Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Charles, LA and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,049 a month against $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Lake Charles, LA
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Lake Charles, LA Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Lake Charles, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,234

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,234 per month in Lake Charles, LA vs $1,049 in Asuncion, rent included.

Lake Charles, LA $2,234
Asuncion $1,049

A couple spends around $3,205 per month in Lake Charles, LA vs $1,635 in Asuncion, rent included.

Lake Charles, LA $3,205
Asuncion $1,635

A family of three spends $4,176 per month in Lake Charles, LA vs $2,221 in Asuncion, rent included.

Lake Charles, LA $4,176
Asuncion $2,221

Lake Charles, LA costs about 113% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lake Charles, LA sits 67% above the global median, while Asuncion is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.06 $26.06

$6.66 ₲37.8K

291.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 $69.6

$43.46 ₲246.7K

60.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 $11.03

$6.63 ₲37.6K

66.37%

Cappuccino

$5.33 $5.33

$3.44 ₲19.5K

54.94%

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

$2.01 $2.01

$1.07 ₲6,047

87.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.58 ₲3,299

120.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.85 ₲10.5K

178.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$1.70 ₲9,643

244.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.25 ₲7,087

11.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.49 ₲8,448

181.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.24 $6.24

$1.35 ₲7,645

362.22%

Eggs

$5.24 $5.24

$2.32 ₲13.2K

125.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.86 $15.86

$9.85 ₲55.9K

61.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 $10.33

$5.20 ₲29.5K

98.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 $15.79

$9.91 ₲56.3K

59.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.99 ₲17.0K

43.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.23 ₲6,961

8.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.21 ₲6,866

66.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.45 ₲13.9K

130.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.30 ₲7,405

236.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.34 ₲7,583

63.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$0.84 ₲4,746

167.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.69 ₲3,926

275.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.71 $8.71

$2.24 ₲12.7K

288.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.13 $17.13

$9.02 ₲51.2K

89.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.33 ₲7,537

93.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.68 ₲9,516

135.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₲3,213

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 ₲215.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.45 ₲8,222

145.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.57 ₲8,936

-3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.87 $34.87

$10.04 ₲57.0K

247.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.21 ₲6,842

-28.93%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$16.9K ₲96.1M

108.33%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$35.3K ₲200.5M

-28.40%

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

$260 $260

$50.1 ₲284.3K

418.71%

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

$69.2 $69.2

$16.94 ₲96.2K

308.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 $57.8

$21.75 ₲123.5K

165.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 $31.62

$36.50 ₲207.2K

-13.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.96 $13.96

$14.89 ₲84.5K

-6.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 $11.81

$8.59 ₲48.8K

37.49%

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

$1,590 $1,590

$184 ₲1.0M

763.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K $10.4K

$5,873 ₲33.3M

77.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.66 $24.66

$62.4 ₲354.4K

-60.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.34 $43.34

$55.4 ₲314.2K

-21.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 $60.3

$104 ₲592.2K

-42.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$69.2 ₲392.6K

71.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 $1,009

$620 ₲3.5M

62.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 $918

$373 ₲2.1M

146.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$1,050 ₲6.0M

44.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 $1,252

$624 ₲3.5M

100.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,358 $1,358

$1,716 ₲9.7M

-20.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,397 $1,397

$1,242 ₲7.0M

12.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,670 $3,670

$723 ₲4.1M

407.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

10.15

-34.38%

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

Last update for Lake Charles, LA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lake Charles, LA

$918 40.5%

Asuncion

$373 35.8% 59.4% $545

Groceries & Markets

Lake Charles, LA

$427 18.8%

Asuncion

$213 20.4% 50.1% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Charles, LA

$387 17.1%

Asuncion

$89 8.5% 77% $298

Eating Out

Lake Charles, LA

$356 15.7%

Asuncion

$134 12.8% 62.5% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Charles, LA

$111 4.9%

Asuncion

$131 12.6% 17.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Charles, LA

$55 2.4%

Asuncion

$54 5.2% 2.8% $1.6

Getting Around

Lake Charles, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Asuncion

$50 4.8% 347% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,009 in Lake Charles, LA 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 408% higher in Lake Charles, LA, 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 $70.0 in Lake Charles, LA versus $43.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $427 vs $213 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lake Charles, LA

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

06:43 6:43 AM

2 h ahead of Lake Charles, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,872

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.57 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 5,676 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,361 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR).

PYG to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lake Charles, LA Asuncion 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lake Charles, LA
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

Lake Charles, LA vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lake Charles, LA is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,351 per month in Lake Charles, LA 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 Asuncion, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA and $1,049 in Asuncion. That's a gap of about 113%.

Kindergarten costs $1,590 per month in Lake Charles, LA and $184 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 Asuncion, where all-in costs run around $1,049, than in Lake Charles, LA at $2,234. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lake Charles, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Asuncion – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Asuncion. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lake Charles, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.