Moving to Panama from Brunei
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Brunei to Panama — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Brunei to Panama, you would find that Panama is 24.9% more expensive than Brunei overall. A BND96,000 salary in Brunei would need to be roughly PAB93,600 in Panama to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Spanish. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Brunei to Panama.
What does your salary buy?
BND96,000 → PAB93,600
To maintain the same standard of living in Panama
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 45.4% more
Groceries
pay 3.4% more
Transportation
pay 2.8 times more
Housing
pay 15.9% more
Childcare
pay 37.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.7% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Brunei to Panama.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Brunei performs better than Panama across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Brunei performs better than Panama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Panama performs significantly better than Brunei across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Brunei generally does better on infrastructure, though Panama leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Brunei performs better than Panama across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Brunei generally does better on family life, though Panama leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2013–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Ministry of Finance, Revenue Division, Brunei (2016), General Directorate of Revenues, Panama (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Bandar Seri Begawan | Panama City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 88°/74°F (31°/23°C) | 94°/65°F (34°/18°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 90°/75°F (33°/24°C) | 94°/69°F (35°/21°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/74°F (32°/23°C) | 92°/70°F (34°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 89°/74°F (31°/23°C) | 91°/68°F (33°/20°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bandar Seri Begawan | Panama City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87°/74°F (30.4°/23.3°C) | 92°/65°F (33.4°/18.5°C) |
| Feb | 87°/74°F (30.7°/23.3°C) | 94°/65°F (34.2°/18.4°C) |
| Mar | 89°/74°F (31.9°/23.5°C) | 95°/65°F (34.8°/18.4°C) |
| Apr | 90°/75°F (32.5°/23.7°C) | 96°/67°F (35.4°/19.5°C) |
| May | 91°/75°F (32.6°/23.7°C) | 94°/70°F (34.5°/21.1°C) |
| Jun | 90°/74°F (32.5°/23.4°C) | 93°/70°F (33.8°/21.3°C) |
| Jul | 90°/73°F (32.3°/23.0°C) | 93°/70°F (33.9°/21.0°C) |
| Aug | 90°/74°F (32.4°/23.1°C) | 93°/70°F (33.9°/20.9°C) |
| Sep | 90°/74°F (32.0°/23.1°C) | 91°/70°F (32.9°/21.0°C) |
| Oct | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.2°C) | 91°/69°F (32.6°/20.8°C) |
| Nov | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.2°C) | 91°/69°F (32.9°/20.3°C) |
| Dec | 88°/74°F (31.0°/23.2°C) | 92°/67°F (33.3°/19.2°C) |
Data:
Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department,
IMHPA - Instituto de Meteorología e Hidrología de Panamá
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Brunei and Panama. To live, work, or study long-term in Panama, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Panama's immigration authority.
Brunei passport holder visiting Panama
Visa Free
Panama passport holder visiting Brunei
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Panama than Brunei?
No — Panama is on average about 25% more expensive than Brunei. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Panama?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly PAB23,400 in Panama on a BND96,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Panama?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Panama safe for expats?
Brunei performs better than Panama across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Panama is 11.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.5 in Brunei.
How is healthcare in Panama compared to Brunei?
Brunei performs better than Panama across all health & wellbeing metrics. There are 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Panama, compared to 18.9 in Brunei. Panama scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Brunei: 78).
What's the weather like in Panama compared to Brunei?
The average high temperature in Panama City is 93°F, compared to 89°F in Bandar Seri Begawan. Panama City receives around 75.1 in of rainfall per year, while Bandar Seri Begawan gets 114.7 in.
What language do they speak in Panama?
The official language in Panama is Spanish. In Brunei, the official language is Malay.
