Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,032 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Asuncion, Paraguay
Cape Town, South Africa
Asuncion
🇵🇾 Paraguay
$1,032
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Asuncion and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,032 per month in Asuncion vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Asuncion $1,032
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,625 per month in Asuncion vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Asuncion $1,625
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,217 per month in Asuncion vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Asuncion $2,217
  • Cape Town $3,306

Asuncion is about 32% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Asuncion sits 24% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.19 ₲45.7K
$12.01 R 198
-40.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.94 ₲273.0K
$42.92 R 707
0.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.58 ₲41.9K
$6.15 R 101
6.99%
Cappuccino
$3.28 ₲20.9K
$2.37 R 39.04
38.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 ₲6,391
$1.27 R 20.96
-20.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 ₲3,521
$0.94 R 15.46
-41.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.06 ₲13.1K
$2.96 R 48.77
-30.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₲10.7K
$3.69 R 60.8
-54.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 ₲7,913
$1.32 R 21.73
-6.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.42 ₲8,997
$1.21 R 19.87
17.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 ₲8,297
$2.20 R 36.26
-40.91%
Eggs
$2.39 ₲15.2K
$3.10 R 51.1
-22.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.44 ₲60.0K
$8.73 R 144
8.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.10 ₲32.4K
$6.89 R 114
-25.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.66 ₲61.4K
$9.26 R 153
4.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.00 ₲19.1K
$1.83 R 30.08
63.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 ₲7,930
$1.95 R 32.12
-35.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.16 ₲7,361
$1.66 R 27.32
-30.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₲15.4K
$2.14 R 35.19
13.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ₲8,365
$1.58 R 26.01
-16.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ₲8,443
$1.47 R 24.29
-9.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.85 ₲5,388
$1.35 R 22.18
-37.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₲4,364
$1.14 R 18.85
-39.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₲14.9K
$3.58 R 59.0
-34.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.87 ₲56.4K
$6.05 R 99.7
46.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 ₲8,283
$1.39 R 22.95
-6.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ₲10.5K
$2.18 R 35.90
-24.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.59 ₲3,783
$1.40 R 23.02
-57.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.97 ₲228.7K
$60.8 R 1,001
-40.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.44 ₲9,129
$0.93 R 15.26
54.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 ₲9,743
$0.90 R 14.83
70.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.03 ₲63.8K
$4.96 R 81.7
102.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 ₲7,681
$1.54 R 25.37
-21.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.8K ₲106.9M
$35.4K R 582.8K
-52.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K ₲185.8M
$33.4K R 549.9K
-12.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$49.05 ₲311.9K
$117 R 1,929
-58.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.79 ₲106.7K
$25.71 R 424
-34.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.60 ₲137.4K
$39.41 R 649
-45.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.35 ₲224.8K
$51.6 R 850
-31.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.61 ₲92.9K
$11.35 R 187
28.72%
Cinema Ticket
$8.51 ₲54.1K
$8.89 R 146
-4.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$183 ₲1.2M
$308 R 5,069
-40.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,730 ₲36.4M
$8,141 R 134.2K
-29.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 ₲401.8K
$57.4 R 946
10.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.7 ₲360.2K
$31.75 R 523
78.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 ₲662.3K
$116 R 1,911
-10.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.2 ₲446.2K
$101 R 1,660
-30.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ₲3.9M
$1,047 R 17.2K
-41.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$367 ₲2.3M
$669 R 11.0K
-45.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 ₲6.6M
$1,861 R 30.7K
-44.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$630 ₲4.0M
$1,407 R 23.2K
-55.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,747 ₲11.1M
$2,410 R 39.7K
-27.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,234 ₲7.8M
$1,570 R 25.9K
-21.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Asuncion
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$676 ₲4.3M
$1,630 R 26.9K
-58.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.15
10.89
-6.80%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Asuncion: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Asuncion
$367
Cape Town
$669 82.5% $303
Groceries & Markets
Asuncion
$209
Cape Town
$223 6.7% $14
Eating Out
Asuncion
$137
Cape Town
$174 27.4% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Asuncion
$132
Cape Town
$138 4% $5.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Asuncion
$87
Cape Town
$182 108% $95
Sport & Entertainment
Asuncion
$52
Cape Town
$69 32.5% $17
Getting Around
Asuncion
$47
Cape Town
$72 51.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $611 in Asuncion versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Asuncion versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $223 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇾 Asuncion
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
07:03 7:03 AM
12:03 12:03 PM
5 h ahead of Asuncion
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
742,023 Capital
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6,358 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 7,141 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.4 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Asuncion Cape Town 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Asuncion
  • Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Asuncion vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Asuncion cheaper than Cape Town?
Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,548 per month in Asuncion and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Asuncion, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
What are total monthly expenses in Asuncion and in Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,032 in Asuncion and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Asuncion about 32% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $183 per month in Asuncion and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Asuncion or in Cape Town?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Asuncion, where all-in costs run around $1,032, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Asuncion or Cape Town more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Asuncion – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Asuncion. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Asuncion vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?