High-Rise vs. House in Panama: 8 Key Factors That Will Shape Your Decision
Trash-littered shoreline, power outages, and... earthquakes?!
The Panama City skyline is undoubtedly impressive, with gleaming skyscrapers rising dramatically from the ocean's edge while the lush green mountains provide a stunning natural backdrop. When relocating to Panama City, the age-old question becomes: should you choose a house or embrace high-rise living? After making this transition ourselves, I wanted to share our experience to help those of you weighing this significant decision, whether you're planning to rent long-term or purchase a property outright.
1. The Lock-and-Leave Lifestyle Factor
For frequent travelers, this consideration alone can make or break your experience.
High-Rise Advantages:
Building staff present when you're away
Less maintenance to worry about
Better security with digital access points and front desk monitoring
Simplified utility management
House Considerations:
Requires comprehensive caretaking plans for absences
Panama's tropical climate demands regular maintenance (power washing roofs, patios and driveways, pest control)
Technology helps (Ring cameras, smart locks, water sensors) but doesn't replace human oversight
As one resident shared: "If you consider a home or townhouse, you absolutely have to consider how much you travel and have a plan for caretaking. The tropical elements can be tough on structures."
2. Location & Community Integration
Each area offers distinct advantages depending on your priorities, with numerous neighborhoods throughout the city featuring a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, and low-rise buildings alongside the more prominent high-rises.
Popular Areas We Explored:
Clayton & Albrook
Panama Pacífico & Tucán
Avenida Balboa & Bella Vista
San Francisco
Costa Sur
Costa del Este
Each area offers distinct advantages depending on your priorities. We chose a gated community in Costa del Este (a development called Santa Maria with a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, low-rise buildings, and high-rise towers around a golf course) that balanced our family's varied needs. Our building choice and apartment layout selection were a matter of preference based on my family’s size, budget, lifestyle, daily routines, sensory needs, and desired amenities.
3. Personalized Priorities Checklist
Our family's non-negotiables included:
Ocean views (my husband
wanted a water view, but with the trash littering Panama City coastlines, it was better to be a little further away versus directly above it)Airport proximity (a biggie after years of living in the suburbs, almost an hour from the closest airport)
Green spaces, jogging paths, and wide, unbroken sidewalks for biking and scootering (husband and son)
Golf options nearby (husband)
Kitchen behind closed doors (myself - post-pandemic with everyone living, working, and schooling at home, we needed more defined spaces)
International schools within a reasonable distance (future planning as we are homeschooling for these elementary years)
Your list will differ - for example, proximity to major hospitals may be an issue on the outskirts of the cities and in more rural areas. Methodically identifying these requirements helps narrow your search dramatically, whether buying or renting long-term.
4. The Noise Reality Check
City living in Panama is guaranteed to come with its soundtrack – from impromptu fireworks displays that seem to celebrate nothing in particular to the rhythmic beat of late-night drumming practice echoing between buildings. The weekends bring parades that transform main thoroughfares into vibrant, music-filled processions, while the occasional protest adds street closures, honking and chanting to the urban symphony. For adrenaline seekers, the unofficial midnight street racing scene provides unexpected engine revving and tire screeching that no noise ordinance can contain – all part of Panama City's energetic, unapologetically loud urban experience.
High-rise living comes with even more acoustic challenges:
You can hear the neighbors above (and below! Y’all, tile floors are unforgiving with the noise transfer) your condo dragging furniture and dropping items across the floors at all hours of the day and night.
Pet-friendly culture - seeing dogs of all sizes is common, even in high-rise buildings. Many buildings have service elevators and rules about how leashed pets should be transported in and out of the building. Whether the rules are enforced or not is another matter entirely.
Construction, renovation, or move-in noise from neighboring units (even on non-adjacent floors)
Sound traveling through elevator shafts and stairwells
However, external noise is typically minimized with good insulation. As one resident noted: "We have full construction happening for a new high-rise just next door, and while I cannot hear a thing inside my unit, I do hear it in the lobby and garage."
5. Cultural & Social Dynamics
Panama City's high-rises often feature diverse resident profiles:
Local Panamanians (some who've lived and studied abroad)
International expatriates (particularly from North America, Europe, Brazil, and other Latin American countries)
Everyone at different stages of their lives: multigenerational families, working professionals, business owners, retirees, expatriates
Most interactions are pleasant but not overly social - people generally mind their own business while remaining cordial.
