Both countries are in the desirable time zones for day trading, so which one would you prefer to live in and your reasons. "Neither" is not an option, so if it arises we will assume that you cannot read. Given that I have not yet visited DR I cannot draw a conclusion.
Never been to S. America, but I read about panama in ET recently, why panama? with 3-4 million population and 75,000 SQ kilometer size only, doesn't it get boring after a while? Why not brazil, argentina, ....more diverse enviroment?
Panama is very very Western. It wouldn't get "boring" in my opinion anymore than any other place. It's not a tiny country or anything. There is not really a shortage of beautiful things/places there. Brazil/Argentina don't have such stable political/economic systems would be one reason that Panama is a better choice. Proximity to the US is another. Panama City is a fairly hip city I think. It's certainly safer than Rio or Sao Paulo...I don't know enough about crime in BA. Panama I believe also has very nice laws relating to tax-free income for retirees and property laws that are almost identical to US property laws and thus you can buy property with proper title and not worry about some of the obscure laws that plague other latin/S. American countries.
I have looked into both, just doing research online and talking to ppl. that have visited or lived in both. DR has problems with power outages, their infrastructure isn't as good, although with the Clintons owning a resort there and Trump building one that might change. Panama, atleast in Panama city has excellent infrastructure for internet. Panama is going to be more humid as it is closer to the equator. Panama isn't a island so you can drive somewhere, although I wouldn't venture into Colombia as gringo for sure, Costa Rica sure. Panama is more developed and cosmopolitan. My relatives said they were afraid to leave the resort in the DR as signs of crime and poverty where just outside the gates. Andy Jordan posts here sometimes, I believe he still lives in the DR, maybe you could ask him though.
Panama touches the Pacific Ocean and Carribbean, has beaches and rainforests all close to the city as well as mountains a little further out. Diverse environment is in the eye of the beholder I guess. But since the OP stated he was limiting the question to Panama or DR here are my thoughts. I think a lot is personal opinion since both countries have equal pros and cons as far as recreation and activities and cost of living. However I do think the infrastructure is a little more built up in Panama as for as living comforts. The beaches and resorts might be nicer in D.R. since they go out of their way to cater to that sector while Panama still caters more to international banking and trade. I lean towards Panama simply because of the mix of standard of living and comforts and recreational quality of life. I think D.R. is a great place to vacation in a nice hotel where the resorts are but not sure if you get the same pleasures actually living there unless you live on the beach or near the resorts. Tough call...
One of the reasons I thought about Panama, was an affordable, not cheap, high rise condo close to or on the ocean with warm water. Honestly I am not sure I could handle the humidity though. I will probably check it out next year. Argentina sounds nice, but I don't think the water is going to be any warmer, looking on the map, than So Cal, where I grew up. BA looks to be a very nice city with lots of culture and I have heard it's still affordable compared to most parts of Europe. Brazil, no thanks, I have heard lots of fun if you are single, but I don't need to get mugged on a regular basis. That and I don't speak Portuguese, while I do speak decent Spanish.
We live between buenos aires and panama city and have spent enough time in brazil to know that it is not all dangerous, Just the coastal strip and the main cities. Unfortunately it is the coast that is appealing to us. And so Brazil is off the menu. Columbia, Venezuela Uruguay and Costa Rica never made the cut. Each for their own reasons. We like the dry zone about 90 mins NW of Panamà City. Beaches are adequate and the climate is much less humid than the city, but still very tropical. We are on our way to panamà , DR, miami LA and back to panamà to escape the southern winter in BA. No where in the trip do we leave latin america. I think that the latino effect has grown on us.
The infrastructure in DR has gotten better over the past few years. Unless you are in a higher end gated community, you are going to have issues with power/internet. el surdo
I lived in the Dominican Republic for a couple of years. The thing that bothered me most about the place is the lack of anything american. By that I mean if you just one day get a hankerin' for a plain old crappy Mcdonald's hamburger, you ain't gonna find it. Or anything like it. Tomatoes in the Dominican Republic are green, not red. And they fry them. Malta Morena is an acquired taste. Dead rotting maggot filled animals in the streets. You have to have lived there to understand. It's a third world country. The people are very nice, very humble. A family may live in a cardboard shack with a tin roof, but the dirt floor is swept cleaner than most middle income homes here in america and they have a TV. The smell of sewer in the air. But in Santo Domingo you smell fresh roasting coffee, thick in the air, on most mornings. Cotui is an awesome place to visit. Very rustic and way out in the country. Buy your chicken live and your maid will cook it up for you that afternoon. Good rum. Fresh fruit. Bad water. Oh, and I used to wonder where all the used automobile tires go when you buy new ones. They go to the Dominican Republic and put them on the taxis.