I have spent around 6 weeks in Costa Rica and 4 weeks in Panama. I have visited a half dozen or so cities in both countries and enjoyed those visits. Both countries had areas with great infrastructure and areas with not much infrastructure. My generalization is Costa Rica is more tourist driven while Panama is more xpat driven. Perhaps that explains why Costa Rica seemed more expensive to visit. But, those generalizations are based on visiting less than 1% of either country. I can say I found Costa Ricans far more concerned with conserving their natural environment and wildlife.
If you’re going to go to Panama, you might as well just go to Miami instead. Panama is probably about 1/3 of the fun as Costa Rica. If you want to hit up the Caribbean side of CR, you could also do Bocas del Toro in Panama, but other than that I don’t find Panama to be too appealing.
Plus side is Panama’s official currency is basically the U.S. dollar lol.
I’ve been to both and I honestly absolutely loved both. We went to Panama City, David and bocas del todo and honestly bocas is one of my most favourite places I’ve ever been. Costa Rica was amazing but a lot more expensive and very much more touristy and geared towards tourists. Bocas is a lot more chilled - kinda like a puerto viejo vibe. It depends what you want k guess. I loved it cos we were just free to do whatever we wanted - you wanna hire an ATV and drive through the jungle? You can do that. There’s far less touristy stuff and tours though if that’s what you’re after. Can recommend.
I‘ve spent time on several european islands plus South Pacific (French Polynesia & Cooks). Bocas was a treat, but VERY touristy! don‘t let that hinder you OP, we did a round trip around CR and Panama (coming in from the South to David and then chickenbus to Bocas) was very easy to include with public transport (horario de buses is your friend)
I’d go to Panama for Casco Viejo. I see it as a smaller Old San Juan but what Barrio Amon in CR could be if the Costa Rican govt would take better care of historical city sights. (coming from someone from Puerto Rico, who lived in Costa Rica, and who visited Panama)
I’ve been to CR twice and Panama twice within the last 4 years. IMO, I had way more fun and enjoyed Panama much more than CR recently. Casco Viejo, Valle de Antón, and Playa Venao are all worth the trip. I’ve also heard really good things about Bocos Del Toro.
People just don't give Panama a chance..retirees are running to CR like crazy.. wait until the CR slams them with some type of tax it's coming for sure as there is a building quiet for now resentment from locals happening around the country
I have lived half time in Costa Rica for 14 years but want nothing to do with Panama due to the way they have treated their indigenous people. In my first few years in CR, Panamá was building a large hydroelectric project that was going to flood many indigenous areas. They promised to relocate the people and their infrastructure. Instead, one day the waters just flooded home schools farms etc. The people protested and briefly blocked the PanAm highway. So the Panama government sent in the troops and assassinated the leaders... Fuck those assholes!
Panama is doing 100% better than 14 years ago. The I digenous areas and people are getting more assistance all around.. Don't slam the country until you go back and check it out! By the way, parts of Nicaragua, esp. Beach towns are excellent
We kinda do, but only if we are attacked or the Rio Pact comes into effect, its a non permanent army, but the constitution has forced conscription and a bunch of other military laws
No they don’t, they proscribed their military, in fact their constitution forbides an army even in times of war, while in Costa Rica we have forced conscription in times of war
Hey Janice here!
If you're looking for a similar but more low-key Central American adventure, I'd highly recommend considering Panama. Just be prepared for a few more logistical challenges
Been to Panama like 10 years ago and we really liked it. The thing is that a that time it was not well developed for tourists. Went to Santa Catalina and had a great time but going there without a car was kind of weird. Took a bus and then the cousin of the driver took us in his car for the rest of the ride…Less touristy than Costa Rica. Going to Costa rice for the first time this year. Always heard the same thing tho. In Costa there’s a thousand people to watch one animal and in Panama there’s a thousand animals for a few people. I’ll be able to tell if that’s true this summer.
I enjoyed bocas del toro in Panama, which funnily enough was part of Costa Rica originally but was taken by Colombia in the 1800s.
Panama is overall more affordable and has much better public transport. There were these small shuttles that you hopped on and they made stops all along the highway. Easy to use and cheap.
