Panama has one of the most diverse foreign resident communities in Central America, but there is an important point that often gets lost in articles about expat life: there is no reliable official ranking of expats by town. Panama’s census records nationality and place of residence, but “expat” is not a precise statistical category. Some foreigners are permanent residents, some are retirees, some are business owners, some are digital nomads, some own second homes and spend only part of the year in Panama, and some have lived in the country for decades and are essentially part of the local community.
So the ranking below should be understood as a practical ranking of the major concentrations of foreign residents and established expat communities, rather than an exact government count. Current relocation sources consistently identify Panama City, Boquete and the Pacific beach corridor around Coronado as the three major centers, with smaller but increasingly visible communities in places such as Bocas del Toro, Pedasí, Playa Venao and El Valle de Antón.
And what makes Panama particularly interesting is that these communities are dramatically different from one another.
One is a huge international city. One is a cool mountain town famous for retirees. One is a Pacific beach corridor filled with gated communities and snowbirds. Another is a Caribbean island community populated by younger foreigners, surfers and entrepreneurs.
Here is where the major concentrations are.
1. Panama City and the metropolitan area
By total number of foreign residents, Panama City is clearly the largest expat center in Panama.
This makes perfect sense. Panama City is the country's economic and financial center, has the largest concentration of international businesses, the country's major international airport, private hospitals, international schools, universities, embassies, restaurants, shopping centers and virtually every service a foreign resident could need.
The city's international population is also extremely diverse. You find Americans and Canadians, Europeans, South Americans, Asians, Caribbean residents and people from practically every corner of the world.
This is not one giant expat neighborhood either. Foreign residents are scattered throughout the metropolitan area.
Popular areas include El Cangrejo, San Francisco, Bella Vista, Punta Paitilla, Punta Pacífica, Costa del Este, Marbella, Clayton and Albrook, while Casco Viejo has developed a particularly visible international community. Current expat guides identify neighborhoods such as Costa del Este, El Cangrejo, Marbella and Casco Antiguo as important international residential areas.
The character of the expat community here is also different from Boquete or Coronado.
Panama City attracts professionals, entrepreneurs, corporate employees, international families, investors, students, retirees and digital workers. You are much more likely to meet a 35 year old international businessperson here than you are in some of the traditional retirement communities.
It is also the easiest place in Panama to live without feeling geographically isolated from the rest of the world.
You have Tocumen International Airport, major private hospitals, international schools, enormous shopping centers, excellent restaurants, nightlife, cultural events and an enormous variety of services.
The downside is obvious.
This is a real city.
There is traffic. It is hot and humid. Property prices and rents are generally higher than in smaller expat communities. And if your dream of moving to Panama involves waking up surrounded by mountains, jungle and birds, Panama City might not be what you imagined.
But in terms of absolute numbers of foreigners, this is Panama's giant.
2. Boquete and the Chiriquí Highlands
If Panama City has the largest expat population in absolute numbers, Boquete is arguably the country's most famous concentrated expat community.
This is where things become interesting.
Boquete is a small mountain town in Chiriquí Province, sitting at roughly 1,200 meters above sea level. The cooler climate is one of its biggest attractions. Instead of the heat and humidity found along the coast, Boquete offers mild mountain temperatures, coffee plantations, forests and spectacular mountain scenery.
Estimates of the foreign population vary considerably, but multiple current sources put the established foreign community in the low thousands, with some estimates exceeding 3,000 permanent foreign residents. The 2023 census data for the district also shows that foreigners make up a significant share of the population.
Boquete's importance isn't just the number of foreigners.
It is the concentration.
You can walk around town and encounter English speaking residents from the United States, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and many other countries. There are social clubs, hiking groups, volunteer organizations, community events, restaurants and services that cater to an international population.
Boquete has become particularly associated with retirees, although that description is becoming less complete. There are now remote workers, entrepreneurs, younger foreigners and people who simply want to live in the mountains.
The surrounding areas are important too.
Alto Boquete, Palmira, Jaramillo and Los Naranjos contain significant foreign residential populations, so when people talk about the “Boquete expat community,” they are often talking about a wider mountain area rather than just the small central town.
Boquete is therefore unusual because it has something that many smaller international communities don't have: critical mass.
