Panama City vs Phuket
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Panama City edges it, 54 to 51, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Panama City is stronger on getting there & around, quality of life; Phuket on visa ease, cost of living. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Panama City | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 43 | 55 ✓ |
| Safety | 43 | 48 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 77 ✓ | 74 |
| Internet | 65 ✓ | 59 |
| Visa ease | 52 | 65 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 28 ✓ | 10 |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 79 ✓ | 73 |
| Quality of life | 61 ✓ | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Panama City | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,742 | $1,311 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $1,055 | $596 ✓ |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Panama City | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 20.3 | 4.4 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.4 ✓ | 54.2 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 77.2 yrs ✓ | 75.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Panama City | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 43.6 Mbps ✓ | 28 Mbps |
| Upload | 9.9 Mbps | 16.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Panama City | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) ✓ |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 180 days ✓ | 60 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 90 days ✓ | 60 days |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days ✓ | 60 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Panama City | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 93 ✓ | 67 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Panama City | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.3 µg/m³ ✓ | 17 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Panama City or Phuket?
- Phuket is cheaper: about $1,311 per month versus $1,742 for one person.
- Is Panama City or Phuket safer?
- Phuket scores higher on safety (48 vs 43), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Panama City or Phuket?
- Panama City: a measured median of 43.6 Mbps versus 28 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.