Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manizales and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,075 a month against $1,275 in Manizales, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Manizales
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Manizales Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Manizales

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,275

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,275 per month in Manizales vs $1,075 in Asuncion, rent included.

Manizales $1,275
Asuncion $1,075

A couple spends around $1,924 per month in Manizales vs $1,684 in Asuncion, rent included.

Manizales $1,924
Asuncion $1,684

A family of three spends $2,573 per month in Manizales vs $2,292 in Asuncion, rent included.

Manizales $2,573
Asuncion $2,292

Manizales costs about 19% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manizales and Asuncion are more affordable than the global median – Manizales 6% lower, Asuncion 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 COP 19.7K

$7.15 ₲40.6K

-13.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.01 COP 133.2K

$43.57 ₲247.8K

-3.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 COP 32.5K

$7.10 ₲40.4K

44.23%

Cappuccino

$2.45 COP 7,753

$3.51 ₲20.0K

-30.20%

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

$1.37 COP 4,352

$1.05 ₲5,980

30.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 2,744

$0.58 ₲3,289

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 COP 5,000

$1.89 ₲10.8K

-16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 COP 8,003

$1.74 ₲9,906

44.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 COP 5,160

$1.29 ₲7,321

26.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 COP 7,658

$1.50 ₲8,514

61.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,411

$1.39 ₲7,922

23.02%

Eggs

$3.39 COP 10.8K

$2.48 ₲14.1K

36.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 COP 25.8K

$9.74 ₲55.4K

-16.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 COP 22.7K

$5.19 ₲29.5K

37.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 COP 31.4K

$10.07 ₲57.2K

-1.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 COP 10.9K

$2.99 ₲17.0K

15.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 COP 5,860

$1.32 ₲7,493

40.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,072

$1.19 ₲6,742

60.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 COP 5,462

$2.47 ₲14.1K

-30.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,470

$1.40 ₲7,984

0.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,507

$1.33 ₲7,562

6.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 COP 4,125

$0.92 ₲5,243

41.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 COP 3,619

$0.77 ₲4,372

48.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 COP 14.3K

$2.43 ₲13.8K

85.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.32 COP 39.1K

$9.08 ₲51.6K

35.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,467

$1.42 ₲8,064

-0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 COP 9,234

$1.79 ₲10.2K

62.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 COP 3,146

$0.58 ₲3,315

70.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 COP 4,856

$1.54 ₲8,735

-0.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 COP 4,908

$1.62 ₲9,204

-4.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.27 COP 29.4K

$10.44 ₲59.4K

-11.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,269

$1.29 ₲7,320

4.65%

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

$23.2K COP 73.7M

$17.5K ₲99.5M

32.71%

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

$34.9K COP 110.5M

$35.0K ₲199.2M

-0.54%

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

$121 COP 384.5K

$51.5 ₲293.0K

135.34%

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

$11.79 COP 37.4K

$17.68 ₲100.5K

-33.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 COP 94.2K

$22.35 ₲127.1K

32.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.38 COP 150.2K

$36.60 ₲208.1K

29.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.03 COP 25.5K

$8.89 ₲50.6K

-9.67%

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

$501 COP 1.6M

$190 ₲1.1M

164.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,403 COP 23.5M

$5,930 ₲33.7M

24.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.6K

$64.7 ₲368.0K

30.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.88 COP 151.8K

$57.9 ₲329.4K

-17.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 450.7K

$107 ₲610.0K

32.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 341.7K

$73.3 ₲416.8K

47.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 COP 1.5M

$645 ₲3.7M

-27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 COP 1.5M

$385 ₲2.2M

22.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 COP 2.6M

$1,061 ₲6.0M

-21.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 COP 2.5M

$654 ₲3.7M

22.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,064 COP 6.5M

$1,715 ₲9.8M

20.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,059 COP 6.5M

$1,205 ₲6.9M

70.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,197 COP 3.8M

$747 ₲4.2M

60.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

14.29%

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

Last update for Manizales: October 11, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manizales

$473 37.1%

Asuncion

$385 35.9% 18.5% $88

Groceries & Markets

Manizales

$259 20.3%

Asuncion

$217 20.2% 16% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Manizales

$172 13.5%

Asuncion

$136 12.7% 20.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manizales

$163 12.8%

Asuncion

$92 8.5% 43.7% $71

Eating Out

Manizales

$132 10.3%

Asuncion

$140 13% 6.4% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Manizales

$63 5%

Asuncion

$54 5.1% 14.3% $9

Getting Around

Manizales

$13 * 1%

Asuncion

$50 4.6% 277% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $467 in Manizales 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 60% higher in Manizales, 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 $42.00 in Manizales versus $44.00 in Asuncion. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Manizales vs $217 in Asuncion – so Asuncion wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Manizales

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

2 h ahead of Manizales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

458,442

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manizales Asuncion 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Manizales
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

Manizales vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manizales is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,912 per month in Manizales 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 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 $1,275 in Manizales and $1,075 in Asuncion. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $501 per month in Manizales 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 Asuncion, where all-in costs run around $1,075, than in Manizales at $1,275. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manizales 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, Manizales makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.