# Retiring in Pedasí

Pedasí is a small town of about 3,000 people at the southern tip of the Azuero Peninsula. It is warm, about 27 °C (81 °F), with one of the sharpest dry seasons on the Pacific coast, from December to April. The regional hospital is in La Villa de Los Santos.

[Free consultation](/contact/)

[Photo: Franklin Canelon, Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/ocean-photography-UIMQDAGUuOo?utm_source=iurispa&utm_medium=referral)· [Unsplash License](https://unsplash.com/license)

## Living in Pedasí

Pedasí is in Los Santos, the heartland of Panamanian folklore, of the pollera dress and the painted hat. The beaches are of golden sand: El Arenal, Los Destiladeros and Punta Mala. Iguana Island has the oldest and largest reef in the Gulf of Panama. Humpback whales pass from July to October, turtles nest from July to November, and Venao, 33 km away, is a surf beach.

- [Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page](https://www.tourismpanama.com/places-to-visit/pedasi-and-tonosi/)

## Population

The district of Pedasí counted 4,942 people in the 2023 census, 2,980 of them in the town.

- [INEC, 2023 Census, table 10](https://www.inec.gob.pa/archivos/P0705547520231109105354CUADRO%2010.pdf)

## Climate

The Pedasí station, at 47 m, averages 27.1 °C (81 °F). February averages less than 1 mm of rain; the station recorded about 1,560 mm a year, almost all of it from May to November.

| IMHPA station | Altitude | Average | Months under 100 mm of rain |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pedasi (126-005) | 47 m | 27.1 °C (81 °F), monthly averages 26.6 to 28.1 °C | |
| Pedasi (126-005) | 47 m | 1,564 mm of rain a year | Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr |

- [IMHPA station Pedasi (126-005)](https://www.imhpa.gob.pa/es/clima-historicos-data?id=126005&tipo=TEMP)
- [IMHPA station Pedasi (126-005)](https://www.imhpa.gob.pa/es/clima-historicos-data?id=126005&tipo=LLUVIA)

## Getting there

By car from Tocumen it takes 4.5 to 6.5 hours, through Divisa, Chitré and Las Tablas. Buses go from Albrook to Chitré or Las Tablas in 5 to 6 hours, then one hour more. The Pedasí airport has direct flights from Tocumen or Albrook, usually three times a week; otherwise you fly to Chitré and drive one hour.

- [Tourism Authority of Panama](https://www.tourismpanama.com/places-to-visit/pedasi-and-tonosi/)

## Health care nearby

Pedasí has a Ministry of Health primary care center. The reference hospital is the Anita Moreno regional hospital of Azuero, in La Villa de Los Santos.

- MINSA-CAPSI Pedasí
- Hospital Regional de Azuero Anita Moreno (MINSA), La Villa de Los Santos

- [Ministry of Health, list of health facilities 2023](https://www.minsa.gob.pa/sites/default/files/publicacion-general/listado_de_instalaciones_de_salud_ano_2023.pdf)

## Cost of living

There is no official cost of living figure for Pedasí; the food basket of the Ministry of Economy and Finance includes Las Tablas but not Pedasí.

- [Ministry of Economy and Finance, basic food basket, July 2026](https://www.mef.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/MEF-DAES-Canasta-Basica-Familiar-de-Alimentos-JULIO-2026.pdf)

## Festivals and seasons

[Photo: Franz Schäfer, Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/an-aerial-view-of-a-tropical-island-with-a-white-sand-beach-0OMc3Vu-rF0?utm_source=iurispa&utm_medium=referral)· [Unsplash License](https://unsplash.com/license)Whales July to October; turtles July to November

### Whales, turtles and national parks

Humpback whales off the Pacific coast: the tourism board gives July to September on one page and July to October on another, with September as the best month. Boats must stay 250 m away. Turtles nest from July to November at Isla Cañas, La Marinera and Pablo Barrios.

[Official source](https://www.tourismpanama.com/outdoors-and-nature/wildlife/whale-watching/)

## Your 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.

- [Who qualifies](/eligibility/)
- [Documents](/requirements/)
- [Retiree discounts](/benefits/)

Choosing where to live before you apply? Tell us the town and we will check what changes for your case, if anything.

[Free consultation](/contact/)

## Planning your retirement in Panama?

Book a free 15-minute call. We will check your pension and tell you exactly what you need.

[Book your free call](/contact/)[Message us on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/50761970238?text=Hi%2C%20I%20would%20like%20a%20consultation%20about%20the%20Panama%20Pensionado%20visa%20(from%20panamapensionado.com).)