Photo courtesy of Saundra Lohr
- Saundra Lohr, 68, moved to Panama City from McKinney, Texas, in 2021, two years before retiring.
- She’s not alone: nearly 2,200 retired US workers got Social Security in Panama in December 2023.
- Lohr said she settled on Panama because of its affordability, welcoming feel, and quality of life.
Saundra Lohr always knew she wanted to retire abroad.
In 2021, Lohr moved to Panama City from McKinney, Texas, and she retired two years later. From the diversity of cuisines to the quality of food and access to pristine beaches, Lohr said life in the Central American country is superb .
“Panama is just like Christmas every day,” Lohr, 68, said.
Lohr is one of many Americans moving abroad for retirement, hoping to seek new experiences and escape the high cost of living in the US. As of December 2023, there were 648,569 Americans aged 65 or older receiving Social Security benefits abroad, according to the most recently available data from the Social Security Administration. Twenty years ago, in December 2003 , that number was 352,340.