Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Montanita

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $903 a month against $1,049 in Asuncion, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Asuncion
🇵🇾 Paraguay
$1,049
/mo nomad
Montanita
🇪🇨 Ecuador
$903
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Montanita

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

A single person spends $1,049 per month in Asuncion vs $903 in Montanita, rent included.

  • Asuncion $1,049
  • Montanita $903

A couple spends around $1,635 per month in Asuncion vs $1,360 in Montanita, rent included.

  • Asuncion $1,635
  • Montanita $1,360

A family of three spends $2,221 per month in Asuncion vs $1,817 in Montanita, rent included.

  • Asuncion $2,221
  • Montanita $1,817

Asuncion costs about 16% more than Montanita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Asuncion and Montanita are more affordable than the global median – Asuncion 22% lower, Montanita 33% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.66 ₲37.9K
$3.40 $3.40
95.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.46 ₲247.3K
$28.19 $28.19
54.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.63 ₲37.7K
$7.27 $7.27
-8.80%
Cappuccino
$3.44 ₲19.5K
$2.42 $2.42
42.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 ₲6,063
$0.84 $0.84
27.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₲3,307
$0.66 $0.66
-12.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.85 ₲10.5K
$2.01 $2.01
-7.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₲9,668
$3.40 $3.40
-50.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₲7,105
$1.09 $1.09
14.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 ₲8,470
$1.63 $1.63
-8.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 ₲7,665
$1.50 $1.50
-10.00%
Eggs
$2.32 ₲13.2K
$2.11 $2.11
9.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.85 ₲56.1K
$5.53 $5.53
78.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.20 ₲29.6K
$5.65 $5.65
-7.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.91 ₲56.4K
$6.16 $6.16
60.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 ₲17.0K
$2.07 $2.07
44.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 ₲6,979
$1.16 $1.16
6.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.21 ₲6,884
$1.05 $1.05
15.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.45 ₲13.9K
$1.04 $1.04
135.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 ₲7,424
$1.43 $1.43
-9.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 ₲7,603
$1.03 $1.03
30.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.84 ₲4,758
$0.49 $0.49
71.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₲3,936
$1.02 $1.02
-32.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.24 ₲12.7K
$5.87 $5.87
-61.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.02 ₲51.3K
$10.02 $10.02
-9.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 ₲7,556
$1.47 $1.47
-9.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₲9,541
$2.45 $2.45
-31.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 ₲3,221
$0.33 $0.33
72.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.02 ₲216.3K
$23.80 $23.80
59.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.45 ₲8,244
$1.49 $1.49
-2.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₲8,959
$1.03 $1.03
52.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.04 ₲57.1K
$10.10 $10.10
-0.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 ₲6,860
$0.62 $0.62
95.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.9K ₲96.3M
$24.6K $24.6K
-31.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.3K ₲201.1M
$28.2K $28.2K
25.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$50.1 ₲285.0K
$39.94 $39.94
25.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.94 ₲96.4K
$13.91 $13.91
21.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.75 ₲123.8K
$31.23 $31.23
-30.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.50 ₲207.7K
$30.41 $30.41
20.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.89 ₲84.7K
$14.55 $14.55
2.34%
Cinema Ticket
$8.59 ₲48.9K
$7.21 $7.21
19.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$184 ₲1.0M
$253 $253
-27.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,873 ₲33.4M
$5,665 $5,665
3.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ₲355.3K
$56.5 $56.5
10.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₲315.0K
$43.23 $43.23
28.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 ₲593.7K
$100 $100
4.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.2 ₲393.7K
$75.1 $75.1
-7.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$620 ₲3.5M
$336 $336
84.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 ₲2.1M
$315 $315
18.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,050 ₲6.0M
$628 $628
67.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 ₲3.6M
$494 $494
26.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,716 ₲9.8M
$1,236 $1,236
38.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,242 ₲7.1M
$1,015 $1,015
22.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Asuncion
Montanita
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$723 ₲4.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.15
10
1.50%

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montanita: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Asuncion
$373
Montanita
$315 15.5% $58
Groceries & Markets
Asuncion
$213
Montanita
$184 13.4% $28
Eating Out
Asuncion
$134
Montanita
$101 24.4% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Asuncion
$131
Montanita
$124 5.6% $7.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Asuncion
$89
Montanita
$85 4.2% $3.7
Sport & Entertainment
Asuncion
$54
Montanita
$45 16.5% $8.9
Getting Around
Asuncion
$50
Montanita
$32 36% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $620 in Asuncion versus $336 in Montanita. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Asuncion versus $28.00 in Montanita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $184 – making Montanita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇾 Asuncion
🇪🇨 Montanita
🕒 Local time
05:42 5:42 AM
03:42 3:42 AM
2 h behind Asuncion
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
742,023 Capital
5,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 5,691 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,378 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Asuncion Montanita 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Asuncion
  • Montanita

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 Montanita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montanita cheaper than Asuncion?
Yes – Asuncion is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,574 per month in Asuncion and $1,355 in Montanita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Montanita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 60% less in Montanita. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $184 per month in Asuncion and $253 in Montanita. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Asuncion or in Montanita?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Montanita, where all-in costs run around $903, than in Asuncion at $1,049. In Montanita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asuncion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Asuncion or Montanita more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Montanita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Montanita. 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.

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