# Where to live when you move for work Most people who move for a job settle in Panama City or just across the Canal in Panamá Oeste. Pick the area by your daily trip: a home near a Metro station or near the school saves you hours each week. If you work remotely, David, Boquete or the Pacific beaches are possible, as long as the internet in that house holds up. [Free consultation](/contact/) [Photo: Sol Cerrud, Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/@wasabiden?utm_source=iurispa&utm_medium=referral)· [Unsplash License](https://unsplash.com/license) ## Panama City, by the numbers The census counts corregimientos, the city’s smallest administrative areas, not neighborhoods, so a name you hear from a realtor may sit inside a larger corregimiento. San Francisco is one of the densest, with over 9,000 people per square kilometer. Ancón is the opposite: a large, green area that covers Albrook, Clayton and the City of Knowledge. [Photo: Sol Cerrud](https://unsplash.com/@wasabiden?utm_source=iurispa&utm_medium=referral)· [Unsplash License](https://unsplash.com/license) | Neighborhood, by corregimiento | People, 2023 | Area, km² | People per km² | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | San Francisco | 61,290 | 6.7 | 9,210 | | Bella Vista | 33,710 | 4.6 | 7,358 | | Parque Lefevre | 42,832 | 7.2 | 5,924 | | Juan Díaz | 56,583 | 19.8 | 2,857 | | Ancón | 37,224 | 193.4 | 192 | - [INEC, 2023 Census, table 10, population, area and density by corregimiento](https://www.inec.gob.pa/archivos/P0705547520231109105354CUADRO%2010.pdf) ## Near the Metro Line 1 runs from Albrook to San Isidro through the city center, and Line 2 from San Miguelito to Nuevo Tocumen, near the airport. If your office sits along Line 1, a home within walking distance of a station lets you skip the car on most days. Albrook, at one end, also has the national bus terminal. - [Metro de Panamá, Line 1](https://elmetrodepanama.com/linea-1/) - [Metro de Panamá, Line 2](https://elmetrodepanama.com/linea-2/) ## Clayton and the City of Knowledge Clayton lies inside Ancón, the large green corregimiento on the Canal side of the city, and is home to the City of Knowledge campus. Every January it hosts the Panama Jazz Festival founded by pianist Danilo Pérez. - [La Estrella de Panamá, Panama Jazz Festival 2026 at the City of Knowledge, press](https://www.laestrella.com.pa/vida-y-cultura/panama-jazz-festival-2026-artistas-confirmados-para-la-cartelera-quienes-seran-FC16721756) ## Across the Canal: Arraiján and Panamá Pacífico Arraiján is growing fast: its population went from 220,779 in 2010 to 299,079 in 2023. Inside the district sits Panamá Pacífico, a special economic area created by Law 41 of 2004 around the former Howard airport, with its own agency and its own rules for the companies there. The bridges over the Canal are the bottleneck: in February 2026 the Transit Authority reversed lanes on the Bridge of the Americas from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. to clear the evening rush. Line 3 of the Metro, under construction, will cross the Canal. - [INEC, 2023 Census, table 10](https://www.inec.gob.pa/archivos/P0705547520231109105354CUADRO%2010.pdf) - [Law 41 of 2004, Panamá Pacífico Special Economic Area](https://mici.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/03-LEY-PP-L412004.pdf) - [Telemetro, ATTT plan for Panamá Oeste traffic, February 25, 2026, press](https://www.telemetro.com/nacionales/desde-el-2-marzo-attt-implementara-plan-reducir-el-tranque-panama-oeste-n6070928) ## Costa del Este and the east East of the center, along the Corredor Sur toll road towards the airport, lie newer districts such as Costa del Este. The census does not report Costa del Este on its own, so we cannot give you its population. Check the drive to your office at 7 a.m. before you sign. ## Working remotely: David, Boquete and the beach If your job travels with you, the interior is an option. David is Chiriquí’s capital, with scheduled flights to Panama City, and Boquete sits in the highlands above it. Coronado and the Pacific beaches lie west of the city along the Pan-American Highway. The trade off is the connection: in the 2023 census, 69.7 percent of homes in Chiriquí and 56.3 percent in Coclé had internet, against 80.4 percent in Panamá province. Run a speed test in the house before you rent. [Photo: The original uploader was Moto-gundy at German Wikipedia.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David-Panama.jpg)· [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) | Province | Homes with internet, 2023 | | --- | --- | | Panamá | 80.4% | | Panamá Oeste | 78.2% | | Chiriquí | 69.7% | | Coclé | 56.3% | - [INEC, 2023 Census, table 20, homes with internet](https://www.inec.gob.pa/archivos/P053342420231215115040Cuadro%2020.pdf) - [Air Panama, destinations](https://www.airpanama.com/en/destinos) ## More places to look at Our sister site for retirees has a full guide to eleven destinations, with climate, hospitals and census data for each, and a list of hidden gems outside the usual routes. [Photo: BETZY AROSEMENA](https://unsplash.com/@betzywithz?utm_source=iurispa&utm_medium=referral)· [Unsplash License](https://unsplash.com/license) - [Places to live in Panama, on Panama Pensionado](https://panamapensionado.com/places/) - [Hidden gems of Panama, on Panama Pensionado](https://panamapensionado.com/hidden-gems/) - Mark your office and your children’s school on a map before you look at homes. - Drive or ride the route at rush hour, morning and evening. - Ask whether the building is near a Metro station or a MetroBus stop. - Outside the city, test the internet in the room you will work from. - Read our renting guide before you sign the lease. Choosing between two neighborhoods? Tell us where you will work and study, and we will tell you what the daily trip looks like. [Free consultation](/contact/) Free 15-minute call ## Not sure where to start? Book a free 15-minute call. We will confirm your eligibility and the route that fits you best. - A signed contract - An invoice for every expense - Licensed attorneys [Book your free call](/contact/) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/50761970238?text=Hi%2C%20I%20would%20like%20a%20consultation%20about%20the%20Panama%20Friendly%20Nations%20Visa%2C%20from%20friendlynationspanama.com.) [contacto@iurispa.com](mailto:contacto@iurispa.com) A Panamanian lawyer replies within one business day, in English.