Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Encarnacion and Semarang

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $599 a month against $838 in Encarnacion, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Encarnacion
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Encarnacion Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index

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Encarnacion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$838

/mo nomad

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Encarnacion and in Semarang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $838 in Encarnacion versus $599 in Semarang.

Encarnacion $838
Semarang $599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Encarnacion versus $945 in Semarang.

Encarnacion $1,289
Semarang $945

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,740 in Encarnacion versus $1,292 in Semarang.

Encarnacion $1,740
Semarang $1,292

Living in Encarnacion is roughly 40% more expensive than in Semarang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Encarnacion 38% lower, Semarang 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ₲25.3K

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

220.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.45 ₲195.9K

$10.63 Rp 191.3K

224.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 ₲41.0K

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

134.53%

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₲14.9K

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

105.47%

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

$1.46 ₲8,293

$0.48 Rp 8,633

204.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₲3,040

$0.20 Rp 3,641

165.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ₲5,159

$1.62 Rp 29.2K

-43.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₲12.1K

$3.39 Rp 61.1K

-36.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 ₲6,248

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

2.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ₲4,970

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

-2.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₲10.2K

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

130.77%

Eggs

$1.63 ₲9,260

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

31.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.17 ₲29.4K

$3.99 Rp 71.9K

29.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ₲19.0K

$2.44 Rp 44.0K

36.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.49 ₲31.2K

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

-27.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₲12.2K

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

3.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 ₲4,673

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

-35.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 ₲5,053

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

-51.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₲9,402

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

10.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₲5,147

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

-33.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ₲5,360

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

-52.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ₲3,317

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

-35.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₲2,953

$0.42 Rp 7,529

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ₲8,739

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

-21.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 ₲30.5K

$24.63 Rp 443.3K

-78.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₲4,919

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

-48.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₲8,290

$2.00 Rp 36.1K

-27.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₲2,839

$0.21 Rp 3,778

138.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.27 ₲194.9K

$14.21 Rp 255.8K

141.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 ₲7,238

$0.47 Rp 8,539

170.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 ₲3,936

$0.27 Rp 4,808

155.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ₲37.6K

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

143.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ₲6,876

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

47.56%

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

$14.0K ₲79.4M

$25.2K Rp 453.9M

-44.63%

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

$26.5K ₲150.5M

$32.3K Rp 581.4M

-18.04%

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

$44.15 ₲251.0K

$85.9 Rp 1.5M

-48.61%

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

$13.74 ₲78.1K

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

420.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.98 ₲107.9K

$19.37 Rp 348.6K

-2.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.21 ₲177.5K

$20.70 Rp 372.6K

50.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 ₲75.0K

$4.68 Rp 84.2K

181.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 ₲35.0K

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

181.28%

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

$201 ₲1.1M

$51.1 Rp 920.3K

293.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,324 ₲18.9M

$2,063 Rp 37.1M

61.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 ₲330.0K

$35.51 Rp 639.1K

63.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.73 ₲157.7K

$29.67 Rp 534.1K

-6.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 ₲393.3K

$56.9 Rp 1.0M

21.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ₲399.0K

$38.38 Rp 690.8K

82.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ₲2.9M

$231 Rp 4.1M

120.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 ₲1.9M

$138 Rp 2.5M

139.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 ₲3.8M

$498 Rp 9.0M

34.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 ₲3.1M

$378 Rp 6.8M

42.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,579 ₲9.0M

$1,211 Rp 21.8M

30.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,431 ₲8.1M

$825 Rp 14.9M

73.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$376 ₲2.1M

$191 Rp 3.4M

97.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

8.82

7.71%

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

Last update for Encarnacion: October 13, 2026

Last update for Semarang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Encarnacion

$329 39.3%

Semarang

$138 23% 58.2% $192

Groceries & Markets

Encarnacion

$141 16.8%

Semarang

$186 31% 31.9% $45

Eating Out

Encarnacion

$106 12.6%

Semarang

$53 8.9% 49.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Encarnacion

$101 12.1%

Semarang

$72 12.1% 28.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Encarnacion

$77 9.2%

Semarang

$108 18% 40.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Encarnacion

$44 5.2%

Semarang

$25 4.2% 42.4% $18

Getting Around

Encarnacion

$41 4.9%

Semarang

$17 2.8% 58.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $509 in Encarnacion and $231 in Semarang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Encarnacion pays 97% 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: $34.00 in Encarnacion vs $11.00 in Semarang. Groceries flip the comparison at $141 vs $186, with Encarnacion cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Encarnacion

🇮🇩 Semarang

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

06:24 6:24 AM

10 h ahead of Encarnacion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,600

1,555,984

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Encarnacion Semarang 15,920 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Encarnacion
Semarang

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 Semarang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Encarnacion and Semarang differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($838 vs $599 including rent). Semarang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 97% higher in Encarnacion, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $509 in Encarnacion versus $231 in Semarang. 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 $599 in Semarang – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Semarang runs roughly 141% less than in Encarnacion. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Semarang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Semarang 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 Semarang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Encarnacion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.