6. The Earthquake Consideration
Panama sits in a seismically active region, though major earthquakes are relatively rare. When considering high-rise living, this merits attention:
Modern high-rises in Panama City are built to international seismic codes
Buildings have flexible structural designs that can absorb seismic waves
Emergency protocols typically include evacuation plans and regular drills
Higher floors may experience more motion during seismic events
Power outages following earthquakes can affect elevator functionality
While houses might seem intuitively safer, properly constructed high-rises have sophisticated engineering specifically designed to withstand seismic activity. The best approach is to ask about the building's specific earthquake safety features and emergency protocols.
7. Utility Reliability: Power and Water Outages
A crucial factor that affects daily living in Panama City is the frequency of power and water outages. This consideration varies significantly by neighborhood and even by individual building:
High-Rise Advantages:
Many modern buildings have backup generators for common areas, and sometimes individual units
Some high-rises maintain water reserves in rooftop tanks with gravity-fed systems
Building management often handles outage issues, reducing your personal inconvenience and stress
House Considerations:
You'll need to invest in your own backup systems
Water tanks with electric pumps are essential for maintaining water pressure during outages
Generators become a necessity rather than a luxury for those working remotely or with medical needs requiring 24-7 power
When viewing properties to rent or buy, always ask:
How frequent are outages in this specific area?
What backup systems are in place?
Who covers the maintenance costs of these systems?
How quickly are outages typically resolved?
This factor alone can significantly impact your quality of life and may justify paying higher rent or purchase prices for properties with reliable backup systems.
8. Traffic & Transportation Realities
Your transportation plans will significantly impact your housing decision, as Panama's public transit infrastructure varies dramatically by location. While the Metro serves certain corridors efficiently and economically, many neighborhoods remain accessible only by car or the somewhat unpredictable bus system.
If purchasing a vehicle, you'll need to factor in dedicated parking (a premium in older buildings), the realities of Panama's congested streets, and potentially higher insurance costs in certain areas. Alternatively, those planning to rely on public transportation, taxis, or rideshare services should prioritize properties within walking distance of Metro stations or major transit hubs – a choice that can dramatically simplify daily life while reducing costs and stress.
The Case for Car Ownership in Panama: Why Uber Isn't Enough
Photographer: Real Talk Panama | Expat Life
No matter where you choose in Panama City, traffic will be part of your reality. Peak hours create gridlock throughout the city, with commuters, motorists, taxis, public buses, school buses, motorcyclists, and pedestrians all crisscrossing the city. Retirees, homeschoolers, and remote workers have the advantage of flexibility, but school and commuting schedules require careful consideration of location relative to daily activities.
Making Your Final Decision
If you're on the fence about a specific property, whether to rent or buy, consider these practical next steps:
Extended Stay Test: Rent in your target building or neighborhood before committing to a purchase
Transportation Trial: Simulate your daily commutes during peak hours.
The elevator wait time in my building shifted dramatically during the prime school bus pickup window - something we didn’t realize till our homeschooled son attended summer camp and had to be downstairs at a prescribed window.1 We quickly learned to pad the time needed to get downstairs to avoid making the bus wait. Wait times are not an issue at any other time of the day.
Seasonal Assessment: Experience both rainy and dry seasons if possible.
And, please don’t schedule your one-and-only scouting visit during November when the city gets extraordinarily quiet because of the Fiestas Patrias or national holidays - many city dwellers take advantage of the numerous official holidays to go to the beach or the interior of the country to spend time with family and friends. You will have a rude awakening during the first week of December when it’s all over!
Neighbor Chat: Connect with current residents for unfiltered perspectives
Building Management Meeting: Discuss policies, construction plans, and how complaints are handled
Utility Test: Ask about the frequency of power and water outages, and observe the backup systems in action if possible
Remember that housing choices involve tradeoffs. What works for one family won't necessarily work for another. Choosing our neighborhood on the city's outskirts has been the right fit for us, but your priorities may lead you in a different direction.
What questions do you still have about housing in Panama City? Drop them in the comments below, and we will help provide insights!
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The international private schools in Panama generally run on a late-August to mid-June school year with breaks and camps in July and early August. Panamanian schools (public and private) run on a March to December school schedule with breaks and camps that line up with the “dry season” in January and February. This overlap has been useful for my homeschooler, who can double-dip on summer camp-type activities twice a year.