While many are moving to popular areas like Boquete, Bocas del Toro, or Coronado, there are many towns across the Azuero Peninsula with growing expat communities.
Cambutal is no exception to this list.
There are many reasons why Cambutal has been on the map for many expats alike. Land is still quite affordable, there are incredible surf breaks, nature is abundant, there are no crimes or petty thefts, and there is a lovely community of interesting people hard to find anywhere else.
Many expats in Cambutal spontaneously decided to make their lives here after just a few days of visiting the beautiful beach town.
Some have even bought properties by just living there for less than a month.
What makes Cambutal so special is definitely the community. The community is supportive, resourceful, and friendly. Nights are usually filled with neighbors throwing potluck parties or early dinners. The beach break has become the gathering center for the sunset fanatics, the avid surfers, and friendly neighbors.
In this article, I will laid out everything you need to know so there are no surprises about Cambutal. I’ll talk about the good, the bad, and everything in between. You’ll find that living in a small developing town is outstandingly rewarding, it is magical… but it all comes with a price. Lets discuss all that here.
Read more: 12 Cool things to do in Cambutal, Panama.
Rental Costs in Cambutal
Cost: $400 – $1600 a month depending on the area.
Affordable long-term rentals in Cambutal are usually hard to find… specially during high-season.
If you are lucky, you might be able to find a small two bedroom house in town from $400 to $650 (at most).
In the beach area, rentals usually go from $700 – $2000 a month. Usually, there are always rentals available in that area.
Probably the best way to start your search is through Cambutal’s Community Facebook Group. There are many people active in this group and ready to help anyone looking for specific information or a place to stay.
Contact information for long-term rentals in Cambutal
A great contact to ask for long-term rentals in Cambutal is Aaron from Luna Negra Resort – his rentals usually go from $1200 to $1800. You can contact him through WhatsApp at +507 6211-3697.
If you’re looking for an exotic stay in Cambutal, then you must stay at The Wave House. The Wave House has 3 beautifully designed tiny houses overlooking the Pacific ocean – the perfect place for anyone looking to retreat themselves in an exquisite manner. This place has a a lush oasis of lawn and tropical plants… a truly tropical jewel, glistening in a lush jungle setting. Every tiny house comes with A/C, high-speed internet, and a comfortable kitchenette. Prices start at $500 a week. For more information contact Katja through WhatsApp at +1 (503) 545-4963.
Casa Gerard is another option for those looking for long term rentals in Cambutal. Prices can vary depending on the season. There are two one-bedroom apartments with private outdoor kitchens, and one two-bedroom apartment. These apartments are quite cozy and overlook a beautiful lush hill making this place feel like a tree house. For more information contact Tim through WhatsApp at +507 6515-7971
If you are looking for a more secluded, remote, location within walking distance to 411 point break, you can consider Teyuna Village. This is one of the most private properties in Cambutal. This house is off-the grid but quite comfortable. For more information contact Joe through WhatsApp at +507 6311-2800.
Lastly, another great contact is TC and Emmet. They have some properties for rent in Cambutal. They have two, one bedroom, one bathroom Cabanas for rent close to the beach – prices depend on the length of stay and season. For more information contact TC through WhatsApp at +507 6020-0828.
Contact Summary for Long-Term Rentals in Cambutal
- Tropical Ocean View Houses up in the Hills – Aaron: +507 6211-3697
- Exotic Beachfront Tiny Houses – Katja: +1 (503) 545-4963
- Treehouse Apartments with A/C and kitchen – Tim: +507 6515-7971
- Off-the-grid comfortable secluded and private big house – Joe: +507 6311-2800
- Small cabanas close to the beach – TC and Emmet (WhatsApp): +507 6020-0828
Eating Out in Cambutal
Cost: $15 per meal average.
There are limited options when it comes to choosing a place to eat in Cambutal.
Eating out in Cambutal isn’t that affordable. Prices are almost, if not the same, as other developed cities in Panama.
For dinner, three courses will typically cost between $15 – $30 per person at the hotels.
On the other hand, some “fondas” do offer a lunch menu (rice, beans, plantain, and a piece of meat) for around $4 – $6.
