Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Cartago

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,075 a month against $1,281 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
Learn more

Asuncion Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
Learn more

Cartago Living Index

Jump to prices

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Cartago

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 Cartago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,075 per month in Asuncion vs $1,281 in Cartago, rent included.

Asuncion $1,075
Cartago $1,281

A couple spends around $1,684 per month in Asuncion vs $1,972 in Cartago, rent included.

Asuncion $1,684
Cartago $1,972

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Asuncion vs $2,663 in Cartago, rent included.

Asuncion $2,292
Cartago $2,663

Asuncion is about 16% cheaper than Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Asuncion and Cartago are more affordable than the global median – Asuncion 20% lower, Cartago 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 ₲40.6K

$7.58 COP 24.1K

-5.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.57 ₲247.7K

$37.20 COP 118.3K

17.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 ₲40.4K

$8.47 COP 26.9K

-16.17%

Cappuccino

$3.51 ₲20.0K

$1.54 COP 4,884

127.92%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₲5,977

$1.28 COP 4,063

-17.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₲3,288

$0.83 COP 2,634

-30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 ₲10.8K

$3.10 COP 9,869

-39.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₲9,902

$3.66 COP 11.7K

-52.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,318

$1.60 COP 5,088

-19.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ₲8,510

$1.88 COP 5,973

-20.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ₲7,919

$1.49 COP 4,751

-6.71%

Eggs

$2.48 ₲14.1K

$2.93 COP 9,334

-15.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 ₲55.4K

$6.58 COP 20.9K

48.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 ₲29.5K

$7.11 COP 22.6K

-27.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₲57.2K

$9.93 COP 31.6K

1.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₲17.0K

$3.57 COP 11.4K

-16.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ₲7,490

$1.32 COP 4,200

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 ₲6,739

$1.74 COP 5,530

-31.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₲14.1K

$1.63 COP 5,184

51.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ₲7,981

$1.42 COP 4,522

-1.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ₲7,559

$1.50 COP 4,758

-11.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₲5,240

$1.08 COP 3,443

-14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₲4,370

$1.03 COP 3,261

-25.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ₲13.8K

$3.69 COP 11.7K

-34.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 ₲51.6K

$13.12 COP 41.7K

-30.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₲8,061

$1.50 COP 4,756

-5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₲10.2K

$2.45 COP 7,794

-26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₲3,314

$1.02 COP 3,244

-43.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₲8,731

$0.79 COP 2,524

94.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₲9,200

$2.27 COP 7,230

-28.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.44 ₲59.3K

$8.40 COP 26.7K

24.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,316

$1.32 COP 4,211

-2.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$17.5K ₲99.5M

$28.0K COP 89.1M

-37.54%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.0K ₲199.2M

$34.6K COP 110.2M

1.14%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$51.5 ₲292.9K

$110 COP 349.3K

-53.09%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.68 ₲100.5K

$13.23 COP 42.1K

33.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 ₲127.0K

$30.26 COP 96.2K

-26.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 ₲208.1K

$42.32 COP 134.6K

-13.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₲50.6K

$8.24 COP 26.2K

7.89%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$190 ₲1.1M

$701 COP 2.2M

-72.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,930 ₲33.7M

$6,430 COP 20.5M

-7.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 ₲367.9K

$77.8 COP 247.3K

-16.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 ₲329.2K

$55.1 COP 175.4K

5.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₲609.7K

$127 COP 403.0K

-15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ₲416.6K

$111 COP 351.7K

-33.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₲3.7M

$645 COP 2.1M

0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₲2.2M

$509 COP 1.6M

-24.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ₲6.0M

$1,041 COP 3.3M

1.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₲3.7M

$970 COP 3.1M

-32.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 ₲9.7M

$1,999 COP 6.4M

-14.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₲6.8M

$1,803 COP 5.7M

-33.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$747 ₲4.2M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

11.58

-9.33%

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$385 35.9%

Cartago

$509 39.7% 32% $124

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$217 20.2%

Cartago

$241 18.8% 10.9% $24

Eating Out

Asuncion

$140 13%

Cartago

$136 10.6% 3.2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$136 12.7%

Cartago

$167 13% 22.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$92 8.5%

Cartago

$153 12% 67.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$54 5.1%

Cartago

$59 4.6% 8.1% $4.4

Getting Around

Asuncion

$50 4.6%

Cartago

$16 * 1.3% 67.4% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Asuncion versus $645 in Cartago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Asuncion versus $37.00 in Cartago. Groceries tell a different story – $217 in Asuncion vs $241 in Cartago – so Asuncion wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇨🇴 Cartago

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

2 h behind Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

135,365

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5,684 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,365 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Asuncion Cartago 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Asuncion
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cartago is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,613 per month in Asuncion and $1,921 in Cartago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Asuncion, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,075 in Asuncion and $1,281 in Cartago. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $190 per month in Asuncion and $701 in Cartago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Asuncion, where all-in costs run around $1,075, than in Cartago at $1,281. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Asuncion. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cartago makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.