Yes, great question:
1. The scenery - Panama is so beautiful and you have so many options. I just visited a beach town, right on the ocean, yet, right across the street the road climbs upwards, and you find yourself in a mountain/hillside community with rivers and lakes. And Panama City is only about 45 minutes to an hour's drive away.
2. Medical - I visited an emergency room in a small town called San Carlos, about a week ago, where I had my blood pressure checked and my blood sugar level checked, and it only cost me $1. One dollar. That's nuts. My copay in the U.S. was $30. So I would've paid $30 before I even got in to see the doctor. A doctor in the city charges $4 for routine visits. Major operations here are much cheaper than you'd find in the U.S. too.
3. Opportunity - In many ways (not always in the city), Panama is still very young. Like the U.S. in the 50's. Many small towns don't even have a bakery yet, and if they do, it's probably very local meaning you won't find French bread or Italian bread. Most places have internet cafes, but they're just a room with old computers hooked up. The cafe part of it means you can buy a bag of chips. That means there's room for a nice, internet cafe, with sofas and coffee being served. Life can be whatever you want it to be.
4. The People - Panamanians are very laid back and friendly. And they're used to us being here, unlike many other countries. The U.S. occupied the canal zone for so long that seeing gringo faces is the norm.
5. So close to the U.S., but not the U.S. What I mean by this is it's got the same time zone as many U.S. states, meaning you can call home and not worry about the hour, it's easy to fly home as there are so many flights directly to the State, and Panama uses the U.S. dollar, meaning you don't have to worry about all that exchange rate hubbub.
6. (sorry I had to add one last advantage) - The ease of living - I love that if I forget to buy bread at the supermarket, I can find a guy in the median selling fresh, soft bread for $1. I've bought bags of tomatoes and limes and lentils and green peppers...all while never leaving my car. In many small towns, local vendors sell fish from coolers on the back of their motorcycles (that they picked up from fishermen fresh at the dock), plus you can find flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the backs of pickup trucks. In many ways Panama is just a relaxed lifestyle. It's great.
