Readers, I can give you insight as someone who built my own home in San Miguel de Allende and also as a Realtor who has helped many clients investigate doing so, and can tell you it can vary almost as widely as buying an already built home. As little as a year ago, my clients were given a budget of $80 USD per square foot (excluding lighting, appliances and landscaping) for what we would call Mexican contemporary, meaning some stone and wood touches, but cleaner, less ornamental...
My experience as an American woman in Portugal 30 years ago was not good; at that time I found it a frustratingly "macho" country. However, this has definitely changed, perhaps as Luis da Silva mentions in an earlier post, this is due to most women now working, better education, and greater exposure to global influences. 
There are not a lot of stores and shops here in Boquete. If you want to go shopping, it is better to go to David, which is about 30 minutes away from Boquete by car. My Personal Experience Comparing Healthcare in the US vs. Mexico
One of the most important and personal items people consider when thinking about moving abroad is “How is the healthcare?” While the Best Places in the World to Retire website has a huge quantity of answers provided by hundreds of expats to the question “how is the healthcare” for more than a dozen locations on our site, there is nothing like experiencing it yourself, which I had never done personally. Until recently.
Let me...
Sarah Booth is a long way from the snowy mountains and ski trails of Whistler, British Columbia, where she began a career that would make an international lifestyle possible. Jet Metier finds out what a blast Sarah is having in Coronado, Panama and the essentials of how to pack like a pro.