Retired life in Panama or Costa Rica? Which is best?

[saul]

Hello all,
My wife & I are trying to determine the most retiree friendly, economical and safe locality/country for retirement. Considerations of infrastructure, quality of medical care, cost of living, taxes etc. are concerns.

So far we think the hills above the Pacific coast of either Costa Rica or Panama would be desirable. A 1500+ sq ft house and a half acre lot would be nice. It can be in an 'expat' colony, or outside of town, we're flexible.

We have 2 years before we move from So Calif. to _???__, and would like to learn your experiences in these countries, good or bad, it all counts. Many Thanks for your responses!!

[kristopher]

Hello Saul,

I've had a quick look round for info on Costa Rica and Panama, so far I've found an interesting Panama site, which currently features a New York Times article about a couple who have moved to Panama and love it:
www.panama-guide.com/i...realestate

Hope that helps, please keep in touch and tell us how you get on with your investigations! We don't yet have an expat expert on Panama, so perhaps you and your wife could fill that role once you get there

Kind regards,