So let’s talk affordability…

At the Live and Invest in Panama seminar, we'll show you how affordable it is to live in happening, cosmopolitan Panama City.

We’ve already touched on the low costs of buying real estate in Panama. And we’ve written to you before about the low cost of living here. We know many people who are living very well on budgets as low as $1200 per month…including rent! On a budget of just a little bit more…say $2,000 per month…you can live very, very well.

Here’s a typical monthly budget, based on calculations for two people living in a mid-range, two-bedroom apartment in Panama City:

Housing (rental or mortgage plus maintenance): $600 to $1,000
Electricity: $70 to $175
Gas: $0 to $20
Water and trash collection: $12 to $25
Transportation (taxi): $130 to $170
OR Maintenance/fuel for one car: $100 to $250
Phone (land line, local calls): $7 to $25
Phone (cell phone): $20 to $70
Cable television: $20 to $55
Internet: $20 to $35
Total: $979 to $1825

Note that this sample budget doesn’t include groceries or entertainment, but a good rule of thumb is to budget about half of what you spend at home. We’ve listed a range for some costs here, because they depend on your habits and consumption. And, of course, if you pay outright for your home you won’t have any housing costs.

You can see how affordable it is to live in happening, cosmopolitan Panama City. Choose to live outside the city…in a pretty little beach town or even in a mountain town like Boquete and your monthly expenses will be considerably less…up to 40% less, in fact.

In Panama even the lowest budget affords a very good lifestyle. You’ll enjoy guilt-free conspicuous consumption at laughably low prices. For instance, splurge on a day of beauty at a great spa ($10), pay a maid to clean your house ($15 a day). A complete blood workup at that gleaming new Hospital Punta Pacifica we told you about earlier (affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine International, remember) is $36. A checkup with a physician is $50. Become a resident retiree and pay even less with your automatic retiree discount.

We know boomers who were paying roughly $1,200 a month in the U.S. for health insurance who say that in Panama, they are paying roughly $800 a year for coverage. Barbara Dove, for instance, is 67 years old and has Parkinson’s disease. Worried that she would eventually need in-home care if her condition deteriorates, she first researched rates in her hometown of Seattle, where she found that nurses run $25 an hour. Here in Panama City, where she has lived since 2007, they cost $25 a day.

You’ll save, too, on the little things that matter the most, but can add up.

Imagine…sitting at a sidewalk café and enjoying a cup of premium Panamanian coffee, fragrant and hot, for just $1. (True, at $3 per pound, you can make the coffee at home for pennies. But this way, you can enjoy watching the locals bustle by as you soak up the sunshine and enjoy the tropical breeze.)

A taxi anywhere in town is typically no more than $2. In any of our modern supermarkets you can buy several bags full of juicy tropical fruits and fresh vegetables for “locally grown ” prices…for under $10. At one of our favorite beaches, you can sit by the ocean and enjoy a cold beer for fifty cents. A healthy, three-course executive lunch can be had for as little as $2.75.

As Steve Johnson says, he and Linda can afford to go out with new friends every day of the week if they want. An evening of fish tacos and endless margaritas costs just $20!

Now that they’re retired, he says, “We not only have more time, but apparently we have more money.”

More time and more money to spend as you like…no taxes, no inflated prices, no more worries about outliving your retirement nest egg.

Have I piqued your interest? Are you ready to learn more about all that Panama has to offer?

If so, I recommend you reserve your own copy of the 2010 Fast Track Panama Package. You’ll learn exactly how to live this laid-back luxurious lifestyle…no matter how small your budget.

If you want to salvage your retirement dreams, retire even earlier than you thought you could, or just live a more luxurious life than you ever thought possible—then there’s no better opportunity to gain access to so much expertise…in one place, at the same time.