This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chrysten Crockett, a Cleveland native who moved from Atlanta to Panama City. Crockett, 36, owns a content marketing agency that she now runs from Panama. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I have no kids and I am not married, so I decided to take a leap and travel. I was like, “Let me try this travel thing out while I can.”
I’ve always been nomadic in a way; I went from Ohio to New York to Charlotte to Atlanta. Then I thought, let’s try out another country this time. I didn’t really know where I wanted to live; I just knew I wanted to move.
I had a list of countries I wanted to check out. Costa Rica was on the list, along with Brazil, Colombia, and others.
Then I met someone who knew I was going to be traveling and they said, “Have you ever considered Panama?” I said, no, actually, I haven’t. I went home that night, looked up Panama City, and I was like, “Oh wow, it’s a big city. I didn’t know that. Let me look up flights.”
Flights from Atlanta were around $200 one-way. I booked a flight that night.
Panama was the first stop on my trip, and when I got there, I fell in love. I was blown away because I had never been, and I didn’t know much about the country. It opened up an opportunity to explore a new place — and it’s also very beautiful.
So it was an easy yes when I got here. When I got off the flight, I was like, “Oh my gosh, I love this place already. I can live here.”
After Panama, I explored a little bit more of Latin America, but nothing hit like Panama, so I came back.
My first time in Panama after taking that leap was December 2024, and my actual move and the legal process of becoming a resident started this year, in March 2026.
When people ask, “Why?” I always ask them, “Why not? What made you say, ‘I’m going to live here for the rest of my life?'”
My motivation for moving out of the US was that I truly don’t have a reason to go back. That can sound a bit cold, because I do miss my family and my friends, but they can visit.
I didn’t bring much with me from the US — and things are cheaper here
When I left Atlanta, I put all of my stuff in storage. I’ve mastered the art of detachment, so I didn’t bring anything with me when I left but my two suitcases.
So it was very easy to transition. Luckily, in Panama, a lot of apartments are fully furnished, so it’s not like I had to ship furniture or ship a car — I sold my car.
A lot of people here don’t have a lot, and there are plenty of people here who do, so the gap is pretty big.
The first thing I noticed was groceries. In the US, I could go to a major grocery chain and spend $500 and not even have a week’s worth of food. Here, I can spend $70 to $80 and have a full week of food, with some left over.
Rent is going to vary depending on how you like to live. If I were to rent the apartment that I have now in Atlanta, it would easily cost me $4,000 to $5,000 a month, versus here it’s $2,050 a month. Granted, it’s a one-bedroom, and I live in one of the most expensive buildings in Panama.
There are plenty of other places in Panama where you can live for $1,000 a month. Some people are paying $300 for a mortgage for a three-bedroom home in the city. So you have access to plenty of options here, and that’s what makes it special and unique.
The energy in Panama is invigorating
There’s so much culture here, and when I say that, I don’t just mean in terms of race or ethnicity. I mean that Panama’s culture is about relationships and community.
The energy is high because people are helping each other. It’s like, “How can I scratch your back and you can scratch mine?” — but not just from a transactional standpoint; people truly want to help you.
If you’re lost and need somewhere to go, people will stop in the middle of the street to ask if you’re OK or hungry. It’s a very unified environment, which feels very good. And although I love being a US citizen and being from the US, I miss that feeling.
Panama has the warmth and humility that I think the US has lost along the way, because people are more focused on surviving, making money, and buying. I think we’ve lost a little bit of our humility and our compassion as a result.
Yes, people work in Panama and they work hard — and there are people who maybe aren’t doing so well, but that’s everywhere — but you don’t feel the energy of stress here. And I like that.
When you get to Panama, it is so warm and welcoming. Go to a playground, and there are kids running around without their parents around, without fear that the kids are going to get kidnapped or something’s going to happen to them. It feels safe.
As a solo woman traveler, when I first got here, I didn’t know what the safety situation would be like. I would look around my environment, and I would see women at night walking their dogs, looking down at their phones, and I’m like, “OK, it must be pretty safe here.” As I grew to learn the city, I found that to be true.
When you’re in an environment where you know harm isn’t lurking around the corner, it feels very peaceful.
Now that I have established this as a home base, I can continue my travels. But Panama is definitely where I see myself long-term.
To be able to come back and call this place home for me is really special, and I think that’s how a lot of people who relocate here feel.
I get the same or similar answers from people who I have met along the way, regardless of whether they moved to Panama from the US, Canada, Australia, or Guam. It doesn’t matter. Everyone who comes here to live here feels that similar warmth and energy of a country that truly makes you feel the love.
So, Panama, I’m here to stay.
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