Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Popayan

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,075 a month against $1,340 in Popayan, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index

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Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Popayan

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

A single person spends $1,075 per month in Asuncion vs $1,340 in Popayan, rent included.

Asuncion $1,075
Popayan $1,340

A couple spends around $1,684 per month in Asuncion vs $2,023 in Popayan, rent included.

Asuncion $1,684
Popayan $2,023

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Asuncion vs $2,706 in Popayan, rent included.

Asuncion $2,292
Popayan $2,706

Asuncion is about 20% cheaper than Popayan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Asuncion and Popayan are more affordable than the global median – Asuncion 20% lower, Popayan 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 ₲40.6K

$6.55 COP 20.8K

9.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.57 ₲247.8K

$45.13 COP 143.1K

-3.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 ₲40.4K

$8.71 COP 27.6K

-18.48%

Cappuccino

$3.51 ₲20.0K

$2.80 COP 8,877

25.36%

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

$1.05 ₲5,980

$1.20 COP 3,793

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₲3,289

$1.02 COP 3,234

-43.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 ₲10.8K

$3.45 COP 10.9K

-45.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₲9,906

$4.02 COP 12.8K

-56.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,321

$1.65 COP 5,224

-21.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ₲8,514

$2.49 COP 7,898

-39.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ₲7,922

$1.68 COP 5,338

-17.26%

Eggs

$2.48 ₲14.1K

$3.13 COP 9,927

-20.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 ₲55.4K

$6.94 COP 22.0K

40.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 ₲29.5K

$11.05 COP 35.0K

-53.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₲57.2K

$10.39 COP 32.9K

-3.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₲17.0K

$3.49 COP 11.1K

-14.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ₲7,493

$1.64 COP 5,209

-19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 ₲6,742

$1.83 COP 5,805

-34.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₲14.1K

$1.59 COP 5,031

55.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ₲7,984

$1.33 COP 4,232

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ₲7,562

$1.49 COP 4,714

-10.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₲5,243

$1.13 COP 3,572

-18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₲4,372

$1.00 COP 3,183

-23.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ₲13.8K

$3.81 COP 12.1K

-36.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 ₲51.6K

$11.86 COP 37.6K

-23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₲8,064

$1.41 COP 4,485

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₲10.2K

$2.62 COP 8,304

-31.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₲3,315

$1.05 COP 3,332

-44.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₲8,735

$1.71 COP 5,413

-9.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₲9,204

$2.27 COP 7,194

-28.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.44 ₲59.4K

$9.26 COP 29.4K

12.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,320

$1.29 COP 4,091

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

$17.5K ₲99.5M

$25.7K COP 81.4M

-31.84%

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

$35.0K ₲199.2M

$35.5K COP 112.5M

-1.29%

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

$51.5 ₲293.0K

$136 COP 431.3K

-62.12%

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

$17.68 ₲100.5K

$11.34 COP 35.9K

55.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 ₲127.1K

$26.78 COP 84.9K

-16.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 ₲208.1K

$34.41 COP 109.1K

6.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₲50.6K

$5.91 COP 18.8K

50.42%

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

$190 ₲1.1M

$539 COP 1.7M

-64.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,930 ₲33.7M

$7,384 COP 23.4M

-19.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 ₲368.0K

$78.9 COP 250.1K

-17.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 ₲329.4K

$59.9 COP 189.8K

-3.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₲610.0K

$131 COP 414.9K

-18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ₲416.8K

$115 COP 363.3K

-36.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₲3.7M

$554 COP 1.8M

16.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₲2.2M

$513 COP 1.6M

-24.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ₲6.0M

$903 COP 2.9M

17.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₲3.7M

$874 COP 2.8M

-25.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 ₲9.8M

$2,101 COP 6.7M

-18.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₲6.9M

$1,896 COP 6.0M

-36.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$747 ₲4.2M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

11.58

-9.33%

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Popayan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$385 35.9%

Popayan

$513 38.3% 33.1% $127

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$217 20.2%

Popayan

$270 20.2% 24.2% $53

Eating Out

Asuncion

$140 13%

Popayan

$146 10.9% 4.4% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$136 12.7%

Popayan

$173 12.9% 26.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$92 8.5%

Popayan

$174 13% 90.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$54 5.1%

Popayan

$46 3.5% 15% $8.1

Getting Around

Asuncion

$50 4.6%

Popayan

$17 * 1.3% 65.4% $33

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 $554 in Popayan. 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 $44.00 in Asuncion versus $45.00 in Popayan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $270 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇨🇴 Popayan

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

18:26 6:26 PM

2 h behind Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

318,059

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Asuncion Popayan 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Asuncion
Popayan

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 Popayan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Popayan is pricier by about 25%, 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 $2,009 in Popayan. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,075 in Asuncion and $1,340 in Popayan. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $190 per month in Asuncion and $539 in Popayan. 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 Popayan at $1,340. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Popayan 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.

If budget matters most, go with Asuncion. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Popayan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.