NavoyNostos

Panama City vs Pedasí

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Panama City edges it, 61 to 61, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Panama City is stronger on nothing outright; Pedasí on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 4.3 of 61 points (scores 38/100)Safety: 5.4 of 61 points (scores 48/100)Healthcare: 8.7 of 61 points (scores 78/100)Internet: 7.8 of 61 points (scores 70/100)Visa ease: 8.8 of 61 points (scores 79/100)Getting there & around: 6.7 of 61 points (scores 60/100)Climate: 3.7 of 61 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 8.8 of 61 points (scores 79/100)Quality of life: 6.8 of 61 points (scores 61/100)61
Panama City
out of 100

Skyline on the canal, dollars in the wallet

Full Panama City profile →Where to stay in Panama City →
Cost of living: 4.8 of 61 points (scores 43/100)Safety: 5.4 of 61 points (scores 48/100)Healthcare: 8.7 of 61 points (scores 78/100)Internet: 7.8 of 61 points (scores 70/100)Visa ease: 8.8 of 61 points (scores 79/100)Getting there & around: 6.1 of 61 points (scores 55/100)Climate: 3.7 of 61 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 8.6 of 61 points (scores 78/100)Quality of life: 6.8 of 61 points (scores 61/100)61
Pedasí
out of 100

Sleepy Azuero fishing town with surf at Playa Venao and dry-season sun

Full Pedasí profile →Where to stay in Pedasí →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricPanama CityPedasí
Cost of living3843 ✓
Safety4848
Healthcare7878
Internet70 ✓70
Visa ease7979
Getting there & around60 ✓55
Climate3333
Air quality79 ✓78
Quality of life6161

Cost

MetricPanama CityPedasí
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,742$1,550 ✓
Central one-bedroom rent$1,055no data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricPanama CityPedasí
Homicides per 100k12.7812.78
Political stability (0–100)69.969.9
UHC service coverage (0–100)8282
Life expectancy77.2 yrs77.2 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricPanama CityPedasí
Download43.6 Mbps ✓42.3 Mbps
Upload9.9 Mbps9.9 Mbps

Visa

MetricPanama CityPedasí
Nomad visaShort-stay visa for remote workersShort-stay visa for remote workers
Minimum income for the visa$3,000/mo$3,000/mo
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricPanama CityPedasí
Non-stop airport destinations9394 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)23 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)3 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricPanama CityPedasí
Comfortable months per year44
Annual mean PM2.514.3 µg/m³ ✓15.1 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Panama City or Pedasí?
Pedasí is cheaper: about $1,550 per month versus $1,742 for one person.
Is Panama City or Pedasí safer?
Panama City scores higher on safety (48 vs 48), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Panama City or Pedasí?
Panama City: a measured median of 43.6 Mbps versus 42.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.