---
title: "Boquete vs Panama City for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/boquete-vs-panama-city
description: "Under balanced weights Panama City edges it, 54 to 50, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Boquete is stronger on cost of living; Panama City on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Boquete vs Panama City for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Panama City edges it, 54 to 50, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Boquete is stronger on cost of living; Panama City on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Boquete | Panama City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 53 | 43 | Boquete |
| Safety | 43 | 43 | tie |
| Healthcare | 77 | 77 | tie |
| Internet | no data | 65 | — |
| Visa ease | 52 | 52 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 28 | Panama City |
| Climate | 25 | 33 | Panama City |
| Air quality | 82 | 79 | Boquete |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Boquete | Panama City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,376 | $1,742 | Boquete |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $796 | $1,055 | Boquete |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Boquete | Panama City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 20.3 | 20.3 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.4 | 70.4 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 77.2 yrs | 77.2 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Boquete | Panama City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | no data | 43.6 Mbps | — |
| Upload | no data | 9.9 Mbps | — |

## Visa

| Metric | Boquete | Panama City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Boquete | Panama City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 2 | 93 | Panama City |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Boquete |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 3 | Panama City |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Boquete | Panama City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 | Panama City |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 13.3 µg/m³ | 14.3 µg/m³ | Boquete |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Boquete or Panama City?

Boquete is cheaper: about $1,376 per month versus $1,742 for one person.

### Is Boquete or Panama City safer?

Boquete scores higher on safety (43 vs 43), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Boquete or Panama City?

M-Lab has no reliable measurement for one of the two cities.

City pages: [Boquete](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/boquete) · [Panama City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/panama-city). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations).

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/boquete-vs-panama-city