(International Living) If you prefer a smaller, quieter town—but still crave modern amenities—David may be the place for you
A shiny new pick-up truck rolls slowly down the well-kept street, past sidewalks filled with uniformed teenagers chatting, laughing, and dawdling on their way home from private schools. On a manicured lawn, toddlers play under the sprinklers as Mom watches from the porch of their newly repainted home.
Neighbors try to outdo each other—each garden is more colorful than the next, with tropical flowers and brightly painted clay knick-knacks accenting the lush green grass. As a man in a straw hat walks past you, the scene is complete…this is David, the proud capital of Chiriqui in Panama.
Turns out, Panama City isn’t the only place that offers high-speed Internet, big malls and shops, and excellent hospitals.
If you prefer a smaller, quieter town—but still crave modern amenities—David may be the place for you. This is a place where you can enjoy the comforts of home and not worry about big-city traffic or noise. And it’s turning into one of Panama’s most popular destinations for expats on the prowl for business opportunities…
We interviewed expat entrepreneur Stephen Hyland about starting a business in David.
Stephen runs a café/gallery in David called Da-Li. He found in David a growing middle class raring to spend money on new experiences. A fun café seemed like the obvious niche to fill. With its artsy décor and fun activities (like tango lessons), Da-Li is carving out a reputation among locals as a fun, different place…something completely unique in David and thus worth visiting.
Stephen says there are still many niches to fill and many opportunities to take advantage of. Watch the interview with him here.
In addition to the modern infrastructure and small-town feel, David offers high-value, bargain real estate and a very low cost of living—lower even than in Panama City. Until recently, David was pretty much overlooked by Panama’s growing expat community.
Most foreigners came through here only because the domestic airport receives regular flights from Panama City. Rather than get to know David, most drove off immediately to the highlands, about 45 minutes away.
While Panama’s Highlands offer cool, spring-like weather and a growing number of U.S.-style housing developments, David is a place where the warm temperature and local flavor will draw you in…if you stop here instead of rushing off to the mountains, that is. If you want to live among locals, learning the language and spending much less than you would in Boquete, this is a great place to do it. And to top it all off, there’s a growing expat community, so you can enjoy having expat friends in addition to your new local amigos.
As I said, for expats who aren’t quite ready to retire, David offers a world of opportunities. There are many wealthy farmers, ranchers and landowners from the Chiriqui province who keep their money and their homes in David. They tell me they’re eager to have more venues in which to spend money. Upscale restaurants, new shops, and entertainment spots are welcome. David is one of Panama’s major cities and lies right on the Pan-American highway, so locals and visitors passing through are also on the lookout for new lunch options or places to stop and shop.
Andrea, a U.S. transplant who now runs The Purple House Hostel in David (one of the friendliest places in town), sums it up best. She says this is one of few places in Chiriqui where you can:
- Play all night at a 24-hour casino, go bowling, or play pool
- See a first-run movie for $2.50
- Visit a post office, DHL or FEDEX and mail packages or send postcards
- Have a consult with an English-speaking doctor or dentist, or get new glasses or contacts
- Shop for hard-to-find items, or replace lost cameras, memory cards, laptop batteries, etc.
- Use cheap air-conditioned Internet cafes to talk to loved ones on Skype or upload photos to your blog or Facebook. (Most Internet cafes here charge only 75 cents an hour…though Purple House offers free Internet access to its guests).
- Get a hair-cut, bikini wax, or mani-pedi…for much less than you’d probably pay back home
- Rent a car, take dance classes, get inexpensive private Spanish lessons, and much more.
David already offers so much, but there are many, many niches to be filled. Take a trip and you’re likely to come up with over a dozen viable business ideas that don’t require much capital…whether you want to start a book exchange for non-Spanish speakers or groom the pets of the city’s wealthy families or organize fun-filled shopping tours to Panama City, the opportunities are endless!
Editor’s note: If Panama has your attention now, then join us April 13-16 for the Live and Invest in Panama Seminar and discover everything you need to know about Panama to help you decide if it’s your ideal retirement or relocation destination. Full details and discounts available here.