Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esmeraldas and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $789 a month against $1,075 in Asuncion, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
Learn more

Asuncion Living Index

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Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$789

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $789 per month in Esmeraldas vs $1,075 in Asuncion, rent included.

Esmeraldas $789
Asuncion $1,075

A couple spends around $1,359 per month in Esmeraldas vs $1,684 in Asuncion, rent included.

Esmeraldas $1,359
Asuncion $1,684

A family of three spends $1,929 per month in Esmeraldas vs $2,292 in Asuncion, rent included.

Esmeraldas $1,929
Asuncion $2,292

Esmeraldas is about 27% cheaper than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Esmeraldas and Asuncion are more affordable than the global median – Esmeraldas 42% lower, Asuncion 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 $3.05

$7.15 ₲40.6K

-57.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 $53.6

$43.57 ₲247.8K

23.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 $3.96

$7.10 ₲40.4K

-44.23%

Cappuccino

$3.30 $3.30

$3.51 ₲20.0K

-5.98%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$1.05 ₲5,980

-50.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.58 ₲3,289

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.89 ₲10.8K

86.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$1.74 ₲9,906

237.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.29 ₲7,321

-20.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.50 ₲8,514

3.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.39 ₲7,922

8.63%

Eggs

$2.18 $2.18

$2.48 ₲14.1K

-12.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$9.74 ₲55.4K

-34.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$5.19 ₲29.5K

10.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$10.07 ₲57.2K

-21.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.99 ₲17.0K

-23.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.32 ₲7,493

-9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.19 ₲6,742

10.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.47 ₲14.1K

-56.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.40 ₲7,984

-10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.33 ₲7,562

-23.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.92 ₲5,243

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

$0.77 ₲4,372

37.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.43 ₲13.8K

140.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$9.08 ₲51.6K

8.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.42 ₲8,064

7.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.79 ₲10.2K

78.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 $0.35

$0.58 ₲3,315

-39.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.82 $15.82

$37.92 ₲215.6K

-58.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.54 ₲8,735

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.62 ₲9,204

-24.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.81 $9.81

$10.44 ₲59.4K

-6.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.29 ₲7,320

-32.56%

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

$21.1K $21.1K

$17.5K ₲99.5M

20.33%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$35.0K ₲199.2M

-19.65%

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

$28.51 $28.51

$51.5 ₲293.0K

-44.67%

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

$17.81 $17.81

$17.68 ₲100.5K

0.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.81 $28.81

$22.35 ₲127.1K

28.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.46 $30.46

$36.60 ₲208.1K

-16.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 $16.98

$15.33 ₲87.2K

10.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 $6.53

$8.89 ₲50.6K

-26.55%

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

$228 $228

$190 ₲1.1M

20.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,109 $9,109

$5,930 ₲33.7M

53.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$64.7 ₲368.0K

8.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.87 $49.87

$57.9 ₲329.4K

-13.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$107 ₲610.0K

8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$73.3 ₲416.8K

45.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 $297

$645 ₲3.7M

-53.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$385 ₲2.2M

-51.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$1,061 ₲6.0M

-41.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 $416

$654 ₲3.7M

-36.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,353 $1,353

$1,715 ₲9.8M

-21.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$706 $706

$1,205 ₲6.9M

-41.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 $451

$747 ₲4.2M

-39.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.5

-3.62%

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

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Esmeraldas

$196 24.8%

Asuncion

$217 20.2% 11.1% $22

Accommodation & Living

Esmeraldas

$186 23.5%

Asuncion

$385 35.9% 108% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Esmeraldas

$154 19.6%

Asuncion

$136 12.7% 11.7% $18

Eating Out

Esmeraldas

$109 13.9%

Asuncion

$140 13% 28.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esmeraldas

$75 9.5%

Asuncion

$92 8.5% 21.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Esmeraldas

$44 5.5%

Asuncion

$54 5.1% 24.9% $11

Getting Around

Esmeraldas

$25 3.2%

Asuncion

$50 4.6% 101% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Esmeraldas 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 66% 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 $54.0 in Esmeraldas versus $44.00 in Asuncion. Groceries tell a different story – $196 in Esmeraldas vs $217 in Asuncion – so Esmeraldas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

22:38 10:38 PM

2 h ahead of Esmeraldas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,216

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

PYG to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Esmeraldas Asuncion 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Esmeraldas
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

Esmeraldas vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,183 per month in Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 140% less in Esmeraldas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $228 per month in Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Asuncion at $1,075. In Esmeraldas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asuncion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Esmeraldas – 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 Esmeraldas. 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.