3 months in Medellin - Panama City - Bocas del Toro - San Jose - Nosara - Santa Teresa
Starting your trip in Medellin brings you to one of Latin America's top nomad destinations. Medellin is located on hills, surrounded by Colombian jungle.
From Medellin take a short direct flight to Panama City, a modern metropolis with good access to Bocas del Toro, the beautiful island area in the northwest corner of Panama. Bocas del Toro offers direct connections to San José in Costa Rica, where you either stay or continue your trip to the beaches of Nosara or Santa Teresa.
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🇨🇴 Medellin
- Best travel time: In December, Medellin has temperatures between 25ºC and 32ºC, and very to no rainfall.
- Arrival: Medellin has direct flight connections to Cancun (3 hours flight time) for around 140 Euro, and Cancun in Mexico has direct flights to many cities in the USA, Canada, and Europe. Cancun is a great starting or transit destination to travel to Medellin in Colombia. If you arrive in Bogota, you can take cheap flights, less than 100 Euro from Bogota to Medellin.
- Neighborhoods: Check out El Poblado if you are looking for an upscale tourist experience or Envigado if you prefer to stay quieter. We included Medellin in our article Latin America on a budget: 7 cities for less than 1,500 Euro a month and estimate the cost of living for Medellin around 1,490 Euro excluding coworking space.
- Coliving: Medellin is a hot nomad spot. You find coliving, for example, by Casa Santafe, and Vecino Coliving.
- Workspace: Circular Coworking Redonda, Coworking Inspira, and Ivy Laureles.
- Departure: From Medellin, you can fly directly to Panama City for around 100 Euro. The flight time is around 1.5 hours.
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Dive deeper into Colombia.
Colombia for nomads
Medellín's eternal spring, Bogotá's culture, Cali's salsa, and one of the world's most accessible nomad visas. Here is how to live and work in Colombia in 2026, cities compared, real costs, and a straight answer on safety.
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Latin America for less than €1,500
Latin America is no longer uniformly cheap. We checked 10 cities against a €1,500 monthly budget with fresh 2026 data: six still fit comfortably, two need conditions, and two former favorites outgrew it.
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🇵🇦 Panama City
- Best travel time: the best months are January until March, and good in December and April. In January, the temperature in Panama City will be between 21ºC and 31ºC. The temperature in Bocas del Toro is similar.
- Arrival: You find Uber available in Panama. However, Uber drivers can not access the airport, you need to meet your driver outside of the airport ground.
- Neighborhoods: If you visit Panama City for the first time, check out Casca Viejo.
- Workspace: My Office, Workings, and The Cube Coworking
- Alternative Bocas del Toro: If you want to trade Panama City for an island experience or cut your time in Panama City shorter, take a plane to Bocas del Toro. The island region is located on the Atlantic coast, in the northwest corner of Panama, close to the Costa Rican border. Check out the Cocovivo Ecolodge. From Bocas del Toro, you can take a direct flight to San Jose in Costa Rica for less than 200 Euro.
- Departure: There are direct flights from Panama City (200 Euro) and from Bocas del Toro (180 Euro) to San José in Costa Rica.
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Dive deeper into Panama.
Panama for nomads
Last updated 2023, April 9th: Did you know that Panama was once underwater, connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic? Thanks to tectonic movement, the Pacific tectonic plate, and the Caribbean plate formed a landmass, the Isthmus of Panama, that now connects the two Americas. Once a land undersea, the
Sarah Kuhlemann
🇨🇷 San José
- Best travel time: The best travel time for Costa Rica is January to April. In February, the temperature is between 18ºC and to 27ºC.
- Arrival: You can travel around by Uber or taxi. If you take a taxi, make sure the driver uses the meter.
- Neighborhoods: Escazú, around Sabana park, or downtown.
- Workspace: Gracias coworking
- Alternative Nosara: The coastal town of Nosara is another spot digital nomads dream of. The vibe is everything from yoga hippie to hipster nomad, but they all have in common that they are willing to pay a high price for staying in Nosara. Prices have skyrocketed in the past years. Coworking spaces like Selina are magnets for remote workers.
- Alternative Santa Teresa: An upcoming hotspot is Santa Teresa in the Puntarenas province. The small town offers reliable internet, good accommodation choices, palm-lined sandy beaches, a verdant jungle, and a growing community of digital nomads and long-stay remote workers that transit into expats.
- Departure: From San José, you can take a direct flight to Cancun in Mexico. Cancun is a popular spot for nomads and tourists of all kinds and provides direct flights to many international destinations in Latin America, Canada, the USA, and Europe.
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Dive deeper into Costa Rica.
Costa Rica for nomads
Pura vida, world-class surf, a rainforest full of wildlife, and one of Latin America's most established digital nomad visas. Costa Rica is the safe, easy, beautiful choice, if you can handle the prices. Here is the 2026 guide.
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Where to travel next? Destinations in Latin America.
Latin America made easy
Are you looking for the top digital nomad hotspots? Or for destinations off the beaten track? Maybe you are budget-sensitive and you are looking for affordable but cozy destinations. Browse through this list of places in Latin America, organized by interest. From chilled beach extensions to the top trending destinations,
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Brazil for nomads
A nomad visa since 2022, one of the lowest income bars anywhere, and Florianópolis quietly running one of South America's best remote work scenes. Here is how to live and work in Brazil in 2026.
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Nicaragua for nomads
Nicaragua is the cheapest country in Central America, with volcanoes, colonial towns and Pacific surf that its neighbors charge double for. It is also politically complicated, and the nomad scene has moved. Here is the honest picture for 2026, and where the good version of this country still is.
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