Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Iowa City, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,075 a month against $2,368 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index

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Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Iowa City, IA

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 Iowa City, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,075 per month in Asuncion vs $2,368 in Iowa City, IA, rent included.

Asuncion $1,075
Iowa City, IA $2,368

A couple spends around $1,684 per month in Asuncion vs $3,367 in Iowa City, IA, rent included.

Asuncion $1,684
Iowa City, IA $3,367

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Asuncion vs $4,366 in Iowa City, IA, rent included.

Asuncion $2,292
Iowa City, IA $4,366

Asuncion is about 55% cheaper than Iowa City, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Asuncion sits 20% below the global median, while Iowa City, IA is 75% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 ₲40.6K

$14.24 $14.24

-49.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.57 ₲247.8K

$68.1 $68.1

-36.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 ₲40.4K

$8.74 $8.74

-18.76%

Cappuccino

$3.51 ₲20.0K

$5.78 $5.78

-39.27%

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

$1.05 ₲5,980

$2.76 $2.76

-61.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₲3,289

$2.17 $2.17

-73.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 ₲10.8K

$4.90 $4.90

-61.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₲9,906

$6.80 $6.80

-74.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,321

$0.83 $0.83

55.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ₲8,514

$2.76 $2.76

-45.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ₲7,922

$2.02 $2.02

-31.19%

Eggs

$2.48 ₲14.1K

$3.60 $3.60

-31.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 ₲55.4K

$9.51 $9.51

2.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 ₲29.5K

$10.32 $10.32

-49.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₲57.2K

$20.56 $20.56

-51.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₲17.0K

$3.32 $3.32

-9.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ₲7,493

$1.23 $1.23

7.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 ₲6,742

$2.75 $2.75

-56.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₲14.1K

$4.86 $4.86

-49.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ₲7,984

$2.03 $2.03

-31.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ₲7,562

$2.37 $2.37

-43.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₲5,243

$1.70 $1.70

-45.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₲4,372

$2.43 $2.43

-68.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ₲13.8K

$8.79 $8.79

-72.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 ₲51.6K

$13.27 $13.27

-31.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₲8,064

$1.77 $1.77

-19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₲10.2K

$4.32 $4.32

-58.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₲3,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

$15.96 $15.96

137.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₲8,735

$3.97 $3.97

-61.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₲9,204

$1.99 $1.99

-18.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.44 ₲59.4K

$43.23 $43.23

-75.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,320

$1.00 $1.00

29.00%

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

$17.5K ₲99.5M

$36.0K $36.0K

-51.43%

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

$35.0K ₲199.2M

$25.2K $25.2K

38.83%

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

$51.5 ₲293.0K

$266 $266

-80.60%

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

$17.68 ₲100.5K

$53.3 $53.3

-66.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 ₲127.1K

$81.9 $81.9

-72.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 ₲208.1K

$48.68 $48.68

-24.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

$19.82 $19.82

-22.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₲50.6K

$13.74 $13.74

-35.30%

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

$190 ₲1.1M

$1,285 $1,285

-85.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,930 ₲33.7M

$23.7K $23.7K

-74.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 ₲368.0K

$64.3 $64.3

0.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 ₲329.4K

$50.1 $50.1

15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₲610.0K

$101 $101

6.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ₲416.8K

$113 $113

-35.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₲3.7M

$1,179 $1,179

-45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₲2.2M

$1,096 $1,096

-64.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ₲6.0M

$2,297 $2,297

-53.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₲3.7M

$1,671 $1,671

-60.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 ₲9.8M

$3,825 $3,825

-55.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₲6.9M

$1,963 $1,963

-38.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$747 ₲4.2M

$3,701 $3,701

-79.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

6.45

62.79%

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$385 35.9%

Iowa City, IA

$1.1K 46.3% 184% $711

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$217 20.2%

Iowa City, IA

$350 14.8% 61.2% $133

Eating Out

Asuncion

$140 13%

Iowa City, IA

$267 11.3% 90.7% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$136 12.7%

Iowa City, IA

$148 6.2% 8.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$92 8.5%

Iowa City, IA

$401 16.9% 338% $309

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$54 5.1%

Iowa City, IA

$76 3.2% 40% $22

Getting Around

Asuncion

$50 4.6%

Iowa City, IA

$30 * 1.3% 40.1% $20

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 $1,179 in Iowa City, IA. 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 396% higher in Iowa City, IA, 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 $44.00 in Asuncion versus $68.0 in Iowa City, IA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $350 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

2 h behind Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

74,828

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Asuncion Iowa City, IA 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Asuncion
Iowa City, IA

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 Iowa City, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Iowa City, IA is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,613 per month in Asuncion and $3,552 in Iowa City, IA. 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 138% less in Asuncion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $190 per month in Asuncion and $1,285 in Iowa City, IA. 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 Iowa City, IA at $2,368. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iowa City, IA 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, Iowa City, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.