Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Jamaica and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,062 a month against $1,285 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,062 in Asuncion, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,285
Asuncion $1,062

A couple spends around $1,988 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,655 in Asuncion, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,988
Asuncion $1,655

A family of three spends $2,690 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,249 in Asuncion, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,690
Asuncion $2,249

Santa Cruz costs about 21% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Cruz and Asuncion are more affordable than the global median – Santa Cruz 6% lower, Asuncion 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.37 JMD 1,163

$6.76 ₲39.2K

9.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

$43.17 ₲250.5K

47.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 JMD 1,016

$7.01 ₲40.7K

-7.99%

Cappuccino

$5.34 JMD 842

$3.47 ₲20.1K

53.89%

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

$1.16 JMD 182

$1.09 ₲6,309

6.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 119

$0.55 ₲3,202

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.02 ₲11.7K

11.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 485

$1.73 ₲10.0K

78.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.04 JMD 638

$1.27 ₲7,351

218.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 JMD 406

$1.46 ₲8,483

76.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 JMD 248

$1.39 ₲8,042

12.95%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$2.36 ₲13.7K

47.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,787

$9.88 ₲57.3K

14.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.40 JMD 1,010

$5.23 ₲30.3K

22.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 JMD 1,641

$10.02 ₲58.1K

3.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.97 JMD 941

$3.01 ₲17.5K

98.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.83 JMD 604

$1.25 ₲7,279

206.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.43 JMD 1,171

$1.22 ₲7,105

509.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 474

$2.49 ₲14.4K

20.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 JMD 523

$1.40 ₲8,097

137.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 JMD 416

$1.35 ₲7,859

95.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$0.91 ₲5,292

230.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$0.71 ₲4,103

104.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 JMD 1,494

$2.37 ₲13.8K

299.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 JMD 1,818

$9.08 ₲52.7K

26.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 JMD 456

$1.33 ₲7,697

117.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 JMD 632

$1.73 ₲10.0K

131.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ₲3,511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.24 ₲210.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 JMD 201

$1.51 ₲8,790

-15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.12 JMD 492

$1.52 ₲8,817

105.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 JMD 966

$10.37 ₲60.2K

-40.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 220

$1.22 ₲7,103

13.93%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$17.0K ₲98.9M

163.16%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

$29.5K ₲171.4M

10.21%

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

$166 JMD 26.2K

$51.4 ₲298.4K

223.06%

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

$29.57 JMD 4,664

$17.47 ₲101.4K

69.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,165

$22.66 ₲131.5K

128.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.40 JMD 6,055

$36.59 ₲212.3K

4.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 ₲87.5K

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 JMD 2,119

$8.42 ₲48.9K

59.62%

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

$359 JMD 56.6K

$183 ₲1.1M

95.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

$5,692 ₲33.0M

42.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.66 JMD 3,731

$63.8 ₲370.1K

-62.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.85 JMD 5,022

$56.7 ₲328.8K

-43.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

$108 ₲628.5K

-27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 15.9K

$70.0 ₲406.4K

43.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ₲3.7M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 JMD 49.0K

$382 ₲2.2M

-18.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 ₲6.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 JMD 78.8K

$635 ₲3.7M

-21.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,750 ₲10.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,233 ₲7.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 JMD 64.3K

$726 ₲4.2M

-43.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

10.5

-10.00%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9%

Asuncion

$215 20.3% 42% $156

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$311 24.2%

Asuncion

$382 36% 23% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3%

Asuncion

$92 8.6% 63% $156

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$168 13%

Asuncion

$137 12.9% 18.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2%

Asuncion

$134 12.7% 27.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1%

Asuncion

$53 5% 18.1% $12

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3%

Asuncion

$48 4.5% 183% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 78% higher in Asuncion, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Santa Cruz versus $43 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $215 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

2 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,217

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5,803 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD). 1 EUR = 6,460 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Asuncion 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,928 per month in Santa Cruz and $1,592 in Asuncion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,285 in Santa Cruz and $1,062 in Asuncion. That makes Asuncion about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $359 per month in Santa Cruz and $183 in Asuncion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,285 in Santa Cruz and $1,062 in Asuncion, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Asuncion has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,062 in Asuncion to $1,285 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.