Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,075 a month against $1,340 in Popayan, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,340

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Popayan vs $1,075 in Asuncion, rent included.

Popayan $1,340
Asuncion $1,075

A couple spends around $2,023 per month in Popayan vs $1,684 in Asuncion, rent included.

Popayan $2,023
Asuncion $1,684

A family of three spends $2,706 per month in Popayan vs $2,292 in Asuncion, rent included.

Popayan $2,706
Asuncion $2,292

Popayan costs about 25% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Popayan and Asuncion are more affordable than the global median – Popayan 1% lower, Asuncion 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 COP 20.8K

$7.15 ₲40.6K

-8.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.13 COP 143.1K

$43.57 ₲247.8K

3.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 COP 27.6K

$7.10 ₲40.4K

22.68%

Cappuccino

$2.80 COP 8,877

$3.51 ₲20.0K

-20.23%

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

$1.20 COP 3,793

$1.05 ₲5,980

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$0.58 ₲3,289

75.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 COP 10.9K

$1.89 ₲10.8K

82.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 COP 12.8K

$1.74 ₲9,906

131.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,224

$1.29 ₲7,321

27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 COP 7,898

$1.50 ₲8,514

66.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,338

$1.39 ₲7,922

20.86%

Eggs

$3.13 COP 9,927

$2.48 ₲14.1K

26.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 COP 22.0K

$9.74 ₲55.4K

-28.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 COP 35.0K

$5.19 ₲29.5K

112.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 COP 32.9K

$10.07 ₲57.2K

3.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 COP 11.1K

$2.99 ₲17.0K

16.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,209

$1.32 ₲7,493

24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,805

$1.19 ₲6,742

53.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,031

$2.47 ₲14.1K

-35.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 COP 4,232

$1.40 ₲7,984

-5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,714

$1.33 ₲7,562

12.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,572

$0.92 ₲5,243

22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 COP 3,183

$0.77 ₲4,372

29.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 COP 12.1K

$2.43 ₲13.8K

56.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 COP 37.6K

$9.08 ₲51.6K

30.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,485

$1.42 ₲8,064

-0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 COP 8,304

$1.79 ₲10.2K

46.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 COP 3,332

$0.58 ₲3,315

81.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 COP 5,413

$1.54 ₲8,735

11.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.62 ₲9,204

40.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$10.44 ₲59.4K

-11.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,091

$1.29 ₲7,320

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

$25.7K COP 81.4M

$17.5K ₲99.5M

46.71%

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

$35.5K COP 112.5M

$35.0K ₲199.2M

1.31%

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

$136 COP 431.3K

$51.5 ₲293.0K

164.00%

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

$11.34 COP 35.9K

$17.68 ₲100.5K

-35.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 COP 84.9K

$22.35 ₲127.1K

19.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.41 COP 109.1K

$36.60 ₲208.1K

-5.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$5.91 COP 18.8K

$8.89 ₲50.6K

-33.52%

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

$539 COP 1.7M

$190 ₲1.1M

184.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,384 COP 23.4M

$5,930 ₲33.7M

24.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 COP 250.1K

$64.7 ₲368.0K

21.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 COP 189.8K

$57.9 ₲329.4K

3.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 COP 414.9K

$107 ₲610.0K

21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 COP 363.3K

$73.3 ₲416.8K

56.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 COP 1.8M

$645 ₲3.7M

-14.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 COP 1.6M

$385 ₲2.2M

33.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 COP 2.9M

$1,061 ₲6.0M

-14.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 COP 2.8M

$654 ₲3.7M

33.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,101 COP 6.7M

$1,715 ₲9.8M

22.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,896 COP 6.0M

$1,205 ₲6.9M

57.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$747 ₲4.2M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

10.5

10.29%

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

Last update for Popayan: 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

Popayan

$513 38.3%

Asuncion

$385 35.9% 24.9% $127

Groceries & Markets

Popayan

$270 20.2%

Asuncion

$217 20.2% 19.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Popayan

$174 13%

Asuncion

$92 8.5% 47.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Popayan

$173 12.9%

Asuncion

$136 12.7% 21.1% $36

Eating Out

Popayan

$146 10.9%

Asuncion

$140 13% 4.2% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Popayan

$46 3.5%

Asuncion

$54 5.1% 17.6% $8.1

Getting Around

Popayan

$17 * 1.3%

Asuncion

$50 4.6% 189% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $554 in Popayan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Popayan versus $44.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $217 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Popayan

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

00:57 12:57 AM

2 h ahead of Popayan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,059

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Popayan Asuncion 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Popayan
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

Popayan vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Popayan is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,009 per month in Popayan 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 $1,340 in Popayan and $1,075 in Asuncion. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $539 per month in Popayan 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 Popayan at $1,340. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Popayan 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.

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