If you move there and want to meet other foreigners, you don't have to search very hard.
3. Coronado and the Pacific beach corridor
The third major concentration is not really one town.
It is an entire stretch of the Pacific coast.
Coronado, Punta Barco, San Carlos, Nueva Gorgona, Río Hato, Playa Blanca and surrounding communities form a broader beach corridor where foreign residents are concentrated.
Coronado is the center of this world.
Located roughly 85 to 90 kilometers west of Panama City, it has become one of Panama's most established beach communities for foreign residents. The area has supermarkets, restaurants, medical services, golf, gated developments and a substantial English speaking population.
The community is particularly popular with North American retirees and semi retirees.
There is also an important difference between Coronado and Boquete.
Boquete has a more traditional mountain town atmosphere.
Coronado feels much more like a beach retirement and second home corridor.
Many foreigners own properties there without necessarily living there twelve months a year. Some divide their time between Panama and North America. Others use their Panama property as a winter escape.
That means the foreign population can feel much larger on weekends and during holiday periods than it does on a quiet weekday.
The broader coastal corridor also has very different levels of development. Some areas are extremely modern and heavily developed, while others remain surprisingly quiet.
This is one of the most convenient expat regions in Panama because you can have a beach lifestyle while still being roughly an hour and a half from Panama City, depending on traffic.
4. Bocas del Toro
Then there is Bocas.
And Bocas is completely different.
Bocas del Toro has a smaller foreign population than Panama City, Boquete or the Coronado corridor, but its visibility and cultural influence are enormous.
The foreign community here tends to be younger and more adventurous than the traditional retirement communities. You find surfers, hostel owners, restaurant owners, boat operators, remote workers, artists, entrepreneurs, long term travelers and people who simply arrived for a few weeks and somehow never left.
Bocas Town on Isla Colón is the main center of the community. Most restaurants, shops, coworking spaces, services and social activity are concentrated there, making it the natural gathering point for foreign residents.
Bocas also attracts a very international crowd.
You can sit in a bar in Bocas Town and hear English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and other languages within a single evening.
The foreign community is not as dominated by retirees as Boquete or Coronado.
It has a much stronger backpacker, surf, hospitality and digital nomad component.
Recent reporting also points to continuing growth among American foreign residents on the islands.
Bocas is therefore relatively small in population but disproportionately international.
5. Pedasí and the Azuero Peninsula
Pedasí is one of the smaller but increasingly recognizable expat communities.
This is a very different kind of foreign community from Panama City.
Pedasí is a small traditional Panamanian town on the Azuero Peninsula, and foreigners live alongside local residents rather than dominating the town.
Older estimates have put the year round foreign population at a few hundred, with additional seasonal residents and second home owners. More recent sources describe a growing international population from the United States, Canada and Europe.
That relatively small size is part of the attraction.
You don't necessarily move to Pedasí to live inside an expat bubble.
You move there because you want a small town, beaches, fishing, warm weather and a slower lifestyle while still having a recognizable international community nearby.
Then there is Playa Venao, about 30 kilometers away.
Venao is almost the opposite demographic.
It attracts younger foreigners, surfers, digital nomads, hospitality workers and entrepreneurs. The community is smaller than the major expat centers, but it has a surprisingly international atmosphere for such a remote beach destination.
Together, Pedasí and Playa Venao form one of the most interesting emerging foreign communities in Panama.
6. El Valle de Antón
El Valle is another important but much smaller foreign community.
It is located inside a spectacular volcanic crater and has long attracted people looking for cooler temperatures, mountains and a quieter lifestyle without moving as far from Panama City as Boquete.
Current estimates suggest that the foreign population is only a few hundred, dramatically smaller than Panama City or Boquete.
The atmosphere is therefore much less dominated by foreigners.
This can actually be an advantage for people who want to live in Panama rather than simply recreate their home country somewhere tropical.
El Valle has hiking, waterfalls, mountain scenery, gardens, weekend tourism and a strong connection to Panama City. Many residents also have second homes rather than living there permanently.
7. David and the surrounding Chiriquí region
David is an interesting case.
It is one of Panama's largest cities and the economic center of western Panama, but it is not primarily an expat town.
There are foreign residents living in David, including North Americans and Europeans, but the community is much more integrated into the wider Panamanian population than in Boquete. Current sources describe David's foreign community as relatively small compared with Boquete and Coronado.
