Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,075 in Asuncion, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
Learn more

Asuncion Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
Learn more

La Merced Living Index

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Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in La Merced

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

A single person spends $1,075 per month in Asuncion vs $565 in La Merced, rent included.

Asuncion $1,075
La Merced $565

A couple spends around $1,684 per month in Asuncion vs $917 in La Merced, rent included.

Asuncion $1,684
La Merced $917

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Asuncion vs $1,269 in La Merced, rent included.

Asuncion $2,292
La Merced $1,269

Asuncion costs about 90% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Asuncion and La Merced are more affordable than the global median – Asuncion 20% lower, La Merced 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 ₲40.6K

$4.38 PEN 15.04

63.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.57 ₲247.8K

$34.69 PEN 119

25.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 ₲40.4K

$6.77 PEN 23.26

4.87%

Cappuccino

$3.51 ₲20.0K

$3.16 PEN 10.84

11.08%

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

$1.05 ₲5,980

$1.07 PEN 3.67

-1.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₲3,289

$0.64 PEN 2.20

-9.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 ₲10.8K

$2.60 PEN 8.93

-27.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₲9,906

$4.33 PEN 14.87

-59.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,321

$1.63 PEN 5.60

-20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ₲8,514

$1.98 PEN 6.79

-24.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ₲7,922

$1.28 PEN 4.40

8.59%

Eggs

$2.48 ₲14.1K

$2.34 PEN 8.04

5.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 ₲55.4K

$7.09 PEN 24.34

37.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 ₲29.5K

$5.88 PEN 20.21

-11.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₲57.2K

$8.65 PEN 29.69

16.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₲17.0K

$1.01 PEN 3.45

196.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ₲7,493

$0.46 PEN 1.58

186.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 ₲6,742

$0.28 PEN 0.95

325.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₲14.1K

$0.75 PEN 2.57

229.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ₲7,984

$0.30 PEN 1.05

366.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ₲7,562

$0.42 PEN 1.45

216.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₲5,243

$0.61 PEN 2.08

50.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₲4,372

$0.91 PEN 3.14

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ₲13.8K

$5.61 PEN 19.25

-56.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 ₲51.6K

$7.36 PEN 25.26

23.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₲8,064

$1.87 PEN 6.43

-24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₲10.2K

$3.23 PEN 11.10

-44.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₲3,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₲8,735

$3.82 PEN 13.12

-59.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₲9,204

$2.08 PEN 7.14

-22.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.44 ₲59.4K

$7.40 PEN 25.41

41.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,320

$1.74 PEN 5.97

-25.86%

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

$17.5K ₲99.5M

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

-20.87%

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

$35.0K ₲199.2M

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

37.48%

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

$51.5 ₲293.0K

$72.8 PEN 250

-29.26%

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

$17.68 ₲100.5K

$16.49 PEN 56.6

7.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 ₲127.1K

$27.80 PEN 95.5

-19.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 ₲208.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₲50.6K

$7.34 PEN 25.22

21.12%

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

$190 ₲1.1M

$181 PEN 622

4.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,930 ₲33.7M

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

-55.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 ₲368.0K

$52.6 PEN 181

23.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 ₲329.4K

$35.20 PEN 121

64.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₲610.0K

$82.0 PEN 282

30.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ₲416.8K

$79.1 PEN 272

-7.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₲3.7M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₲2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ₲6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₲3.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 ₲9.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₲6.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$747 ₲4.2M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

8.94

17.45%

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$385 35.9%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$217 20.2%

La Merced

$186 32.8% 14.6% $32

Eating Out

Asuncion

$140 13%

La Merced

$122 21.5% 13.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$136 12.7%

La Merced

$112 19.8% 17.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$92 8.5%

La Merced

$117 20.7% 27.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$54 5.1%

La Merced

$15 * 2.6% 73% $40

Getting Around

Asuncion

$50 4.6%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 71.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Asuncion versus $35.00 in La Merced. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $186 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

2 h behind Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Asuncion La Merced 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Asuncion
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Asuncion is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,613 per month in Asuncion and $848 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,075 in Asuncion and $565 in La Merced. That's a gap of about 90%.

Kindergarten costs $190 per month in Asuncion and $181 in La Merced. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Asuncion at $1,075. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asuncion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Merced – 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 La Merced. 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.