Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo, IA and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,075 a month against $1,795 in Waterloo, IA, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo, IA
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Waterloo, IA Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Waterloo, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,795

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,795 per month in Waterloo, IA vs $1,075 in Asuncion, rent included.

Waterloo, IA $1,795
Asuncion $1,075

A couple spends around $2,528 per month in Waterloo, IA vs $1,684 in Asuncion, rent included.

Waterloo, IA $2,528
Asuncion $1,684

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Waterloo, IA vs $2,292 in Asuncion, rent included.

Waterloo, IA $3,261
Asuncion $2,292

Waterloo, IA costs about 67% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Waterloo, IA sits 33% above the global median, while Asuncion is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.07 $16.07

$7.15 ₲40.6K

124.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 $56.6

$43.57 ₲247.8K

29.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$7.10 ₲40.4K

28.59%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$3.51 ₲20.0K

66.10%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.05 ₲5,980

159.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.58 ₲3,289

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.89 ₲10.8K

109.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$1.74 ₲9,906

368.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.29 ₲7,321

-23.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.50 ₲8,514

60.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.39 ₲7,922

19.42%

Eggs

$3.64 $3.64

$2.48 ₲14.1K

46.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$9.74 ₲55.4K

34.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$5.19 ₲29.5K

150.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$10.07 ₲57.2K

75.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.99 ₲17.0K

58.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.32 ₲7,493

21.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.19 ₲6,742

221.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.47 ₲14.1K

77.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.40 ₲7,984

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.33 ₲7,562

62.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.92 ₲5,243

108.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.77 ₲4,372

106.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 $7.91

$2.43 ₲13.8K

225.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$9.08 ₲51.6K

52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.42 ₲8,064

89.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.79 ₲10.2K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₲3,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.54 ₲8,735

153.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.62 ₲9,204

19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.17 $43.17

$10.44 ₲59.4K

313.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 ₲7,320

-26.36%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$17.5K ₲99.5M

101.39%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$35.0K ₲199.2M

-28.48%

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

$149 $149

$51.5 ₲293.0K

188.71%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$17.68 ₲100.5K

200.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$22.35 ₲127.1K

171.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 $27.11

$36.60 ₲208.1K

-25.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$8.89 ₲50.6K

70.08%

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

$1,706 $1,706

$190 ₲1.1M

799.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$5,930 ₲33.7M

289.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.78 $19.78

$64.7 ₲368.0K

-69.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.89 $14.89

$57.9 ₲329.4K

-74.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 $60.4

$107 ₲610.0K

-43.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 $78.9

$73.3 ₲416.8K

7.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 $860

$645 ₲3.7M

33.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 $740

$385 ₲2.2M

92.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 $1,368

$1,061 ₲6.0M

28.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 $943

$654 ₲3.7M

44.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,511 $1,511

$1,715 ₲9.8M

-11.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,473 $1,473

$1,205 ₲6.9M

22.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,948 $3,948

$747 ₲4.2M

428.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

10.5

-36.29%

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

Last update for Waterloo, IA: 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

Waterloo, IA

$740 41.2%

Asuncion

$385 35.9% 47.9% $355

Groceries & Markets

Waterloo, IA

$362 20.2%

Asuncion

$217 20.2% 40% $145

Eating Out

Waterloo, IA

$281 15.7%

Asuncion

$140 13% 50.1% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterloo, IA

$263 14.6%

Asuncion

$92 8.5% 65.1% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Waterloo, IA

$78 4.4%

Asuncion

$136 12.7% 74.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Waterloo, IA

$57 3.2%

Asuncion

$54 5.1% 5.2% $3

Getting Around

Waterloo, IA

$14 * 0.8%

Asuncion

$50 4.6% 267% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $860 in Waterloo, IA 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 429% higher in Waterloo, IA, 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 $57.0 in Waterloo, IA versus $44.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $217 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waterloo, IA

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

2 h ahead of Waterloo, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,314

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

PYG to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waterloo, IA Asuncion 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Waterloo, IA
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

Waterloo, IA vs Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waterloo, IA is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,693 per month in Waterloo, IA 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 $1,795 in Waterloo, IA and $1,075 in Asuncion. That's a gap of about 67%.

Kindergarten costs $1,706 per month in Waterloo, IA 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 Waterloo, IA at $1,795. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waterloo, IA 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, Waterloo, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.