All year
Panamá Viejo and the Casco Antiguo
The ruins of the first city, founded in 1519, and the walled colonial town, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Official sourceRetiring in Panama City
Panama City is the hub of the country. Tocumen International Airport has nonstop flights to 17 US cities and to Montreal, Toronto and Calgary, the largest public hospitals are here, and the old town and Panamá Viejo are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
It is hot all year, about 27 °C (81 °F).
Living in Panama City
The capital has two World Heritage sites side by side with a modern skyline: the ruins of Panamá Viejo, founded in 1519, and the walled colonial Casco Antiguo. UNESCO also lists it as a Creative City of Gastronomy. Daily life runs along the Cinta Costera waterfront and the Amador Causeway, with the Biomuseo and the Metropolitan Natural Park, a rainforest inside the city. The Miraflores Locks visitor center, where you watch ships cross the Canal, is about 15 minutes from downtown.
Population
The district of Panamá counted 1,086,990 people in the 2023 census; the urban core that the census labels “Ciudad de Panamá” counted 410,354.
Climate
The city is hot and humid all year. Two official stations, Albrook Field and Tocumen, both average 27 °C (81 °F), and the monthly averages barely move. The dry season runs from January to April, with December as a transition; May to November is the rainy season, and October is the wettest month at both stations.
| IMHPA station | Altitude | Average | Months under 100 mm of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albrook Field (142-002) | 12 m | 27.0 °C (81 °F), monthly averages 26.2 to 28.0 °C | |
| Tocumen E.T.E.S.A. (144-002) | 18 m | 27.0 °C (81 °F), monthly averages 26.4 to 27.8 °C | |
| Balboa Heights (142-004) | 30 m | 1,840 mm of rain a year | Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr |
| Tocumen E.T.E.S.A. (144-002) | 18 m | 1,908 mm of rain a year | Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr |
Getting there
Tocumen International Airport (PTY) is about 40 minutes from downtown. The tourism board counts 281 weekly flights from 17 US cities, with Copa, American, United and Delta, and 15 weekly flights from Montreal, Toronto and Calgary. Domestic flights to David and Bocas del Toro leave from the smaller Marcos A. Gelabert airport at Albrook.
Health care nearby
The two main public hospitals of the country are here: Hospital Santo Tomás, run by the Ministry of Health, and the Arnulfo Arias Madrid hospital complex of the Social Security Fund (CSS). Private hospitals are covered in our health care guide.
- Hospital Santo Tomás (patronato, MINSA)
- Complejo Hospitalario Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid (CSS)
Cost of living
The Ministry of Economy and Finance prices a basic food basket of 59 items for the districts of Panamá and San Miguelito: B/. 367.03 in July 2026, for an average household of 3.5 people. It is the only official cost figure for the city; rent and services are not part of it.
Festivals and seasons
All year
Biomuseo, Canal Museum and Miraflores
The Biomuseo, designed by Frank Gehry, has eight galleries on how the isthmus formed. The Canal Museum is in the Casco Antiguo, and the Miraflores visitor center has terraces to watch the ships, 15 minutes from downtown.
Official sourceYour residency, wherever you live
The Pensionado visa is the same in every province: the US$1,000 monthly pension, or US$750 with a property of more than US$100,000, and the same documents, wherever you plan to live. The discounts of the retiree law apply all over the country.
Choosing where to live before you apply? Tell us the town and we will check what changes for your case, if anything.
Free consultationPlanning your retirement in Panama?
Book a free 15-minute call. We will check your pension and tell you exactly what you need.