Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,062 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
Learn more

Asuncion Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,062

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Asuncion vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Asuncion $1,062
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,655 per month in Asuncion vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Asuncion $1,655
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,249 per month in Asuncion vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Asuncion $2,249
Medellin $3,186

Asuncion is about 35% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Asuncion sits 22% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.76 ₲39.2K

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-16.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.17 ₲250.5K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-8.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ₲40.7K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-26.21%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ₲20.1K

$3.01 COP 9,485

15.28%

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

$1.09 ₲6,309

$1.80 COP 5,660

-39.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₲3,202

$1.41 COP 4,443

-60.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₲11.7K

$3.18 COP 9,990

-36.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₲10.0K

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-69.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 ₲7,351

$1.51 COP 4,751

-15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ₲8,483

$2.38 COP 7,480

-38.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ₲8,042

$1.77 COP 5,573

-21.47%

Eggs

$2.36 ₲13.7K

$2.89 COP 9,093

-18.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.88 ₲57.3K

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-3.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 ₲30.3K

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-47.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ₲58.1K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-28.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₲17.5K

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-24.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ₲7,279

$1.55 COP 4,883

-19.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₲7,105

$2.18 COP 6,867

-44.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 ₲14.4K

$2.18 COP 6,870

14.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ₲8,097

$1.96 COP 6,174

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 ₲7,859

$1.59 COP 5,000

-15.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ₲5,292

$1.15 COP 3,604

-20.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₲4,103

$1.24 COP 3,911

-42.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₲13.8K

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-40.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 ₲52.7K

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-33.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₲7,697

$1.66 COP 5,221

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₲10.0K

$2.26 COP 7,103

-23.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ₲3,511

$1.17 COP 3,674

-47.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.24 ₲210.3K

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-53.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ₲8,790

$1.27 COP 3,989

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 ₲8,817

$2.05 COP 6,442

-25.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.37 ₲60.2K

$8.55 COP 26.9K

21.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₲7,103

$1.35 COP 4,237

-9.63%

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

$17.0K ₲98.9M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-49.97%

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

$29.5K ₲171.4M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-14.81%

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

$51.4 ₲298.4K

$170 COP 533.7K

-69.68%

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

$17.47 ₲101.4K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

28.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.66 ₲131.5K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-19.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.59 ₲212.3K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-16.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 ₲87.5K

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-12.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ₲48.9K

$6.91 COP 21.7K

21.85%

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

$183 ₲1.1M

$797 COP 2.5M

-77.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,692 ₲33.0M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-37.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 ₲370.1K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-24.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₲328.8K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-2.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₲628.5K

$135 COP 424.6K

-19.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 ₲406.4K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-28.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ₲3.7M

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-47.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 ₲2.2M

$642 COP 2.0M

-40.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 ₲6.2M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-47.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 ₲3.7M

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-37.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,750 ₲10.2M

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-58.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,233 ₲7.2M

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-35.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 ₲4.2M

$657 COP 2.1M

10.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

10.94

-4.02%

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$382 36%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 67.8% $259

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$215 20.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 38% $82

Eating Out

Asuncion

$137 12.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 23.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$134 12.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 25.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$92 8.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 131% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$53 5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 7.7% $4.1

Getting Around

Asuncion

$48 4.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 95.8% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $639 in Asuncion versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 11% higher in Asuncion, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Asuncion versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $297 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

2 h behind Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5,803 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD). 1 EUR = 6,460 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Asuncion Medellin 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Asuncion
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,592 per month in Asuncion and $2,459 in Medellin. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $639 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Asuncion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $183 per month in Asuncion and $797 in Medellin. 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 $1,062, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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.

For expats, Asuncion is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 35% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.