A great affordable option for lunch and dinner in Cambutal is Cambutal Beach Restaurant. They offer fine burgers with French fries for $6 and fresh Tuna steaks for $8.
One of my favorite restaurants is at Hotel Casa Cambutal. Food there is truly exceptional and never disappoints. The place is also extremely well-maintained and service is good. This is my safest bet for eating out in Cambutal.
If you fancy some pizza, every Tuesday the Hotel Playa Cambutal throws out their famous Pizza Night… which has become a get-together event for the community.
On the other hand, Cambutal has a Pizza Restaurant right in town called Pizzeria Madera. They only open Thursdays to Saturdays. You can order delivery or to pick-up at +507 6224-9645
Moreover, at Breathe Healing and Wellness, their Tea Parlor is packed with delicious treats that will make you want to stay in Cambutal forever. All ingredients used are organic and gluten free. They have options for vegans and vegetarians. The matcha latte, brownies, and plentiful cookies are my favorite items on the menu.
Lastly, Cambutal is lucky to have La Casita del Café. La Casita serves all kinds of delicious coffees, frappes, and sweet treats. They usually open from Thursday to Sunday.
Food Deliveries in Cambutal
It is extremely convenient to get fresh food in Cambutal. Every single week there are various food vendors passing by selling fresh food.
You can get fish, any type of meat, shrimps, all types of fruits and vegetables delivered straight to your door.
Here is the contact information for food vendors in Cambutal.
- Veggie Truck:
There are several of them. Here you’ll find all your tropical fruits and vegetables. Some of them come directly from Chiriqui with absolutely every single vegetable, herb, and fruit you can imagine… and at a super affordable price.
Contact:
- Luis | +507 6750-8306 | No English | Comes every Tuesday.
- Richard | +507 6789-8716 | Speaks English | Most complete variety of fresh and organic items | Comes every Friday, orders close on Wednesdays.
- Butcher Store.
All sorts of beef cuts, chicken, and pork. Don Pablo is an outstanding vertically integrated family business based in Las Tablas. They are the most complete butchery shop I’ve seen in Panama. They do delivery every Friday. They do speak some English, but limited. They’ll offer menu and prices by request. You can contact their WhatsApp at +507 6693-5768.
Grocery shopping in Cambutal
Grocery shopping in Cambutal is on par with the rest of Panama. The biggest issue is finding a decent supermarket, as many of the supermarkets nearby are “Chinos” with limited quality food (they mostly sell processed food)
There is one single store in Cambutal that will get you the basics… salt, sugar, oil, toothpaste, and maybe a deodorant!
Next is Tonosi… you might be able to get some more items there but quality is not the best.
The best option is usually going to Super Carnes in Las Tablas or Riba Smith in Chitre. There, you’ll find it all. I usually buy my dry food in bulk.
Going to Chitre will be part of your life if you are considering living in Cambutal. Chitre has it all and it usually takes all day to make one of those runs.
I’ve found the best prices to be at Xtra Market in Chitre for fruits and veggies. Riba Smith has the highest quality products but also the most expensive ones.
Real Estate in Cambutal
Cambutal prices have been doubling in the past years.
Cambutal has never seen so many people buying properties and building so fast.
This is happening all over Panama… specially on small beach/mountain communities where expats are the main drivers of this buy-sell frenzy.
Most of the beachfront properties in the touristic developed area, where the nice hotels are located, are already sold. There are some beach properties far down the road but prices range from $120m2 and they are ROP (right of possession).
If you are planning on buying property in Cambutal, you better be ready to spend a lot of time asking around for properties, dealing with bureaucratic public officers or being given higher prices just because you’re a foreigner.
A good friend of mine once purchased a ROP beachfront property a while back. He kept it and maintained it for 6 solid years just to find out the seller didn’t have the ROP to his name. He got scammed. He lost his property and his dreams of retiring in tropical Panama.
Your best bet is to find a Real Estate Agency with a nice portfolio that advises you on the best properties, prices, and market.
For some years now, I’ve been a marketing consultant for the leading real estate agency in Boquete, Casa Solution. They have an immense portfolio of properties in Boquete and Chiriqui. Now, I am leading their market expansion around the Azuero Area.
