Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Santa Cruz, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,062 a month against $1,285 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,062

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Santa Cruz

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

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Asuncion vs $1,285 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Asuncion $1,062
Santa Cruz $1,285

A couple spends around $1,655 per month in Asuncion vs $1,988 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Asuncion $1,655
Santa Cruz $1,988

A family of three spends $2,249 per month in Asuncion vs $2,690 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Asuncion $2,249
Santa Cruz $2,690

Asuncion is about 17% cheaper than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Asuncion and Santa Cruz are more affordable than the global median – Asuncion 22% lower, Santa Cruz 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.76 ₲39.2K

$7.37 JMD 1,163

-8.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.17 ₲250.5K

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

-32.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ₲40.7K

$6.45 JMD 1,016

8.68%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ₲20.1K

$5.34 JMD 842

-35.02%

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

$1.09 ₲6,309

$1.16 JMD 182

-6.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₲3,202

$0.75 JMD 119

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₲11.7K

$2.26 JMD 357

-10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₲10.0K

$3.08 JMD 485

-43.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 ₲7,351

$4.04 JMD 638

-68.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ₲8,483

$2.58 JMD 406

-43.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ₲8,042

$1.57 JMD 248

-11.46%

Eggs

$2.36 ₲13.7K

$3.47 JMD 548

-31.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.88 ₲57.3K

$11.33 JMD 1,787

-12.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 ₲30.3K

$6.40 JMD 1,010

-18.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ₲58.1K

$10.41 JMD 1,641

-3.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₲17.5K

$5.97 JMD 941

-49.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ₲7,279

$3.83 JMD 604

-67.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₲7,105

$7.43 JMD 1,171

-83.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 ₲14.4K

$3.01 JMD 474

-17.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ₲8,097

$3.32 JMD 523

-57.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 ₲7,859

$2.64 JMD 416

-48.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ₲5,292

$3.01 JMD 475

-69.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₲4,103

$1.45 JMD 229

-51.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₲13.8K

$9.47 JMD 1,494

-74.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 ₲52.7K

$11.53 JMD 1,818

-21.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₲7,697

$2.89 JMD 456

-53.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₲10.0K

$4.01 JMD 632

-56.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ₲3,511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.24 ₲210.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ₲8,790

$1.27 JMD 201

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 ₲8,817

$3.12 JMD 492

-51.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.37 ₲60.2K

$6.12 JMD 966

69.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₲7,103

$1.39 JMD 220

-12.23%

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

$17.0K ₲98.9M

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-62.00%

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

$29.5K ₲171.4M

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

-9.27%

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

$51.4 ₲298.4K

$166 JMD 26.2K

-69.05%

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

$17.47 ₲101.4K

$29.57 JMD 4,664

-40.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.66 ₲131.5K

$51.8 JMD 8,165

-56.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.59 ₲212.3K

$38.40 JMD 6,055

-4.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 ₲87.5K

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ₲48.9K

$13.44 JMD 2,119

-37.35%

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

$183 ₲1.1M

$359 JMD 56.6K

-48.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,692 ₲33.0M

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

-29.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 ₲370.1K

$23.66 JMD 3,731

169.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₲328.8K

$31.85 JMD 5,022

77.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₲628.5K

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

38.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 ₲406.4K

$101 JMD 15.9K

-30.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ₲3.7M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 ₲2.2M

$311 JMD 49.0K

22.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 ₲6.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 ₲3.7M

$499 JMD 78.8K

27.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,750 ₲10.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,233 ₲7.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 ₲4.2M

$408 JMD 64.3K

78.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

9.45

11.11%

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

Last update for Asuncion: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$382 36%

Santa Cruz

$311 24.2% 18.7% $71

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$215 20.3%

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9% 72.5% $156

Eating Out

Asuncion

$137 12.9%

Santa Cruz

$168 13% 22.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$134 12.7%

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2% 21.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$92 8.6%

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3% 170% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$53 5%

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1% 22.1% $12

Getting Around

Asuncion

$48 4.5%

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3% 64.6% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 78% 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 $64 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $371 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

2 h behind Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

8,217

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Asuncion Santa Cruz 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Asuncion
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz is pricier by about 21%, 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 $1,928 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,062 in Asuncion and $1,285 in Santa Cruz. That makes Asuncion about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $183 per month in Asuncion and $359 in Santa Cruz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,062 in Asuncion and $1,285 in Santa Cruz, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Asuncion has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,062 in Asuncion to $1,285 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.