Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rita and Encarnacion

For one person, living is cheaper in Encarnacion: $820 a month against $978 in Santa Rita, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Encarnacion
Learn more

Encarnacion Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Rita

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$978

/mo nomad

Encarnacion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Rita and in Encarnacion

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Rita and in Encarnacion actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $978 in Santa Rita versus $820 in Encarnacion.

Santa Rita $978
Encarnacion $820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,468 in Santa Rita versus $1,264 in Encarnacion.

Santa Rita $1,468
Encarnacion $1,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Santa Rita versus $1,707 in Encarnacion.

Santa Rita $1,958
Encarnacion $1,707

Living in Santa Rita is roughly 19% more expensive than in Encarnacion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Rita 28% lower, Encarnacion 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 ₲20.3K

$4.36 ₲24.8K

-18.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.71 ₲203.1K

$34.92 ₲198.6K

2.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 ₲38.8K

Cappuccino

$3.61 ₲20.5K

$2.52 ₲14.3K

43.25%

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

$0.86 ₲4,909

$1.49 ₲8,484

-42.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₲3,145

$0.49 ₲2,815

12.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ₲5,414

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ₲7,872

$2.02 ₲11.5K

-31.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 ₲6,404

$1.10 ₲6,236

2.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ₲10.9K

$0.85 ₲4,820

124.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 ₲7,102

$1.80 ₲10.2K

-30.56%

Eggs

$2.91 ₲16.5K

$1.60 ₲9,078

81.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 ₲46.0K

$5.13 ₲29.2K

57.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 ₲24.4K

$3.27 ₲18.6K

31.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 ₲65.8K

$5.71 ₲32.5K

102.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 ₲29.5K

$2.12 ₲12.0K

144.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 ₲4,722

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 ₲20.3K

$0.87 ₲4,923

311.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 ₲18.0K

$1.66 ₲9,447

90.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₲20.5K

$0.90 ₲5,111

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 ₲15.4K

$0.87 ₲4,962

211.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₲5,217

$0.60 ₲3,383

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₲7,786

$0.51 ₲2,883

168.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.47 ₲8,369

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 ₲29.2K

$5.47 ₲31.1K

-6.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ₲4,796

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₲16.3K

$1.51 ₲8,574

90.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ₲8,241

$0.46 ₲2,621

215.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.91 ₲244.0K

$35.28 ₲200.6K

21.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 ₲7,492

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.33 ₲24.6K

$0.71 ₲4,059

509.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ₲21.7K

$6.68 ₲38.0K

-42.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₲8,119

$1.24 ₲7,023

15.32%

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

$9,866 ₲56.1M

$14.1K ₲80.4M

-30.22%

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

$25.8K ₲146.9M

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

$108 ₲614.4K

$44.50 ₲253.0K

142.81%

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

$24.98 ₲142.0K

$13.38 ₲76.1K

86.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.66 ₲225.5K

$18.58 ₲105.6K

113.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 ₲246.8K

$30.14 ₲171.4K

44.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.74 ₲152.1K

$13.04 ₲74.1K

105.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.60 ₲48.9K

$6.01 ₲34.2K

43.09%

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

$77.6 ₲441.4K

$199 ₲1.1M

-61.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,289 ₲18.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 ₲299.0K

$56.4 ₲321.0K

-6.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$88.4 ₲502.4K

$27.75 ₲157.8K

218.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 ₲383.1K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ₲405.9K

$67.8 ₲385.6K

5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₲2.0M

$505 ₲2.9M

-30.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₲1.5M

$318 ₲1.8M

-17.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 ₲2.5M

$676 ₲3.8M

-34.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ₲2.0M

$517 ₲2.9M

-32.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,544 ₲8.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,389 ₲7.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$530 ₲3.0M

$375 ₲2.1M

41.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

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

Last update for Santa Rita: October 17, 2026

Last update for Encarnacion: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rita

–

Encarnacion

$318 38.8%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rita

–

Encarnacion

$140 17.1%

Eating Out

Santa Rita

–

Encarnacion

$102 12.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rita

–

Encarnacion

$99 12%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rita

–

Encarnacion

$76 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rita

–

Encarnacion

$42 5.1%

Getting Around

Santa Rita

–

Encarnacion

$42 5.1%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $350 in Santa Rita and $505 in Encarnacion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Rita pays 41% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36.00 in Santa Rita vs $35.00 in Encarnacion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $140 per month, with Encarnacion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Santa Rita

🇵🇾 Encarnacion

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

Same time as Santa Rita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

127,600

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Rita Encarnacion 190 km

From you

Santa Rita
Encarnacion

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 Rita vs Encarnacion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Rita and Encarnacion differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($978 vs $820 including rent). Encarnacion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Santa Rita, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $350 in Santa Rita versus $505 in Encarnacion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $978 per month in Santa Rita versus $820 in Encarnacion – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Encarnacion runs roughly 22% less than in Santa Rita. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Encarnacion gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Santa Rita and Encarnacion are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Encarnacion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Santa Rita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.