If you are looking for properties around Cambutal feel free to shoot me an email at andres@thetropicalista.com and I’ll be more than happy to assist you in your search.
You can also check out our properties for sale in Playa Cambutal in the following link: thetropicalista.com/real-estate/city/cambutal/
Transportation
Cost: $1.50 from Cambutal to Tonosi.
There are daily small buses coming in and out of Cambutal to Tonosi – 3 times a day.
You can wait for the bus on the side of the main road at 7:30am, 11am, and 3pm.
Taxis will also take you from Tonosi to Cambutal for about $14.
In Tonosi, there are buses going to Las Tablas every 30 minutes to an hour.
If this is your first time coming to Panama, whatever you do, PLEASE don’t get into any taxi in Panama City… especially if you don’t speak Spanish. The amount of friends getting scammed or robbed in taxis are countless. Use Uber!
Electricity & Utilities costs
Electricity
Cost: Without a/c – $20-30 a month
With a/c – $100-250 a month
Electricity is a tricky one in Cambutal. This area of Azuero is famous for having constant blackouts during winter when heavy rains damage the power lines.
Nonetheless, there have been noticeable improvements made by the power company in recent times. As a matter of fact, as of today January 2022, the power hasn’t been gone for months now! A record in Cambutal.
Moreover, the price per kilowatt/hour in Panama is around $0.155. Your electricity bill for a house without A/C could be around $20-30 at most.
You’ll be looking at a $100 – $250 per month electricity bill for a house that constantly runs a couple of A/C every night.
Garbage
Cost: $1 per trash bag.
There are some nice local fellows who can take your trash every week for $1 a bag.
Contact Tinsio at +507 6205-8714 for garbage pick-up. He is an honest, happy handyman. He only speaks Spanish.
There are no recycling centers or incentives in Cambutal. Trash is usually taken to a landfill near Bucaro.
Internet in Cambutal
Cost: $50 – $200
It was not until around 2018 that high-speed internet arrived to Cambutal. Before that, people used to pay hundreds of dollars for a few megabytes of slow satellite internet.
Now, almost every single hotel has high-speed internet with fiber optics.
There is only one company offering internet services in Cambutal and it has quite a bad customer-service reputation… like every other place in this world. At least, the internet they offer is reliable with uncapped unlimited bandwidth.
If you are lucky, you can get your internet installed in your house in a couple of months. There are expats who are still waiting to get their internet installed after 2 years of asking for it. Others have had their internet installed in a month.
Town Water
Cost: $5-10 a month
Most newly developed properties in Cambutal always go for a well as water source.
I’ve personally tested Cambutal’s town water and it is surprisingly good for municipal water. It all comes from a well down in la Cuchilla, but the water lines are made out of cheap PVC plastic and they usually break.
It’s common for the town water to go off every now and then, but it is pretty affordable and safe to drink.
Cell Phone Services
The only carrier that works in Cambutal is Claro.
However, there is no reception in the beach area, just in town.
The lowest you can pay for an unlimited data plan is $25. You can get a Claro SimCard in any grocery store in Panama. The $5 card can provide you with 5 to 7 days of unlimited data plan.
Pro Tip
I have an unlimited postpaid data plan for $25 + taxes. With this data plan, I use an app that allows me to use my phone’s unlimited data as a hotspot. Usually, your data plan hotspot is limited but with this app, called PDANet, I pretty much have unlimited hotspotting for my computer.
Gas and Diesel
Getting gas in Cambutal won’t be an issue, just a bit more expensive.
The nearest gas station is in Tonosi, and prices are usually 25% higher than any other place in Panama.
However, as of January, 2022, a gas station is currently being built in Cambutal. I am not expecting prices to be any lower than in Tonosi.
Hospital, Clinics, and Health Insurance in Cambutal
Cost for a good private health insurance: $100/mo
There is a small public hospital in Tonosi (30 minutes from Cambutal) that will do basic care if you are involved in some sort of accident.
The hospital is quite small but they will keep you alive in case something happens.
