Welcome to the Panama Man: That costs WHAAAAAAT?

Day 179 Thursday (Jueves) - Playa Coronado

There have been many discussions on how much does it cost to live in Panama? Is it cheaper from where I live? How much does this or that cost. Well the answers to these questions are not so simple, it really all depends on how you live, what you eat, what you drink, etc.

If you are from the US and buy all brand name items, then I would say you are going to spend about the same if not more on those same items. I personally would question why would you move to a foreign country and buy what you bought in the states? What is the idea behind moving to a different place if you do not at least partake in what the native culture has to offer, sure we all want to improve our lifestyle, but it is also not very difficult to find local products that are just as good and tasty as those overpriced American products.

Here's a sampling of some of the easy to find products on the shelf here in Panama. OK not everyone will drink wine from a box, I never did either, but have you tried it? A blindfold test would certainly come in handy because I will tell you, it is a very good tasting red wine, o yes it costs $1.29/liter.

How about $0.56/lb hamburger? I know gross right? Well think again, this hamburger compares to the other 2 you will see in the picture below for far less money. Don't believe me? Well we are still alive and eat this stuff every week and it makes our homemade pasta sauce as good as it ever was.

Hey remember Kool-Aid? We all drank that as kids, maybe our kids also drank it. Well here is a version that does not require sugar (like crystal light) and hey it only costs $0.14 and makes 2 liters. What flavor do you like? You name it they make it. And maybe the best part is the store with the best price on this item is a place called Riba Smith. Riba Smith is known here in Panama as the not so cheap grocery store, well if you look you will find everyday deals like this.

How about some beer? You can get all the regular imports here as you can anywhere, Heineken, Amstel, Corona, Miller Light, Bud, etc... But have you tried the National Beers? Panama, Balboa, Atlas, Soberana? Well a case of 24 bottles of Balboa will run you $9.49 - do the math, OK I will for you that is $0.395 per bottle. And it is a good medium to light bodied beer. Forget those imports.

Coffee? well most people drink it and you can spend anywhere from a few bucks to hundreds of dollars for a lb. We lived on Dunkin Donuts coffee all of our lives while living in the US. Grew up in Boston area and Dunkin D's was it when it came to coffee. Hey you can get Dunkin Donuts coffee here in Panama also, but they grow so much of their own locally that why or why not try it out. We have tried 6 different kinds and settled for the brand below, smooth taste, not too dark, not to bold, and CHEAP as heck. 1 lb of this coffee costs us $2.69

You be the judge.