Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Encarnacion and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Encarnacion: $838 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Lima despite lower rent and utilities.

40

Cost of Living Index in Encarnacion
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Encarnacion Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Encarnacion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$838

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Encarnacion and in Lima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $838 in Encarnacion versus $996 in Lima.

Encarnacion $838
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,272 in Encarnacion versus $1,594 in Lima.

Encarnacion $1,272
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,706 in Encarnacion versus $2,191 in Lima.

Encarnacion $1,706
Lima $2,191

Living in Encarnacion costs roughly 16% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Encarnacion 37% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.27 ₲24.2K

$4.42 PEN 15.16

-3.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.51 ₲195.9K

$35.04 PEN 120

-1.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₲37.7K

$6.84 PEN 23.44

-3.07%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ₲14.1K

$3.27 PEN 11.22

-23.85%

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

$1.48 ₲8,399

$1.10 PEN 3.78

34.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₲2,914

$0.65 PEN 2.22

-21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₲5,446

$2.58 PEN 8.85

-62.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₲11.5K

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-54.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ₲6,064

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-32.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 ₲4,768

$2.58 PEN 8.86

-67.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ₲10.2K

$1.36 PEN 4.65

31.62%

Eggs

$1.58 ₲8,972

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-46.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.38 ₲30.5K

$9.10 PEN 31.19

-40.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.25 ₲18.4K

$5.81 PEN 19.91

-44.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.53 ₲31.4K

$9.83 PEN 33.68

-43.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ₲11.6K

$2.01 PEN 6.89

1.49%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 ₲4,426

$1.08 PEN 3.69

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ₲5,351

$1.37 PEN 4.70

-31.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₲9,386

$1.48 PEN 5.06

11.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ₲5,104

$0.96 PEN 3.30

-6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ₲4,977

$0.85 PEN 2.92

3.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ₲3,163

$0.88 PEN 3.02

-36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₲2,860

$0.87 PEN 2.97

-42.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 ₲8,644

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-74.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.39 ₲30.6K

$8.81 PEN 30.21

-38.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₲4,629

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-57.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ₲8,345

$3.20 PEN 10.98

-54.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₲2,658

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-30.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.08 ₲199.1K

$26.74 PEN 91.7

31.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₲7,575

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-65.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 ₲4,004

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-65.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 ₲38.2K

$7.14 PEN 24.49

-5.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ₲6,864

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-26.67%

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

$13.8K ₲78.2M

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

-37.91%

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

$26.3K ₲149.5M

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

2.63%

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

$44.25 ₲251.2K

$73.0 PEN 250

-39.42%

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

$13.05 ₲74.0K

$16.26 PEN 55.7

-19.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.56 ₲105.3K

$27.60 PEN 94.6

-32.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.43 ₲172.7K

$33.07 PEN 113

-7.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.15 ₲74.7K

$19.49 PEN 66.8

-32.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 ₲33.6K

$7.39 PEN 25.33

-19.89%

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

$195 ₲1.1M

$182 PEN 624

7.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,335 ₲18.9M

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-74.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 ₲324.8K

$52.6 PEN 180

8.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.13 ₲159.6K

$34.23 PEN 117

-17.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 ₲383.9K

$83.8 PEN 287

-19.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 ₲391.9K

$79.0 PEN 271

-12.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₲2.9M

$723 PEN 2,479

-30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 ₲1.8M

$340 PEN 1,166

-4.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ₲3.7M

$1,184 PEN 4,060

-44.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ₲3.0M

$635 PEN 2,176

-17.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,548 ₲8.8M

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-36.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 ₲8.0M

$1,372 PEN 4,702

2.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$361 ₲2.0M

$653 PEN 2,237

-44.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

8.94

6.26%

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

Last update for Encarnacion: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Encarnacion

$324 39.4%

Lima

$340 33.6% 4.9% $16

Groceries & Markets

Encarnacion

$139 16.9%

Lima

$226 22.4% 62.9% $87

Eating Out

Encarnacion

$101 12.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 23.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Encarnacion

$100 12.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 12.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Encarnacion

$76 9.2%

Lima

$117 11.6% 54.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Encarnacion

$42 5.1%

Lima

$48 4.7% 13.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Encarnacion

$42 5.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Encarnacion and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 81% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Encarnacion vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $139 vs $226 per month, with Encarnacion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Encarnacion

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

00:15 12:15 AM

2 h behind Encarnacion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,600

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,676 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,366 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Encarnacion Lima 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Encarnacion
Lima

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

Encarnacion vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Encarnacion and Lima differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($838 vs $996 including rent). Encarnacion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Lima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Encarnacion versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $838 per month in Encarnacion versus $996 in Lima – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Encarnacion runs roughly 31% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $838 in Encarnacion versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Encarnacion but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Encarnacion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Encarnacion and Lima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Encarnacion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.