The nearest decent hospital from Cambutal is the Anita Moreno Regional Hospital and it’s about a 1h40-minute drive from Cambutal.
If you get a residency in Panama, you’ll have access to free public medical care. I’ve had friends spend weeks in the hospital, done surgery, and taken all kinds of health exams for just $100.
Those hospitals are obviously extremely understaffed, doctors overworked, and waiting lines can be a nightmare, but they’ll get you on your way.
Always ask for a second opinion in any diagnosis you get in the public hospitals. Not to undermine the doctors, as they are talented, but I’ve had a friend’s life saved by just asking for a second opinion on his diagnosis.
Language Barrier in Cambutal
There is a big English-speaking community in Cambutal, but if you want to survive the Panamanian jungle madness you better know some Spanish.
Most of the locals in Cambutal, Tonosi, and the nearby satellite towns don’t speak English at all. Some young fellows do, but that won’t get you anywhere.
You won’t have any problems in the hotels, but if you are planning on hiring services, or going hardware shopping, you’ll definitely need at least some basic level of Spanish.
Google translator is a good way to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak your language. The translations from English to Spanish are often pretty accurate with the app.
Bank Accounts & Currency Transfers
There are no ATMs in Cambutal. The nearest ATM is a short 30-minute drive to Tonosi.
Most of the hotels do accept credit cards, except the local “fondas”, and the town’s small grocery store.
Everyday, more and more vendors are starting to use Yappy by Banco General for online transactions. However, It’s a tedious process for expats to get an account in Banco General.
Most expats use Banistmo, as it is easier to open up an account there. The nearest branch from Cambutal is in Las Tablas (1h40 minute drive from Cambutal). They always have an English speaking staff in case you’re still not taking your Spanish lessons.
Transferring money from abroad is also exceptionally safe. Transactions over 10k – 25k are usually frozen until you show proof of where that money came from to the bank. If it comes from a foreigner account, let’s say a friend, they’ll ask for their bank records too.
Another possible alternative is to use Wise to transfer money. With Wise you can transfer money abroad easily and quickly at a low cost. Learn more about Wise at wise.com.
You can also send money to Panama through Western Union and MoneyGram
Co-working spaces in Cambutal
Cost for private office: $140 a month
There is only one official coworking space in Cambutal at La Finca Hotel. They offer coworking spaces for digital nomads ranging from $7 a day to $70 a month.
They also offer private offices with coffee, tea, and a mini-fridge for $12 a day, $50 a week, or $140 a month.
You could also work from another hotel’s restaurant but those environments aren’t usually the most productive. You might get interrupted several times, background music will distract you, and you are forced to consume from their menu throughout the day.
Contact La Finca for more information about their coworking spaces at lafincacambutal@gmail.com or at +507 6185-7828.
Biggest Challenges of Living in Cambutal, Panama.
- Finding reliable labour
- Bureaucracy in public offices and getting things done through them
- Things take twice as long to get done
- Summer wind can be harsh. Be sure to build natural windbreakers
- Rainy season can be harsh too. Lots of rain for days straight!
- There are no decent schools for children
- Town’s grocery store can be depressing sometimes
- For Americans, leaving every 6 months for a Visa Run. For the rest, every 3 months for not less than 2 weeks
- There are no mailing addresses in Panama. Getting a package from family, friends, or Jeff Bezos will require a P.O Box
Conclusion
Living in Cambutal is extremely rewarding.
Cost of living is pretty low compared to big cities. The fact that you can get almost all your food delivered to your house makes it extremely convenient and affordable.
You get to eat nourishing organic foods, breathe pure air, drink clean water, be surrounded by pristine lush nature, and connect more with people and the community.
You might sacrifice certain comforts like having access to a wide range of services, shops, and restaurants. In exchange, you get such an outstanding community vibe you don’t get in big cities. You get to live in a magical place where time seems to slow down. You get to catch yourself smiling more often. You start appreciating the small things and start thinking “this is how life was meant to be!”.
If you would like to contribute to this article, provide more accurate information, list your business or services, share your story, or have any questions about living in Cambutal, please shoot me an email at hello@thetropicalista.com and I’ll be more than happy to hear from you!