In Photos: Touring Panama’s Exclusive “City Within a City”

Panama City is unlike anywhere else on my global beat…

I’ve been scouting this city for two decades. When I first visited, it was little more than a sleepy, regional backwater. But it was right at the point where it was about to take off. And take off it has…in spectacular fashion.

Now it’s truly global—a glistening metropolis with a stunning skyline that’s attracting wealthy and well-heeled folks from all over the world…

Panama City has the biggest skyline in Latin America, and 45 of its 50 tallest towers were built after 2000, speaking to the phenomenal rate of growth and development of this global safe haven..

Put boots on the ground here today and you’ll find ample proof of Panama City’s global status. There are supercar dealerships, designer boutiques, luxury malls, top-class restaurants, yacht clubs…

Panama City has arrived on the world stage. A few key factors have made this possible…

This city sits at one end of the Panama Canal, a linchpin of global trade. Panama City’s airport, which has been consistently upgraded over the past decades, has become the most important in the region, serving a record 17.8 million passengers last year. And the city has attracted scores of multinationals from across the globe with favorable taxation and banking laws.

And many of these multinationals, their executives, and the upper echelons of Panamanian society can be found in one place in Panama City…

The fashionable new district of Costa del Este.

Costa del Este is in essence a “city within a city”—the place where everyone wants to be in Panama City. It has expansive shopping malls, top-rated international schools, world-class medical facilities, high-end restaurants, luxury residential communities…

But here’s what makes it truly remarkable…

Three decades ago, this neighborhood didn’t exist. The area where you’ll find it today was wetlands and a municipal dump. From this blank canvas, this neighborhood was designed to be the centerpiece of the modern, global Panama City.

Now that promise is being realized…

Recently, I asked three members of my scouting team to put boots on the ground in Costa del Este.

Here’s some of the photos they took of this incredible district…

Panama City has the 25th biggest skyline in the world. You’ll find many high-rise buildings in the fashionable district of Costa del Este, which is dotted with corporate headquarters and residential towers.

Scores of major multinational corporations have offices in Costa del Este, include Samsung, Adidas, and Microsoft, among many others.

These companies have transformed Costa del Este into one of the most important business districts in Latin America.

It takes a lot of caffeine to power Costa del Este’s 50 or so multinationals. You’ll find some of Panama City’s best coffee shops in this area…

Costa del Este is famous for its restaurant and nightclub scene. Salvaje, a high-end Japanese restaurant, is a popular place to see and be seen.

As one of Panama’s wealthiest areas, you’ll find showrooms for Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, Lexus and many other high-end car manufacturers in Costa del Este.

Costa del Este is also a great place to live and raise a family…featuring wide, tree-lined boulevards and leafy parks.

The Town Center is one of the most popular malls in Costa del Este and boasts luxury stores, restaurants, bars, a cinema, and even a Johns Hopkins-affiliated hospital.

Thanks to high-end commerical spaces like the Town Center, residents of Costa del Este have easy access to top-class gyms, boutique shops, and much more…

Set amid Costa del Este’s high-rises and boulevards, you’ll find dog parks and plenty of other green spaces where you can spend time outside enjoying Panama’s tropical weather

Costa del Este is truly a “city within a city.” Which explains why this is the most in-demand district of booming Panama City…

• For business executives it’s the ideal location…close to their workplaces…
• Wealthy Panamanians enjoy its luxury living and modern amenities in a prestigious address.
• Retirees from overseas love the lifestyle and easy access to cutting-edge healthcare.
• Young entrepreneurs come for access to wealthy clientele and a supportive business environment.
• Employees of embassies, consulates, and international organizations stationed in Panama thrive in Costa del Este, too…

Such is the demand for real estate here that already, just three decades after it was conceived, virtually all the prime land in Costa del Este is gone.

And yet, very soon, I’m bringing members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group an incredible opportunity to own here in a stunning community on the cusp of Costa del Este…

This community is on the last prime waterfront land of its type in thriving, cosmopolitan Panama City. And the visionary developer my RETA group is dealing with is planning an iconic, landmark community there with unrivaled amenities. I’m talking pools, park, bistro, gym, bar, manicured beach, and more. This community offers the sort of self-contained luxury one expects of a high-end resort hotel.

Five months ago, I first brought RETA members the chance to own in this landmark community, called Ipanema. And there are already uplifts for RETA members who bought there. For instance, RETA members were able to buy penthouses in Ipanema for $632,200. In August 2024, the developer sold the exact same penthouses albeit in a different tower for $732,150.

That’s an uplift of $99,950 in less than three months!

Now, I’ve gotten RETA members a second chance to own in Ipanema…

This community will be a waterfront landmark, and it’s right on the cusp of Costa del Este… (Renders shouldn’t be considered final but give you a good idea.)

The developer, Alfredo Aleman, has a high degree of respect for RETA and values his longstanding relationship with RETA members. He’s given me the opportunity to handpick just 15 luxury condos with RETA pricing and exclusive financing…

Members can own one of these 15 luxurious condos from a screaming, RETA-only $328,600.

And I expect gains of $271,400 eight years after delivery and gross yields of nearly 11%—that’s income of $36,000.

If you’re a RETA member, you’ll be getting my full deal briefing tomorrow (Saturday, November 16).

And this RETA member-only deal will open on Wednesday, November 20, at 1 p.m. ET.

If you’re not yet a RETA member, and would like the chance to act on this opportunity, learn how you can join RETA here.

Ronan McMahon, Founder,
Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert

P.S. My new special Panama report explains the key event in 1999 that sparked a rebirth for Panama…how smart policies and vast infrastructure investment mirroring the Singapore and Dubai models set Panama City on a path toward becoming a true world city…and why Panama’s growth trajectory has decades left to run.

If you’re looking for an overseas dream home in a modern world city, then you’ll want to know this story. Click here to start reading this report now.