Ecuador or Panama
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Ecuador | Panama | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 3 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | yes | — |
| Parents | — | — |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 637 · estimate | $ 1 418 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 23,4 | $ 36,7 |
| Life expectancy | 77.58 | 79.78 |
| Homicides/100k | 38.94 | 12.78 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 6.5 | 5.2 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Ecuador — 32, Panama — 65. Types present in both: work, remote work, study, family, investment, talent and retirement. Ecuador adds: working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Ecuador: fees range from 30 to 270 USD. Routes with no fee: 5. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 724 USD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 31; the shortest is 60 days. Panama: fees range from 100 to 250 PAB. Routes stating an income threshold: 10; the lowest is 850 PAB a month.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 2 years. Citizenship: Ecuador after 3 years, Panama after 5 years. Ecuador allows a second citizenship, Panama does not.
Ecuador in brief
Ecuador has been dollarised since 2000: its official currency is the US dollar rather than a national currency, which removes currency risk for those whose income or savings are in dollars, but deprives the country itself of independent monetary policy. The temporary residence system is governed by the 2023 Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana: the rentista, pensionista/jubilado, inversionista and professional categories are defined not by a fixed dollar amount but by a threshold in SBU — the minimum wage, which is revised annually; since 2022–2023 a separate visa for remote employees of foreign companies has been added among them. Permanent residence is available after just 21 months of continuous residence on a temporary visa, and citizenship after a further 3 years of lawful residence as a permanent resident, and the Constitution explicitly permits not renouncing one's original citizenship. A separate part of the country's territory is the Galápagos archipelago: it is governed under a special law, LOREG, through its own body (Consejo de Gobierno de Régimen Especial de Galápagos), and moving there to settle permanently is not among the rights even of a permanent resident of mainland Ecuador — a separate migration qualification is required. Governance indicators (rule of law, control of corruption) and the homicide rate are, according to official statistics, among the weakest and highest in South America respectively.
Panama in brief
Panama rests on three things its neighbours lack: the dollar in circulation, the canal with the region's largest banking and logistics hub, and a position south of the hurricane belt — INFORM rates its cyclone risk at zero. Panama's famous "friendly nations" route is not open to everyone: the list of countries is closed. And since 2021 it has not been quick even for those on it: two years of temporary residence come first and permanent status only after, with an economic basis required — an employment contract or property worth at least 200,000 dollars. Citizenship takes five years after permanent residence, three with a Panamanian spouse or Panamanian children, and the previous passport must be renounced expressly and irrevocably; a basic-knowledge exam was added in August 2025. Homicide above the regional average and seismicity also weigh: earthquakes 7.8 and tsunamis 8.6 out of 10.
Other comparisons
Ecuador or… Costa Rica · Peru · Trinidad and Tobago · El Salvador · Cuba · Guyana · Honduras · Nicaragua
Panama or… Belize · Bolivia · Colombia · Greenland · Jamaica · Bahamas · Guatemala · Dominican Republic
More on each: Ecuador · Panama. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.