- For foreign buyers
- Built with local realtors
- Updated this quarter
Here's 99% of what you need to know before buying in Panama City.
The 12 documents we wish we had before buying in Panama City. What each zone costs, what it rents for, how long it sits before it sells. Plus the things nobody writes down: which buildings may legally take short stays, which fees to refuse, and what a seller hopes you will not check.
The 12 documents to make a good real estate investment in Panama City in 2026
The country runs on dollars, which takes one risk off the table and hides another: a great many towers here are half empty, and the short stay business most buyers have in mind is not allowed in a residential building. These documents show you what is actually earned and paid, with people we work with in the city.
Questions
Do you list your sources?
Yes, on every table. Each one says where the figures came from and the month they were collected: the public registry, published notary and legal rates, listing and rent histories we track ourselves, building accounts shared with us by owners, and what the agents we work with in each zone are seeing week to week. Anything that is an estimate rather than a recorded number is labelled as one.
Can I really not run a short stay rental?
Not in a residential building, no. Letting for less than forty five days is reserved for buildings with the right tourism designation, and the fact that listings exist anyway does not make it legal or insurable. Which buildings are allowed to do it, and what those units earn, is document 01.
Can a foreigner actually own property here?
Yes, in your own name, with the same rights as a Panamanian, no trust and no permit. The country also uses the US dollar, so unlike most of the region there is no exchange rate sitting between you and your return.
The flat I like is owned by a company. Is that normal?
Very, and it is where the most expensive mistakes happen. Buying the shares saves transfer tax and takes on everything else the company carries, including debts you cannot see from the outside. Document 09 walks through both routes and what each one costs you.
Does buying property here get me residency?
There are visa routes tied to an investment amount, and they are real. What we would warn you about is the reverse: paying a number because it matches a threshold, on a unit that is not worth it. Document 02 shows where those prices have drifted away from the market.
How long are the documents?
One to four pages each. They are tables and checklists rather than reports, so any one of them takes about ten minutes to read.
Which areas do you cover?
Sixteen zones: Punta Pacífica, Punta Paitilla, Avenida Balboa, Marbella, Obarrio, Bella Vista, El Cangrejo, San Francisco, Coco del Mar, Costa del Este, Santa María, Casco Antiguo, Amador, Albrook, Clayton and Panamá Pacífico. If you need somewhere or a specific project that is not in there, write to us and we will put it together for you at no extra cost.
I have a question about my own situation.
Ask us. If the answer is in the research we already have, we will send it. If it needs a call to someone in that zone or a look at a specific building, we will do that too and come back to you, at no extra cost.
Is $49 a lot for a set of documents?
You are about to spend a few hundred thousand dollars on a property, in a country whose paperwork you did not grow up with. A building that cannot do what you bought it for, a company with debts inside it, fees nobody mentioned: there are plenty of ways this gets expensive. We have done the homework so that you do not have to.
What format are they in, and when do I get them?
PDF, so you can read them on your phone, tablet or computer. The download link appears on screen straight after payment and a copy arrives by email.
How often are they updated?
Every quarter. Our contacts in Panama City re-check the numbers before each release, so the version you download today is the one updated this quarter.
I have another question.
Ask us on the contact page and we will get back to you.
Three packs
The first pack has 4 documents, the second has 6, and the third has all 12 of our Panama City research.
All the data and information in these documents was checked this year with agents, notaría staff and owners working in Panama City.