannot speak for the services provided by International Living, they are touted as the “go-to” source for relocation information for various destinations around the world. Their annual retirement index takes in to account cost of living, culture, real estate, safety, health care, climate, infrastructure and special benefits.
In their 2008 index, the company gives Panama a score of 75 out of 100. Panama came in third in their list, with Mexico taking the first spot and Ecuador was second. This is the second year in a row that Mexico took first place in the retirement index. Before that, Panama took first place for six years in a row. When Panama’s rank fell in 2007, International Living cited the exponential rise in real estate costs as the reason.
What is interesting about the score given to Panama this year is that fact that the country received a perfect score for safety and stability. By no means would I call Panama unsafe, but the violent crime rates are increasing rapidly in this country. Safety and security are key platforms of a number of candidates in the upcoming federal election.
For those of you currently living in Panama, do you think International Living got it right? For those of you considering a move to Panama, do reports such as these impact your decision in any way?
