Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,075 a month against $1,292 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cartagena outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena 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 Cartagena and in Asuncion actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,075 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Asuncion $1,075

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $1,684 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Asuncion $1,684

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $2,292 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Asuncion $2,292

Cartagena costs about 20% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cartagena and Asuncion are more affordable than the global median – Cartagena 4% lower, Asuncion 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$7.15 ₲40.6K

-17.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$43.57 ₲247.8K

228.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$7.10 ₲40.4K

46.06%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$3.51 ₲20.0K

21.37%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$1.05 ₲5,980

141.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$0.58 ₲3,289

306.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$1.89 ₲10.8K

72.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$1.74 ₲9,906

185.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.29 ₲7,321

48.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$1.50 ₲8,514

82.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$1.39 ₲7,922

4.32%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$2.48 ₲14.1K

104.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$9.74 ₲55.4K

34.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$5.19 ₲29.5K

234.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₲57.2K

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₲17.0K

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ₲7,493

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 ₲6,742

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₲14.1K

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ₲7,984

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ₲7,562

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₲5,243

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$0.77 ₲4,372

158.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ₲13.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$9.08 ₲51.6K

61.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$1.42 ₲8,064

-1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₲10.2K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$0.58 ₲3,315

115.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$37.92 ₲215.6K

54.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$1.54 ₲8,735

207.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.62 ₲9,204

127.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$10.44 ₲59.4K

-9.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.29 ₲7,320

3.88%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$17.5K ₲99.5M

33.49%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$35.0K ₲199.2M

-1.71%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$51.5 ₲293.0K

52.18%

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

$17.68 ₲100.5K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 ₲127.1K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$36.60 ₲208.1K

150.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$8.89 ₲50.6K

-9.79%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$190 ₲1.1M

232.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$5,930 ₲33.7M

-1.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 ₲368.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 ₲329.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₲610.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ₲416.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$645 ₲3.7M

60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$385 ₲2.2M

51.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$1,061 ₲6.0M

115.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$654 ₲3.7M

44.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 ₲9.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$1,205 ₲6.9M

-23.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$747 ₲4.2M

-37.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

42.86%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Asuncion

$385 35.9% 34.1% $200

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Asuncion

$217 20.2% 16.1% $42

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Asuncion

$140 13% 19.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Asuncion

$54 5.1% 49.5% $53

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Asuncion

$50 4.6% 42.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Asuncion

$92 8.5% 16.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Asuncion

$136 12.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,035 in Cartagena versus $645 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 60% 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 $143 in Cartagena versus $44.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $217 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

13:38 1:38 PM

2 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Asuncion 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

Cartagena vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cartagena is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,938 per month in Cartagena and $1,613 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 54% less in Asuncion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Cartagena and $190 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 $1,075, than in Cartagena at $1,292. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena 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, Cartagena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.