Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,075 in Asuncion, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
Learn more

Asuncion Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $565 per month in La Merced vs $1,075 in Asuncion, rent included.

La Merced $565
Asuncion $1,075

A couple spends around $917 per month in La Merced vs $1,684 in Asuncion, rent included.

La Merced $917
Asuncion $1,684

A family of three spends $1,269 per month in La Merced vs $2,292 in Asuncion, rent included.

La Merced $1,269
Asuncion $2,292

La Merced is about 47% cheaper than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both La Merced and Asuncion are more affordable than the global median – La Merced 58% lower, Asuncion 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.04

$7.15 ₲40.6K

-38.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 119

$43.57 ₲247.8K

-20.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.26

$7.10 ₲40.4K

-4.65%

Cappuccino

$3.16 PEN 10.84

$3.51 ₲20.0K

-9.97%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.67

$1.05 ₲5,980

1.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PEN 2.20

$0.58 ₲3,289

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PEN 8.93

$1.89 ₲10.8K

37.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.87

$1.74 ₲9,906

148.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$1.29 ₲7,321

26.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 PEN 6.79

$1.50 ₲8,514

32.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$1.39 ₲7,922

-7.91%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.04

$2.48 ₲14.1K

-5.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

$9.74 ₲55.4K

-27.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 PEN 20.21

$5.19 ₲29.5K

13.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 PEN 29.69

$10.07 ₲57.2K

-14.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 PEN 3.45

$2.99 ₲17.0K

-66.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$1.32 ₲7,493

-65.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$1.19 ₲6,742

-76.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$2.47 ₲14.1K

-69.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

$1.40 ₲7,984

-78.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 PEN 1.45

$1.33 ₲7,562

-68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 PEN 2.08

$0.92 ₲5,243

-33.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$0.77 ₲4,372

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.61 PEN 19.25

$2.43 ₲13.8K

130.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 PEN 25.26

$9.08 ₲51.6K

-18.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.43

$1.42 ₲8,064

31.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 PEN 11.10

$1.79 ₲10.2K

80.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₲3,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 PEN 13.12

$1.54 ₲8,735

148.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 PEN 7.14

$1.62 ₲9,204

28.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 PEN 25.41

$10.44 ₲59.4K

-29.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 PEN 5.97

$1.29 ₲7,320

34.88%

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

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

$17.5K ₲99.5M

26.37%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

$35.0K ₲199.2M

-27.26%

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

$72.8 PEN 250

$51.5 ₲293.0K

41.35%

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

$16.49 PEN 56.6

$17.68 ₲100.5K

-6.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.80 PEN 95.5

$22.35 ₲127.1K

24.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 ₲208.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.34 PEN 25.22

$8.89 ₲50.6K

-17.44%

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

$181 PEN 622

$190 ₲1.1M

-4.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

$5,930 ₲33.7M

122.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$64.7 ₲368.0K

-18.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 PEN 121

$57.9 ₲329.4K

-39.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 PEN 282

$107 ₲610.0K

-23.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 272

$73.3 ₲416.8K

7.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₲3.7M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₲2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ₲6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₲3.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 ₲9.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₲6.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$747 ₲4.2M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.5

-14.86%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$186 32.8%

Asuncion

$217 20.2% 17.1% $32

Eating Out

La Merced

$122 21.5%

Asuncion

$140 13% 15.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$117 20.7%

Asuncion

$92 8.5% 21.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$112 19.8%

Asuncion

$136 12.7% 21.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$15 * 2.6%

Asuncion

$54 5.1% 270% $40

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Asuncion

$50 4.6% 251% $36

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Asuncion

$385 35.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in La Merced versus $44.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $217 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

16:03 4:03 PM

2 h ahead of La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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 = 1.76 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 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 PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

La Merced Asuncion 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Asuncion is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $848 per month in La Merced and $1,613 in Asuncion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $565 in La Merced and $1,075 in Asuncion. That's a gap of about 90%.

Kindergarten costs $181 per month in La Merced and $190 in Asuncion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Asuncion at $1,075. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asuncion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Merced – 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 La Merced. 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.