good things and bad things about living in Panama?

[40grits]

Hey everyone, hoping to get some advice for my brother.

we're Asian-American and he's openly bisexual and polyamorous. He's working in an American company and just got a placement in Panama, he also wishes for a fresh start there.

He wonders about the good and bad things about living in Panama are and what the real cost of living is for a single person who needs a basic room and fast internet. Is health insurance required?
How LGBTQ+ & foreigner friendly is Panama in general? This is a big one for him.

What's the infrastructure and bureaucracy really like, especially for foreigners?
Any help or other things he should consider would be a huge help. Thanks!

 

[farawayhome]

Panama's pretty friendly to outsiders, with a good expat scene. You can live fairly cheap, especially if you're not in Panama City. Fast internet's easy to find in most cities. While you don't need health insurance, you'll probably want it. LGBTQ+ rights are a thing, but how cool people are with it depends on where you go. Just a heads up, getting stuff done with the government might take a while