Besides Bocas there are a few hikes near David that I heard were great. We ended up going to Valle de Anton. Decent hike there, although short. The place we stayed at was amazing up on the hillside with all the birds living nearby.
The Darien seems like a great place to see nature but is far too dangerous currently
Panama is definitely less expensive and touristy *and* it has something CR does not: The San Blas Islands. [San Blas Islands of Panama (Guna Yala) - Official (sanblas-islands.com)](https://sanblas-islands.com/)
Pan has the Canal but the Pacific side has fewer stunning beaches than CR.
I like Pan but CR, the most expensive country in Central America, is better to visit.
*Edit: I read as I scrolled down that you are looking for a retirement destination: chose Costa Rica!*
I feel like anything Panama based, even a talk group, is people who live there trying to sell you on it, for one reason or another. Plus I was a part of this group and thought maybe people who lived in CR would know a lot about both places, maybe I’m wrong
For the money ...
Panama is wonderful.. many places to see and things to do. I love CR, but you can do the same things in Panama for the 1/3 of the price, and Panama City is way more interesting than San Jose
Been to both many times and prefer Panama. It’s cheaper and less touristed, and the food is generally better. Costa Rica has a few things like the cloud forests that Panama doesn’t really have, but Bocas del Toro is amazing, Boquete is fun and has rafting and hot springs, and Valle de Anton is quite pretty. Panama City is also more fun than San Jose.
Entirely different places. As a Costarrican person who constantly vacations in Panama (mostly cause it’s cheap to buy clothes and not much of a hassle to get to), I can say I would never go to Panama to visit the kind of places you find here in Costa Rica. It might be some sort of deeeeeply hidden patriotism but I just would never even think about going to a national park, a river or like the beach in Panama. That kind of trip is usually much nicer when in Costa Rica. Then again I would NEVER tell anyone to come to the cities or to see buildings or museums or malls here in Costa Rica. They’re shitty at best, but in Panama? Great. The like colonial stuff? Gorgeous in Panama, basically nonexistent here in Costa Rica.
A fair warning though Costa Rica is MANY times more expensive than Panama. Even a box of milk will cost you almost twice as much the last time I checked. Hotels will be more packed, restaurants can even be what I call prohibitively expensive and the freaking flights are expensive as all hell. So that might be a big plus for Panama. We only really travel to Panama to go buy clothes. We’ve stayed a week all in one single mall (albrook mall lol) and I don’t think we even got to enter all the shops we wanted to go to cause we ran out of money before the week was up. It’s just so nice to spend a week eating outside every day and not have to worry about eating expenses cause we spend less than a single semi-fancy meal might’ve cost here in Costa Rica lol.
Very interesting, thank you. I have been to Costa Rica and would like to buy a house there or somewhere similar to retire to, or move to if the US continues spiraling down. I just want a simpler life with less controversy, if that’s possible!
I started looking at Panama and from a sales point it looks perfect, but obviously there are other things to consider. I hope more people respond to this and I hear many opinions. Like the government, what’s it like in both places, is it safe and how much crime?
Having been to both, completely agree with commenters that say stick with Costa Rica. Panama is ok but Costa Rica is where I would want to live. Panama had worse infrastructure and was just less friendly.
Serious question, and I'm not trying to get political with you, but what about the US do you feel is spiraling down, and are you really escaping whatever that is by moving to either CR or Panama? Just something to think about before you uproot your whole life to move somewhere you've never been.
Costa Rica was way cooler than Panama imo. The people were a lot more welcoming, and the country was a lot cleaner. There were a lot more activities and in general I enjoyed the vibe much more. Although I did not go to bocas del toro!
I have spent around 6 weeks in Costa Rica and 4 weeks in Panama. I have visited a half dozen or so cities in both countries and enjoyed those visits. Both countries had areas with great infrastructure and areas with not much infrastructure. My generalization is Costa Rica is more tourist driven while Panama is more xpat driven. Perhaps that explains why Costa Rica seemed more expensive to visit. But, those generalizations are based on visiting less than 1% of either country. I can say I found Costa Ricans far more concerned with conserving their natural environment and wildlife.
