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    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
    • France
    • Montenegro
    • Browse All Countries

    Best For:

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    • Investing in Real Estate
    • Establishing Residency
    • Gun Laws In The World
    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
    • Best Places In Latin America
  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

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    • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

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Home Countries Panama

Chiriquí, Panama: Hawaii at Half the Price

by Rebecca Teeters
Jun 30, 2025
in Panama
0 0
Sunset landscape in Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panama

Sunset in Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panama / AdobeStock @Sam

Gary and Elva Bittner have taken the world by storm. Or at least by plane, sailboat, and car.

Elva is originally from Cuba and Gary from Michigan, but they found love and the travel bug while living in Florida together… and were ultimately destined for places more exotic.

With just a few years left before retirement and a job in sales that allowed them to travel frequently, the Bittners took advantage of their circumstances exploring Tahiti, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, and beyond.

Former owners of a sailboat, the couple were originally seeking island life, or at least coastal living.  

On an excursion to Costa Rica, Elva, with her fluent Spanish, started a conversation with a bus driver, which led the couple on an amazing journey that eventually ended in Chiriquí, Panama…

After Elva’s new friend shared a bit about this part of Panama with them, they thought it sounded like a place they’d love.

In 2004, they made their first journey to Panama and, indeed, there was a lot to love here for them.

After their first visit, a friend in Florida advised the couple to check out the province of Chiriquí in the northwest portion of the country. This brief conversation was all they needed to hear Panama calling them back…

It took several years, a couple dozen beaches, and close to a hundred different locations in Panama, but, eventually, the small seed of a stranger’s suggestion grew into a dream come true.

When it came to narrowing down the locations, “It had to be a river or beach,” says Gary. After all their travels, all their dreams of owning an island, this couple found true paradise in a small town just off the Pan-American Highway.

In 2008, the couple made the move.

“Panama reminded of us Florida, not too hot and not too cold—but it’s not nearly as expensive or crowded,” says Gary.

The couple first lived close to bustling downtown La Concepción before ultimately moving to a more rural riverside property.

The Panama dream home the couple built sits at 1,350 feet above sea level, “We get the breeze down the mountain from the Caribbean and from across the Pacific, sometimes at the same time,” Gary explains as the fan on the veranda swirls above with no electricity.

The property borders the crystal-clear Río Mula and the couple enjoy a secluded swimming hole next to their house.

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Not only is the breeze impressive and refreshing out of downtown, so is the soil. Elva shared a phrase they live by: “If you drop a seed, it will grow.” Evident by the lush landscape of their garden…

“Everything grows here,” they explain, and you can see it for yourself. Their garden boasts vanilla, yucca, mango, pineapple, hot peppers, regular peppers, and medicinal plants and herbs.

Between the moderate climate of La Concepción and the meticulous care the Bittners have given their property, you could just as easily be in Hawaii— without the cost.

“We have wonderful neighbors and great friends in the area, both locals and expats,” they tell me. This is a testament to both their outgoing personalities and the friendliness of the people in the area.

“When Elva is not in town, I make do… sometimes it takes a little longer to get what I want, but I can buy what I need, eat what I want, and go to the bank,” explains Gary, who is not fluent in Spanish.

Among the Bittners many friends are the local policeman, the butcher, the vegetable lady, and the fish vendor who they catch up with regularly at the municipal market.

“The veggies are at least half price compared to the local stores, and everything is so fresh!” says Elva.  

They’ve also found health care in the region—specifically at Chiriquí Hospital in David about 20 minutes away—to be impressive.

“I swear by it,” declares Gary as he goes on to explain that his amazing English-speaking doctor, Karen Zapata, has been nothing but the best. “Chiriquí Hospital is first-class. They treated me like a king.”

Elva, too, was impressed that when going in for a simple test, they ran all her blood work at once— unlike in the States. This gave her the opportunity

to see if there were any other areas of concern that she should have a doctor look at.

“The price of an appointment has gone up over the years, but at $50 to $60… I’m not complaining!” says Elva.

For something simple and commonplace like the flu, a local private doctor would only run to about $20.  

Although there are not currently a huge number of expats in the area, everyday things are changing. “I remember coming home at 8 p.m. and the only thing I saw was a man on a horse. Today, there are nights I see bumper-to-bumper traffic headed up the hill,” Gary observes.  

With everything La Concepción has to offer, it’s no wonder that in recent years it has begun to make its name on the expat map.

“We love it here, it is perfect for us,” the happy couple concludes.

Sincerely, 
Rebecca Teeters
Contributor, Panama Letter

Tags: panama expatsretire overseas
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Rebecca Teeters

Rebecca Teeters

Rebecca Teeters is a freelance writer who spent many years in New Orleans, Louisiana, before catching the travel bug. After four years in Nicaragua and a solo drive through Central America, she has finally put down roots in the small beach town of Puerto Armuelles, Panama, where she enjoys learning about the local culture and blogging about those lessons.

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Top Countries

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Best For:

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BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

Budgets

How Much Will It Cost
To Live Overseas?

Super Cheap

  • Chitré, Panama
  • Santa Marta, Colombia
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Dumaguete, The Philippines

Cheap

  • Medellin, Colombia
  • Boquete, Panama
  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
  • Hua Hin, Thailand
  • The Algarve, Portugal

Affordable

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Cascais, Portugal
  • Las Terrenas, The DR
  • Pisa, Italy
  • La Rochelle, France
  • Mazatlán, Mexico

Luxury

  • Ambergris Caye, Belize
  • Kotor, Montenegro
  • The Panama City Beaches
  • Paris, France

Resources

Global Living

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