---
title: "Living in David (Panama) as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/david-panama
description: "Hot commercial capital of Chiriquí, the practical base near Boquete"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# David (Panama), Panama

David (Panama) scores 57.5/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 686 of 1000 cities. Expect about $1,204 per month, a nomad visa (Short-stay visa for remote workers), and a measured median download speed of 42.3 Mbps.

David is Panama's third city, a flat, hot commercial hub in the farmlands of Chiriquí with hospitals, malls and an airport with flights to Panama City and Costa Rica. It is where the expats of Boquete, 40 minutes up the hill, come for errands; living costs are among the lowest in the country, but it has little charm and daytime temperatures top 32 °C most of the year.

Known for: Boquete 40 min, Cheapest big-city living in Panama, Flights to Panama City, Flat, hot and unremarkable.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 57.5 |
| Cost of living | 53 |
| Safety | 48 |
| Healthcare | 78 |
| Internet | 70 |
| Visa ease | 79 |
| Getting there & around | 17 |
| Climate | 33 |
| Air quality | 78 |
| Quality of life | 61 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,204 | city | 2026-07 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | $633 | city | 2026-07 | [^2] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | $422 | city | 2026-07 | [^2] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 12.78 | country | 2024 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 69.9 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.2 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 42.3 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 9.9 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | Short-stay visa for remote workers (min $3,000/mo) | country | 2026-10-07 | [^10] |
| Visa guide | [Panama long-stay visa guide](https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/panama) | country | 2026-10-07 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | 180 days / 90 days / 90 days | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (DAV) | 2 | city | 2026-07 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 125 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 2 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 4 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 14.9 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.839 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | low | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 23.8 | 50 | 81 | yes |
| Feb | 24.6 | 28 | 74 | yes |
| Mar | 25.5 | 42 | 71 | yes |
| Apr | 25.7 | 101 | 74 | yes |
| May | 24.9 | 285 | 86 | no |
| Jun | 24.4 | 232 | 89 | no |
| Jul | 24.3 | 272 | 89 | no |
| Aug | 24.3 | 265 | 89 | no |
| Sep | 24.1 | 239 | 89 | no |
| Oct | 23.7 | 292 | 91 | no |
| Nov | 23.6 | 298 | 90 | no |
| Dec | 23.8 | 113 | 86 | no |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Enrique Malek International Airport | DAV | 2 | 0 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 2, of which 0 international (Wikipedia, 2026-07).

## Similar cities

- [Boquete](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/boquete) (56.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/boquete-vs-david-panama)
- [Santa Teresa](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/santa-teresa) (56) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/david-panama-vs-santa-teresa)
- [Puerto Madryn](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/puerto-madryn) (60.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/david-panama-vs-puerto-madryn)
- [Manizales](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/manizales) (53.9) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/david-panama-vs-manizales)
- [Campeche](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/campeche) (56.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/campeche-vs-david-panama)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in David (Panama) as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $1,204 per month in David (Panama), renting a one-bedroom outside the centre (about $422). A central one-bedroom costs about $633, which brings the total to roughly $1,415. That is a 53/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is David (Panama) safe for digital nomads?

David (Panama) scores 48/100 on safety. Panama records 12.78 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2024) and a political-stability score of 69.9/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Panama have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Panama offers the Short-stay visa for remote workers with a minimum income of about $3,000 per month. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying. Full guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/panama

### How fast is the internet in David (Panama)?

Measured median download speed in David (Panama) was 42.3 Mbps (upload 9.9 Mbps) across 14,748 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in David (Panama)?

Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in Panama (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in David (Panama). Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.

### Which airports serve David (Panama) and how many nonstop flights are there?

David (Panama) is served by Enrique Malek International Airport (DAV) with 2 nonstop destinations, of which 0 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-07.

### When is the best time of year to be in David (Panama)?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr. Mean temperatures range from 74°F (24°C) in Nov to 78°F (26°C) in Apr (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### David (Panama) or Boquete: which is better for digital nomads?

Boquete is the city with the closest factor profile to David (Panama) in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Where to stay in David (Panama)](https://navoy.io/hotels/panama/david) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim (retrieved 2026-10-12)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Nostos long-stay visa guides, Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/visas (retrieved 2026-10-04)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/david-panama