Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,049 in Asuncion, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
Learn more

Asuncion Living Index

Jump to prices

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $688 per month in Cusco vs $1,049 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cusco $688
Asuncion $1,049

A couple spends around $1,096 per month in Cusco vs $1,635 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cusco $1,096
Asuncion $1,635

A family of three spends $1,505 per month in Cusco vs $2,221 in Asuncion, rent included.

Cusco $1,505
Asuncion $2,221

Cusco is about 34% cheaper than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cusco and Asuncion are more affordable than the global median – Cusco 49% lower, Asuncion 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 PEN 6.85

$6.66 ₲38.1K

-70.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.55 PEN 70.7

$43.46 ₲248.7K

-52.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 PEN 23.04

$6.63 ₲37.9K

1.06%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.24

$3.44 ₲19.7K

-38.66%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$1.07 ₲6,096

-27.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.13

$0.58 ₲3,325

-43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.85 ₲10.6K

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.90

$1.70 ₲9,721

154.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 PEN 4.27

$1.25 ₲7,144

-0.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.97

$1.49 ₲8,516

55.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.35 ₲7,707

-4.44%

Eggs

$3.63 PEN 12.48

$2.32 ₲13.3K

56.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 PEN 16.14

$9.85 ₲56.4K

-52.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PEN 15.24

$5.20 ₲29.8K

-14.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 PEN 25.35

$9.91 ₲56.7K

-25.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 PEN 8.78

$2.99 ₲17.1K

-14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$1.23 ₲7,017

-37.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.04

$1.21 ₲6,921

21.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$2.45 ₲14.0K

-65.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$1.30 ₲7,464

-21.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.34 ₲7,644

-17.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$0.84 ₲4,784

-41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$0.69 ₲3,957

8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 ₲12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 PEN 20.41

$9.02 ₲51.6K

-34.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.38

$1.33 ₲7,597

39.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 PEN 14.16

$1.68 ₲9,593

145.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$0.57 ₲3,238

-47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 ₲217.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.45 ₲8,289

18.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 PEN 6.65

$1.57 ₲9,008

22.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$10.04 ₲57.4K

-71.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.42

$1.21 ₲6,897

29.75%

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

$16.9K ₲96.9M

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

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

$35.3K ₲202.2M

-18.09%

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

$29.31 PEN 101

$50.1 ₲286.6K

-41.47%

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

$14.31 PEN 49.22

$16.94 ₲96.9K

-15.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.13 PEN 152

$21.75 ₲124.5K

102.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 PEN 98.1

$36.50 ₲208.9K

-21.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.89 ₲85.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PEN 14.64

$8.59 ₲49.2K

-50.41%

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

$184 ₲1.1M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,873 ₲33.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.39 PEN 129

$62.4 ₲357.2K

-40.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 PEN 115

$55.4 ₲316.8K

-39.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 PEN 187

$104 ₲597.0K

-47.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 PEN 248

$69.2 ₲395.8K

4.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 748

$620 ₲3.6M

-64.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 PEN 657

$373 ₲2.1M

-48.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 PEN 1,849

$1,050 ₲6.0M

-48.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 PEN 1,431

$624 ₲3.6M

-33.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

$1,716 ₲9.8M

89.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,823 PEN 6,270

$1,242 ₲7.1M

46.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 PEN 1,490

$723 ₲4.1M

-40.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.15

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

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$191 27.8%

Asuncion

$373 35.8% 95.5% $182

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27.2%

Asuncion

$213 20.4% 14.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Asuncion

$131 12.6% 47.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.8%

Asuncion

$89 8.5% 1.2% $1

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12.1%

Asuncion

$134 12.8% 60.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$37 5.4%

Asuncion

$54 5.2% 45% $17

Getting Around

Cusco

$13 * 1.8%

Asuncion

$50 4.8% 294% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $218 in Cusco 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 67% higher in Asuncion, 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 $21.00 in Cusco versus $43.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $213 – making Cusco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

2 h ahead of Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.75 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 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 PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cusco Asuncion 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
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

Cusco vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Asuncion is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,032 per month in Cusco 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 Cusco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Asuncion, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Cusco and $43.00 in Asuncion. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cusco, where all-in costs run around $688, than in Asuncion at $1,049. In Cusco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asuncion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cusco – 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 Cusco. 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.