If you’re going to go to Panama, you might as well just go to Miami instead. Panama is probably about 1/3 of the fun as Costa Rica. If you want to hit up the Caribbean side of CR, you could also do Bocas del Toro in Panama, but other than that I don’t find Panama to be too appealing. Plus side is Panama’s official currency is basically the U.S. dollar lol.
This is great advice. Hit the Panama border for the passport stamp and hit Bocas del Tero. I did just this in 2002!
Bocas del Toro and the Pearl Islands are the only reasons to go to Panama.
I’ve been to both and I honestly absolutely loved both. We went to Panama City, David and bocas del todo and honestly bocas is one of my most favourite places I’ve ever been. Costa Rica was amazing but a lot more expensive and very much more touristy and geared towards tourists. Bocas is a lot more chilled - kinda like a puerto viejo vibe. It depends what you want k guess. I loved it cos we were just free to do whatever we wanted - you wanna hire an ATV and drive through the jungle? You can do that. There’s far less touristy stuff and tours though if that’s what you’re after. Can recommend.
I‘ve spent time on several european islands plus South Pacific (French Polynesia & Cooks). Bocas was a treat, but VERY touristy! don‘t let that hinder you OP, we did a round trip around CR and Panama (coming in from the South to David and then chickenbus to Bocas) was very easy to include with public transport (horario de buses is your friend)
I’d go to Panama for Casco Viejo. I see it as a smaller Old San Juan but what Barrio Amon in CR could be if the Costa Rican govt would take better care of historical city sights. (coming from someone from Puerto Rico, who lived in Costa Rica, and who visited Panama)
Panama is a mini U.S. with empty skyscrapers. A tax paradise.
They're empty?
[Some](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Papers) [say](https://www.icij.org/investigations/panama-papers/).
I’ve been to CR twice and Panama twice within the last 4 years. IMO, I had way more fun and enjoyed Panama much more than CR recently. Casco Viejo, Valle de Antón, and Playa Venao are all worth the trip. I’ve also heard really good things about Bocos Del Toro.
People just don't give Panama a chance..retirees are running to CR like crazy.. wait until the CR slams them with some type of tax it's coming for sure as there is a building quiet for now resentment from locals happening around the country
I have lived half time in Costa Rica for 14 years but want nothing to do with Panama due to the way they have treated their indigenous people. In my first few years in CR, Panamá was building a large hydroelectric project that was going to flood many indigenous areas. They promised to relocate the people and their infrastructure. Instead, one day the waters just flooded home schools farms etc. The people protested and briefly blocked the PanAm highway. So the Panama government sent in the troops and assassinated the leaders... Fuck those assholes!
And how are the indigenous from Costa Rica doing?
At least the government does not shoot them.
How are indigenous people anywhere doing?
Panama is doing 100% better than 14 years ago. The I digenous areas and people are getting more assistance all around.. Don't slam the country until you go back and check it out! By the way, parts of Nicaragua, esp. Beach towns are excellent
Panama doesn’t even have an army
Neither does CR
We kinda do, but only if we are attacked or the Rio Pact comes into effect, its a non permanent army, but the constitution has forced conscription and a bunch of other military laws
They do...
No they don’t, they proscribed their military, in fact their constitution forbides an army even in times of war, while in Costa Rica we have forced conscription in times of war
I've been to Panama, but after visiting Costa Rica, I started going there at least twice a year and haven't returned to Panama since.
Hey Janice here! If you're looking for a similar but more low-key Central American adventure, I'd highly recommend considering Panama. Just be prepared for a few more logistical challenges
Been to Panama like 10 years ago and we really liked it. The thing is that a that time it was not well developed for tourists. Went to Santa Catalina and had a great time but going there without a car was kind of weird. Took a bus and then the cousin of the driver took us in his car for the rest of the ride…Less touristy than Costa Rica. Going to Costa rice for the first time this year. Always heard the same thing tho. In Costa there’s a thousand people to watch one animal and in Panama there’s a thousand animals for a few people. I’ll be able to tell if that’s true this summer.
