Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,049 in Asuncion, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
Learn more

Asuncion Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,049

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Cusco

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

A single person spends $1,049 per month in Asuncion vs $688 in Cusco, rent included.

Asuncion $1,049
Cusco $688

A couple spends around $1,635 per month in Asuncion vs $1,096 in Cusco, rent included.

Asuncion $1,635
Cusco $1,096

A family of three spends $2,221 per month in Asuncion vs $1,505 in Cusco, rent included.

Asuncion $2,221
Cusco $1,505

Asuncion costs about 53% more than Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Asuncion and Cusco are more affordable than the global median – Asuncion 22% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 ₲38.1K

$1.99 PEN 6.85

234.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.46 ₲248.7K

$20.55 PEN 70.7

111.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₲37.9K

$6.70 PEN 23.04

-1.04%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₲19.7K

$2.11 PEN 7.24

63.03%

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

$1.07 ₲6,096

$0.78 PEN 2.69

37.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₲3,325

$0.33 PEN 1.13

75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 ₲10.6K

$1.72 PEN 5.92

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₲9,721

$4.33 PEN 14.90

-60.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₲7,144

$1.24 PEN 4.27

0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ₲8,516

$2.32 PEN 7.97

-35.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ₲7,707

$1.29 PEN 4.43

4.65%

Eggs

$2.32 ₲13.3K

$3.63 PEN 12.48

-36.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.85 ₲56.4K

$4.69 PEN 16.14

110.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 ₲29.8K

$4.43 PEN 15.24

17.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 ₲56.7K

$7.37 PEN 25.35

34.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₲17.1K

$2.55 PEN 8.78

17.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ₲7,017

$0.77 PEN 2.63

59.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 ₲6,921

$1.47 PEN 5.04

-17.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 ₲14.0K

$0.85 PEN 2.94

188.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ₲7,464

$1.02 PEN 3.52

27.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ₲7,644

$1.10 PEN 3.80

21.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ₲4,784

$0.49 PEN 1.67

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₲3,957

$0.75 PEN 2.58

-8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 ₲12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 ₲51.6K

$5.93 PEN 20.41

52.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₲7,597

$1.85 PEN 6.38

-28.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₲9,593

$4.12 PEN 14.16

-59.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₲3,238

$0.30 PEN 1.04

90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 ₲217.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ₲8,289

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-15.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₲9,008

$1.93 PEN 6.65

-18.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.04 ₲57.4K

$2.82 PEN 9.69

256.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ₲6,897

$1.57 PEN 5.42

-22.93%

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

$16.9K ₲96.9M

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

$35.3K ₲202.2M

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

22.09%

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

$50.1 ₲286.6K

$29.31 PEN 101

70.86%

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

$16.94 ₲96.9K

$14.31 PEN 49.22

18.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.75 ₲124.5K

$44.13 PEN 152

-50.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.50 ₲208.9K

$28.51 PEN 98.1

28.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.89 ₲85.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 ₲49.2K

$4.26 PEN 14.64

101.64%

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

$184 ₲1.1M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,873 ₲33.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ₲357.2K

$37.39 PEN 129

66.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₲316.8K

$33.43 PEN 115

65.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₲597.0K

$54.4 PEN 187

91.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 ₲395.8K

$72.2 PEN 248

-4.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₲3.6M

$218 PEN 748

185.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₲2.1M

$191 PEN 657

95.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 ₲6.0M

$538 PEN 1,849

95.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₲3.6M

$416 PEN 1,431

50.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,716 ₲9.8M

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

-47.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,242 ₲7.1M

$1,823 PEN 6,270

-31.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$723 ₲4.1M

$433 PEN 1,490

66.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.15

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$373 35.8%

Cusco

$191 27.8% 48.8% $182

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$213 20.4%

Cusco

$187 27.2% 12.3% $26

Eating Out

Asuncion

$134 12.8%

Cusco

$83 12.1% 37.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$131 12.6%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 32.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$89 8.5%

Cusco

$88 12.8% 1.2% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$54 5.2%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 31% $17

Getting Around

Asuncion

$50 4.8%

Cusco

$13 * 1.8% 74.6% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $620 in Asuncion versus $218 in Cusco. 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 67% higher in Asuncion, 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 $21.00 in Cusco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $187 – making Cusco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

2 h behind Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

428,450

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.75 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,722 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.75 USD). 1 EUR = 6,418 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Asuncion Cusco 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Asuncion
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Asuncion is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,574 per month in Asuncion and $1,032 in Cusco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 14% more in Asuncion, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Asuncion and $21.00 in Cusco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cusco, where all-in costs run around $688, than in Asuncion at $1,049. In Cusco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asuncion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cusco – 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 Cusco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Asuncion makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.