Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Chicago, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,049 a month against $3,169 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index

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Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,049

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Chicago, IL

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

A single person spends $1,049 per month in Asuncion vs $3,169 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

Asuncion $1,049
Chicago, IL $3,169

A couple spends around $1,635 per month in Asuncion vs $4,682 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

Asuncion $1,635
Chicago, IL $4,682

A family of three spends $2,221 per month in Asuncion vs $6,196 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

Asuncion $2,221
Chicago, IL $6,196

Asuncion is about 67% cheaper than Chicago, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Asuncion sits 22% below the global median, while Chicago, IL is 136% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 ₲37.8K

$21.62 $21.62

-69.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.46 ₲246.7K

$91.2 $91.2

-52.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₲37.6K

$13.09 $13.09

-49.35%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₲19.5K

$5.78 $5.78

-40.48%

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

$1.07 ₲6,047

$2.64 $2.64

-59.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₲3,299

$2.28 $2.28

-74.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 ₲10.5K

$6.94 $6.94

-73.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₲9,643

$8.93 $8.93

-80.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₲7,087

$1.27 $1.27

-1.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ₲8,448

$3.94 $3.94

-62.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ₲7,645

$4.96 $4.96

-72.78%

Eggs

$2.32 ₲13.2K

$4.64 $4.64

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.85 ₲55.9K

$13.97 $13.97

-29.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 ₲29.5K

$14.37 $14.37

-63.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 ₲56.3K

$18.59 $18.59

-46.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₲17.0K

$5.37 $5.37

-44.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ₲6,961

$1.93 $1.93

-36.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 ₲6,866

$4.01 $4.01

-69.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 ₲13.9K

$4.94 $4.94

-50.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ₲7,405

$2.80 $2.80

-53.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ₲7,583

$2.76 $2.76

-51.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ₲4,746

$2.16 $2.16

-61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₲3,926

$3.12 $3.12

-77.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 ₲12.7K

$15.71 $15.71

-85.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 ₲51.2K

$15.23 $15.23

-40.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₲7,537

$2.57 $2.57

-48.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₲9,516

$3.48 $3.48

-51.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₲3,213

$2.48 $2.48

-77.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 ₲215.8K

$74.4 $74.4

-48.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ₲8,222

$3.23 $3.23

-55.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₲8,936

$1.43 $1.43

9.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.04 ₲57.0K

$24.33 $24.33

-58.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ₲6,842

$1.25 $1.25

-3.20%

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

$16.9K ₲96.1M

$35.9K $35.9K

-52.82%

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

$35.3K ₲200.5M

$26.0K $26.0K

35.96%

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

$50.1 ₲284.3K

$195 $195

-74.26%

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

$16.94 ₲96.2K

$69.0 $69.0

-75.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.75 ₲123.5K

$62.1 $62.1

-64.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.50 ₲207.2K

$54.5 $54.5

-33.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.89 ₲84.5K

$27.80 $27.80

-46.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 ₲48.8K

$17.84 $17.84

-51.85%

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

$184 ₲1.0M

$1,513 $1,513

-87.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,873 ₲33.3M

$31.1K $31.1K

-81.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ₲354.4K

$68.1 $68.1

-8.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₲314.2K

$51.6 $51.6

7.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₲592.2K

$101 $101

2.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 ₲392.6K

$141 $141

-50.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₲3.5M

$2,437 $2,437

-74.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₲2.1M

$1,662 $1,662

-77.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 ₲6.0M

$4,644 $4,644

-77.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₲3.5M

$2,751 $2,751

-77.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,716 ₲9.7M

$4,036 $4,036

-57.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,242 ₲7.0M

$2,677 $2,677

-53.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$723 ₲4.1M

$4,861 $4,861

-85.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.15

6.77

49.93%

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$373 35.8%

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53% 346% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$213 20.4%

Chicago, IL

$450 14.3% 111% $237

Eating Out

Asuncion

$134 12.8%

Chicago, IL

$354 11.3% 165% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$131 12.6%

Chicago, IL

$163 5.2% 24.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$89 8.5%

Chicago, IL

$326 10.4% 267% $237

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$54 5.2%

Chicago, IL

$90 2.9% 67.9% $36

Getting Around

Asuncion

$50 4.8%

Chicago, IL

$95 3% 90.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $620 in Asuncion versus $2,437 in Chicago, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 573% higher in Chicago, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Asuncion versus $91.0 in Chicago, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $450 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

2 h behind Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

2,746,388

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,676 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,361 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asuncion Chicago, IL 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Asuncion
Chicago, IL

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 Chicago, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chicago, IL is pricier by about 202%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,574 per month in Asuncion and $4,753 in Chicago, IL. 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.

Public transport costs about 96% less in Asuncion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $184 per month in Asuncion and $1,513 in Chicago, IL. 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 $1,049, than in Chicago, IL at $3,169. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL 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.

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