Side by side

Panama City vs Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai wins on more metrics — 1–6 on the 8 core metrics we track. Detail below.

Metric

Panama City

Chiang Mai

Cost of living

B vs A: -57%

30✓

Rent · 1BR center

B vs A: -64%

$1,100

$400✓

Effective tax (remote)

B vs A: -100%

20%

0%✓

Healthcare

B vs A: +11%

72✓

Safety

B vs A: +27%

76✓

Internet

B vs A: +150%

200✓

Climate

B vs A: ≈ same

Freedom

B vs A: -60%

75✓

USD economy, no tax on foreign-source income, and the famous Friendly Nations Visa pathway. Modern, US-adjacent feel.

Quieter, cheaper Thailand. Long-standing nomad hub with serious tradeoffs around burn-season air quality (Feb-Apr).