Part 2 of the founder’s series. In part 1 I told why I decided to leave Brazil. Now, what I went to verify point by point.

1. Safety — my number one criterion

Panama is very safe. Especially where we live, in Panamá Pacífico, where crime, robbery and theft are practically zero in our experience.

And it is not just here. In Panama City in general you walk relaxed. In my experience you can stroll Casco Viejo or Avenida Balboa in the small hours with your phone in hand and nobody bothers you. Coming from Brazil, that is a different dimension of life.

There are rough areas away from the center, like in any country. But the general standard is a safe country — and the regional statistics back the feeling.

2. Healthcare — the rule nobody tells you

The system is very different from Brazil’s, and this must be clear: you cannot rely on public healthcare. You need health insurance — which is not the Brazilian-style health plan; it has its own rulebook (waiting periods, reimbursements, networks).

The good news: private hospitals are excellent. First-world structure, latest-generation equipment. And insurance costs about the same as a good plan in Brazil — no more, no less. What changes are the rules, not the price.

3. Taxes — territorial income

Panama runs on the territorial income principle: income generated outside the country is exempt from tax here.

Practical example: if you hold investments in the US market, Panama charges nothing on those gains (whatever the source country withholds is a separate conversation — plan with your accountant). For anyone with an international structure, this changes the game.

👉 Continues in part 3: Panama through an entrepreneur’s eyes — logistics, open niches and banks that do real installments.