Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,049 a month against $1,428 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cancun and in Asuncion

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cancun and in Asuncion actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Cancun vs $1,049 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cancun $1,428
Asuncion $1,049

A couple spends around $2,290 per month in Cancun vs $1,635 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cancun $2,290
Asuncion $1,635

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Cancun vs $2,221 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cancun $3,152
Asuncion $2,221

Cancun costs about 36% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cancun sits 7% above the global median, while Asuncion is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MX$203

$6.66 ₲38.1K

67.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MX$993

$43.46 ₲248.7K

25.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 MX$206

$6.63 ₲37.9K

70.44%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$70.3

$3.44 ₲19.7K

12.21%

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

$1.38 MX$25.03

$1.07 ₲6,096

28.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.62

$0.58 ₲3,325

37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.0

$1.85 ₲10.6K

66.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.1

$1.70 ₲9,721

155.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$29.66

$1.25 ₲7,144

30.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$49.35

$1.49 ₲8,516

81.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$29.99

$1.35 ₲7,707

22.22%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$49.55

$2.32 ₲13.3K

17.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$181

$9.85 ₲56.4K

0.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 MX$160

$5.20 ₲29.8K

69.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 MX$252

$9.91 ₲56.7K

40.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$51.5

$2.99 ₲17.1K

-5.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.38

$1.23 ₲7,017

35.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MX$58.2

$1.21 ₲6,921

164.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.37

$2.45 ₲14.0K

-11.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$36.93

$1.30 ₲7,464

56.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.63

$1.34 ₲7,644

41.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.92

$0.84 ₲4,784

36.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.26

$0.69 ₲3,957

76.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.0

$2.24 ₲12.8K

101.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$182

$9.02 ₲51.6K

11.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.34

$1.33 ₲7,597

17.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MX$49.67

$1.68 ₲9,593

62.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.71

$0.57 ₲3,238

12.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.64 MX$521

$38.02 ₲217.5K

-24.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MX$81.8

$1.45 ₲8,289

210.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$54.2

$1.57 ₲9,008

89.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.62 MX$248

$10.04 ₲57.4K

35.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.58

$1.21 ₲6,897

25.62%

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

$21.0K MX$382.2K

$16.9K ₲96.9M

24.12%

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

$24.5K MX$445.5K

$35.3K ₲202.2M

-30.68%

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

$172 MX$3,137

$50.1 ₲286.6K

244.35%

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

$23.50 MX$427

$16.94 ₲96.9K

38.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.97 MX$691

$21.75 ₲124.5K

74.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$611

$36.50 ₲208.9K

-8.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 MX$246

$14.89 ₲85.2K

-9.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 MX$133

$8.59 ₲49.2K

-14.67%

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

$205 MX$3,725

$184 ₲1.1M

11.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,468 MX$99.5K

$5,873 ₲33.6M

-6.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$998

$62.4 ₲357.2K

-12.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MX$996

$55.4 ₲316.8K

-1.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 MX$1,399

$104 ₲597.0K

-26.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 MX$1,716

$69.2 ₲395.8K

36.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MX$12.2K

$620 ₲3.6M

8.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MX$8,440

$373 ₲2.1M

24.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.0K

$1,050 ₲6.0M

30.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$19.6K

$624 ₲3.6M

72.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 MX$23.3K

$1,716 ₲9.8M

-25.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 MX$36.1K

$1,242 ₲7.1M

59.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$819 MX$14.9K

$723 ₲4.1M

13.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.15

12.81%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$464 32.9%

Asuncion

$373 35.8% 19.6% $91

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.3%

Asuncion

$213 20.4% 25.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$234 16.6%

Asuncion

$89 8.5% 62% $145

Eating Out

Cancun

$202 14.3%

Asuncion

$134 12.8% 34% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$126 9%

Asuncion

$131 12.6% 3.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Cancun

$51 3.6%

Asuncion

$50 4.8% 2% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$48 3.4%

Asuncion

$54 5.2% 11.3% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Cancun versus $620 in Asuncion. 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 13% higher in Cancun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Cancun versus $43.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $213 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

2 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.75 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,722 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.75 USD). 1 EUR = 6,418 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cancun Asuncion 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
Asuncion

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

Cancun vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cancun is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,141 per month in Cancun and $1,574 in Asuncion. 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.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Asuncion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Cancun and $184 in Asuncion. 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 $1,049, than in Cancun at $1,428. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun 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, Cancun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.