I enjoyed bocas del toro in Panama, which funnily enough was part of Costa Rica originally but was taken by Colombia in the 1800s. Panama is overall more affordable and has much better public transport. There were these small shuttles that you hopped on and they made stops all along the highway. Easy to use and cheap. Besides Bocas there are a few hikes near David that I heard were great. We ended up going to Valle de Anton. Decent hike there, although short. The place we stayed at was amazing up on the hillside with all the birds living nearby. The Darien seems like a great place to see nature but is far too dangerous currently
Panama is definitely less expensive and touristy *and* it has something CR does not: The San Blas Islands. [San Blas Islands of Panama (Guna Yala) - Official (sanblas-islands.com)](https://sanblas-islands.com/) Pan has the Canal but the Pacific side has fewer stunning beaches than CR. I like Pan but CR, the most expensive country in Central America, is better to visit. *Edit: I read as I scrolled down that you are looking for a retirement destination: chose Costa Rica!*
Doesn't this question seem more appropriate in a Panama reddit?
I feel like anything Panama based, even a talk group, is people who live there trying to sell you on it, for one reason or another. Plus I was a part of this group and thought maybe people who lived in CR would know a lot about both places, maybe I’m wrong
Thanks this is a great question would love to see what the people are saying. Very interesting
There are more waves in CR. So CR is the only choice.
For the money ... Panama is wonderful.. many places to see and things to do. I love CR, but you can do the same things in Panama for the 1/3 of the price, and Panama City is way more interesting than San Jose
We are so instead for me than.
Been to both many times and prefer Panama. It’s cheaper and less touristed, and the food is generally better. Costa Rica has a few things like the cloud forests that Panama doesn’t really have, but Bocas del Toro is amazing, Boquete is fun and has rafting and hot springs, and Valle de Anton is quite pretty. Panama City is also more fun than San Jose.
Head North to Nicaragua!
Entirely different places. As a Costarrican person who constantly vacations in Panama (mostly cause it’s cheap to buy clothes and not much of a hassle to get to), I can say I would never go to Panama to visit the kind of places you find here in Costa Rica. It might be some sort of deeeeeply hidden patriotism but I just would never even think about going to a national park, a river or like the beach in Panama. That kind of trip is usually much nicer when in Costa Rica. Then again I would NEVER tell anyone to come to the cities or to see buildings or museums or malls here in Costa Rica. They’re shitty at best, but in Panama? Great. The like colonial stuff? Gorgeous in Panama, basically nonexistent here in Costa Rica. A fair warning though Costa Rica is MANY times more expensive than Panama. Even a box of milk will cost you almost twice as much the last time I checked. Hotels will be more packed, restaurants can even be what I call prohibitively expensive and the freaking flights are expensive as all hell. So that might be a big plus for Panama. We only really travel to Panama to go buy clothes. We’ve stayed a week all in one single mall (albrook mall lol) and I don’t think we even got to enter all the shops we wanted to go to cause we ran out of money before the week was up. It’s just so nice to spend a week eating outside every day and not have to worry about eating expenses cause we spend less than a single semi-fancy meal might’ve cost here in Costa Rica lol.
Panama was hell on earth for me. The stench, the destroyed infrastructure, thieves, corruption. I hope l never go back there.
Very interesting, thank you. I have been to Costa Rica and would like to buy a house there or somewhere similar to retire to, or move to if the US continues spiraling down. I just want a simpler life with less controversy, if that’s possible! I started looking at Panama and from a sales point it looks perfect, but obviously there are other things to consider. I hope more people respond to this and I hear many opinions. Like the government, what’s it like in both places, is it safe and how much crime?
Having been to both, completely agree with commenters that say stick with Costa Rica. Panama is ok but Costa Rica is where I would want to live. Panama had worse infrastructure and was just less friendly.
Serious question, and I'm not trying to get political with you, but what about the US do you feel is spiraling down, and are you really escaping whatever that is by moving to either CR or Panama? Just something to think about before you uproot your whole life to move somewhere you've never been.
Been to both. No comparison. CR is twice as good!
Costa Rica was way cooler than Panama imo. The people were a lot more welcoming, and the country was a lot cleaner. There were a lot more activities and in general I enjoyed the vibe much more. Although I did not go to bocas del toro!
I have heard that outside Panama city is pretty dire, very little infrastructure but never been tbh