San José: the vibe
Videos from people who went, played right here, with what viewers said underneath. Not part of the score.
The verdict
Mixed · 50Thin and mostly off-target content: comparisons with Panama City, a short visit, and a coworking tour, with only passing mentions of crime and warm locals, so this stays near neutral.
- friendly locals
- lively street life
- coworking spaces with fast internet
- robbery and break-in risk
- barred windows
- less modern than Panama City
- Safety concerns are real, but daily life still feels active and open.
- Good for a short stay or coworking, but little evidence on long-term living.
- Comparisons with Panama City are seen as unfair by many commenters.
Read from 4 videos, 18 comments and 0 posts on 2026-11-07; the summary is written by a language model and can misread sarcasm.
Panama City vs San Jose, Costa Rica: Which Is the Best Expat Haven?
Living in Latin America · 25K views · 2024
What viewers said
“As an expat, which city do you prefer and why?”
♥ 17 likes
“Creo que comparar es injusto. Son dos países con mucho que ofrecer, cada uno con su cultura e idiosincrasia. Ambos con virtudes y defectos, pero con el calor y amistad del latino”
♥ 17 likes
“The three lane highway out of Panama City is open for traffic already (it's in your video) The city bound side, also three lanes, has not opened but will be before year's end. You can take the metro to a station close to Panama's stadium, t”
♥ 14 likes
“Panama City is a fascinating modern Coastal City, reminds me to Miami. Modern Metro system, two bridges over the canal, a third being built, a metro just in process to be built under the cabal. Compared to Panama, San Jose is an old village”
♥ 13 likes
“Costa Rica y Panamá Son hermosos con gente bella cariñosa amigable hermosos paisajes diferentes culturas pero todas hermosas. ❤”
♥ 1 likes
“Another straight up video, much appreciated! I may visit Costa Rica, but I hope to be in Panama this year. Your videos have been really helpful as I make arrangements and plans. I subbed last year and like every one I see. When I get to PC ”
♥ 2 likes
“I live in costa rica. This guy gave a true comparison. 👍👍”
♥ 9 likes
“Great video, Jesse. Very informative.”
♥ 3 likes
“Panamá, donde hay de todo un poco y aún más x explorar 🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦”
♥ 8 likes
“No hay punto de comparación. Desde sus inicios de la historia ha sido completamente diferentes, el terreno en que han sido construidas, especialmente por sus colonizadores, su idiosincrasia. Ambos tienen mucho que dar 😍😍”
Found with a YouTube search for the city and “digital nomad”, fetched 2026-11-07; titles, descriptions and comments belong to their authors and link to the originals.