Head to head · verified July 2026
Greece vs Panama
These two score identically on our balanced view. The tie-break is personal: what you want from the next twenty years, not what the table says.
Greece
Mediterranean
Greece's 7% flat tax is the broadest deal in Europe — it covers all foreign income, not just pensions, for fifteen years. The entry bar is the highest of the Mediterranean set (€3,500/mo or €126k banked) and you must actually live there — 183 days — to keep it. Elderly-care units license under Ν. 2345/1995 — silence can approve; no public list of licensed units was opened. Cheaper than Spain or Italy, with freehold property open to foreigners.
Full Greece guide
Panama
Central America
Panama is the rare place where the paperwork is the easy part. The Pensionado visa needs just $1,000 a month of pension income, hands you permanent residency almost immediately, and the territorial tax system means your foreign income simply isn't Panama's business. Elder-protection law and MIDES licensing are named in search results; official pages did not open cleanly this round, so Panama stays unchecked — no facility register filed. You spend US dollars, you can own property freehold — the trade-off is distance, and local banking will test your patience.
Full Panama guideSide by side
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Showing the open fields. 17 more criteria — tax-residency day counts, capital gains, forced heirship, setup costs and processing times — need a free Thon account. Sign in to see the full table.
Why Greece scores 77
Why this number
Every point is accounted for. Nothing is hidden in a weighting you cannot see.
- Base country quality81Greece scores 81/100 before anything about you is applied — visa system, tax regime, healthcare, safety and property rights.
- Australian passport-4Worse than average for Australian retirees: No AU treaty; long flight
- Best fit for you77A decision aid, not a prediction. Two people with the same passport can rank these differently — that is the point of showing the working.
- No double-tax treaty — Greece has no tax treaty in force with Australia — the same income can be taxed twice unless you structure around it.
Why Panama scores 77
Why this number
Every point is accounted for. Nothing is hidden in a weighting you cannot see.
- Base country quality87Panama scores 87/100 before anything about you is applied — visa system, tax regime, healthcare, safety and property rights.
- Australian passport-10Worse than average for Australian retirees: ~30h from Sydney — brutal for grandkid visits
- Best fit for you77A decision aid, not a prediction. Two people with the same passport can rank these differently — that is the point of showing the working.
- No double-tax treaty — Panama has no tax treaty in force with Australia — the same income can be taxed twice unless you structure around it.