And this is actually one of David's advantages.
You have major hospitals, shopping, banks, universities, government services, an airport and everything else you would expect from a regional capital, while living costs can be lower than in Panama City or the major expat communities.
Many foreigners who live in the Chiriquí highlands also use David as their practical service center.
So although David itself doesn't have the same concentrated expat atmosphere as Boquete, it is extremely important to the foreign population of western Panama.
8. Volcán and the Tierras Altas
Higher up in Chiriquí, beyond Boquete, there is another smaller international community around Volcán and the Tierras Altas.
This area attracts people who want the same basic advantages that make Boquete popular: cool temperatures, mountains, agriculture, coffee, nature and a quieter lifestyle.
But the foreign community is considerably smaller.
Volcán feels more rural and agricultural, and Spanish becomes much more important in daily life.
For someone who wants a large ready made expat community, Boquete makes more sense.
For someone who wants mountains without as many foreigners around them, Volcán becomes much more interesting.
9. Santa Fe and other small mountain communities
Further down the scale are places such as Santa Fe in Veraguas.
Santa Fe has attracted a small number of foreigners interested in mountains, farms, nature and a very quiet lifestyle.
But this is no Boquete.
You won't find the same concentration of English speaking services, foreign owned businesses or organized expat clubs.
That's precisely why some people like it.
The smaller communities tend to require greater independence and more Spanish, but they can offer a much more local experience.
The surprising thing about Panama's expat map
One of the most interesting things about Panama is that the foreign population isn't concentrated in one single location.
Instead, it forms several very different clusters.
Panama City is the giant international center.
Boquete is the major mountain expat community.
Coronado and the Pacific beach corridor are the major beach and retirement communities.
Bocas del Toro is the Caribbean, younger and more adventurous international community.
Pedasí and Playa Venao are smaller Azuero communities with a mixture of retirees, surfers, entrepreneurs and younger foreigners.
El Valle de Antón offers a quieter mountain alternative closer to the capital.
David and Volcán provide smaller foreign communities in western Panama, with David functioning more as a practical regional city than an expat enclave.
And then there are dozens of tiny communities where a handful of foreigners have decided to build a completely different life.
Why these places attract completely different expats
The geography explains a lot.
People moving to Panama City generally want infrastructure, business opportunities, hospitals, international schools, restaurants and international connectivity.
People moving to Boquete often want cooler weather, mountains, nature and an established retirement community.
People choosing Coronado usually want beaches, golf, gated communities and easy access to Panama City.
People choosing Bocas del Toro are more likely to prioritize Caribbean life, surfing, boating, tourism, hospitality and an international social scene.
People choosing Pedasí often want a small town and beaches with more local interaction.
People choosing Playa Venao tend to be attracted by surfing, remote work, restaurants, nightlife and a younger international population.
People choosing El Valle want mountains and cooler temperatures without going as far from the capital.
And people choosing David or Volcán often prioritize affordability, space and access to the services of Chiriquí.
So asking “Where do expats live in Panama?” is actually a little like asking “Where do tourists live in Europe?”
The answer depends enormously on what kind of person you are.
The bigger picture
Panama's foreign population is also part of a much larger demographic story. The 2023 census found that the provinces of Panamá, Panamá Oeste and Chiriquí contained the country's largest overall populations, which helps explain why the largest foreign communities are connected to these same economic and lifestyle centers.
But don't make the mistake of assuming that the biggest foreign population automatically means the biggest expat community.
Panama City may have vastly more foreigners in absolute numbers, but a foreigner can walk through parts of the capital without seeing another expat all day.
In Boquete, the opposite can happen.
The absolute population is much smaller, but the foreign community is concentrated enough that you can walk into a café, restaurant, market or community event and immediately find people from several different countries.
That is why Boquete feels more “expat” than Panama City, even though Panama City has many more foreign residents overall.
And that distinction is one of the most important things to understand if you're thinking about living in Panama.
The question isn't simply “Where are the most expats?”
The better question is:
“Do I want to live in a huge international city, a mountain community, a beach community, a Caribbean island or a small Panamanian town where foreigners are still a minority?”
Panama gives you all of those choices within one relatively small country.