Gatering info about retirement in Panama in practice.

You should protest the ridiculous charge with your credit card company.
It seems you were taken advantage of as many foreigners find happens to them when traveling.
I am sorry that you had such a terrible experience in Panama.

Steven Rich in Panama

Sorry for your.experience but it sounds like you have not traveled traveled abroad much before.
Having visited Panama many times before moving here 3 years ago I have never heard such bad luck story.
1500 per month will not get you much here sorry to say.

We also had a bad experience with Avis on our first visit here. I disputed it with my credit card and got most of it back. They were unresponsive with me, but the credit card company managed to wake them up. I'm sorry all this happened to you and I hope this hasn't soured you on Panama.
As for the police, they hit up the locals as well. $20 seems more realistic though. People everywhere will take advantage of opportunities. When you spend more time here you learn your way around and it's harder for people to pull this sort of nonsense on you.
Yes, you can live here on your budget. Whole families live on less. It will be hard (impossible?) in expensive areas though - Panama City, Boquete, Coronado, etc, mainly places with lots of expats. We have tracked our expenses in David, and are doing it again this month so check back later for that http://blog.thepanamaadventure.com/3-th … in-panama/

1500 won't cut it unless you are prepared to live like a pauper in a rural area.  Housing, transportation, utilities and an eventual desire for US type food and products will squeeze you. I would think Social Security for two working adults would exceed the budget you stated.  If your desire is to live by the sea in a warm climate I recommend rural southern Texas south of Galveston or a remote location on the Florida panhandle.

There is only one mandatory rental car coverage required in Panama and you can pay for it in advance in the U.S. I hAd good luck with Alamo. At the Airport counter they will insist you need more ignore them present your printout reservation with the daily-weekly rate they will release the car to you after you decline some Mickey Mouse coverages that if needed are not full coverages

El Cid wrote:

1500 won't cut it unless you are prepared to live like a pauper in a rural area.

The budgets put out by Kristc and also by others who track expenditures contradict your statement, so this all gets a bit confusing. I have to take your POV with a grain of salt for 2 reasons - first, many of us have managed to live happily with absolutely no processed North American-style poison foods for years; and for those of us not US residents, there is no desire to take on the burden of US residency and all the negatives that implies.

Tracking expenditures statistics is no way to live a life especially in retirement. Referring to food as poison and democracies as enslavement places you in an off the grid fringe entity, If Canada & the U.S.  has failed you in terms of career, quality of life and retirement security well how much is your own fault? I have lived and worked in the heart of darkness (Bangladesh & Haiti ) that is why I expected more value from Panama. I estimate 3K a month for a civilized lifestyle for a couple there.

El Cid wrote:

Tracking expenditures statistics is no way to live a life especially in retirement. Referring to food as poison and democracies as enslavement places you in an off the grid fringe entity, If Canada & the U.S.  has failed you in terms of career, quality of life and retirement security well how much is your own fault? I have lived and worked in the heart of darkness (Bangladesh & Haiti ) that is why I expected more value from Panama. I estimate 3K a month for a civilized lifestyle for a couple there.

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5K or more per month for a couple in Panama City.  Boquete is perfect  for "off the grid" types.

El Cid wrote:

Tracking expenditures statistics is no way to live a life especially in retirement. Referring to food as poison and democracies as enslavement places you in an off the grid fringe entity, If Canada & the U.S.  has failed you in terms of career, quality of life and retirement security well how much is your own fault? I have lived and worked in the heart of darkness (Bangladesh & Haiti ) that is why I expected more value from Panama. I estimate 3K a month for a civilized lifestyle for a couple there.

Enslavement? U.S. failing me? Where do you get this stuff? And if restricting my diet to meat, eggs, veg, salad and fruit makes me "fringe", you and I have different notions of "civilized" lifestyle and we can leave it at that.You criticize "tracking expenditures" yet your POV is based on tracking expenditures.  So we have different notions of logic as well!

I particularly enjoy your philosophy that places the blame for poverty directly on the shoulders of the poor themselves. Hilarious.

Agree with the 5k estimate for Panama City

OK, so Canada has failed you and it's form of socialism apparently can't save its people from poverty. Don't wander to far off the 3rd world grid.

Do you practice being a jerk or does it come naturally to you?

No, just trying to rationalize your posts and determine why you would favor Panama over the rest of Central America. There are other locations for western world expat such as Granada- NIC, Antiqua and Lake Attilian -GUA, Jaco-CR  Roatan-HON  etc.

No you're not. You're just being gratuitously nasty for no apparent reason. Give it a rest. I'm not vulnerable to your attempted jabs at me or at Canada.

SunsetSteve wrote:

[first, many of us have managed to live happily with absolutely no processed North American-style poison foods for years; and for those of us not US residents, there is no desire to take on the burden of US residency and all the negatives that implies.

And the rest of us are not vulnerable to your attempted jabs at the U.S.

This thread is about affordability in Panama.

My jabs at the US? My only issues with the US: (1) as a Canadian I cannot obtain permission to reside for more than 6 months per annum. Therefore it is not a possible destination for me. (2) the cost of living is no better than home in Canada, so what would be the point? (3) Culturally the US hold no advantages over Canada, so there is no sense of change or adventure in residing there.

Sorry if the odd American expat finds that attitude offensive.  Not. The fact that the US is not a desirable move for a Canadian to make is no more or less offensive than the fact that an American might not find Canada to be a desirable place to relocate to. 

Instructive that my lack of enthusiasm for emigrating to the US prods El Cid into a retributive rage. Instructive that his unprovoked insults against Canada are less offensive than my neutral remarks. Think about it.

Steve, Steve, Steve..... Your the one who jumped in from the "Great White North" dissected my response to the New Yorker who requested individual opinions - I sure he was not seeking your critique of other responders!

The advice to consider coastal Texas or Florida was for the New Yorker on a modest budget - not you!  How did " Steve" become the bellicose center of this blog?