Furnished, short-term rentals often cost more than local long-term leases and may bundle utilities.
Cost of Living
Build a budget that feels like your life.
Compare four city profiles, adjust household size and comfort level, and create a realistic starting point for your Paraguay plan.
Your scenario
Asunción
Capital convenience, more neighborhoods, higher housing range.
1 person
LeanComfortableRoomy
Estimated monthly total$1,350USD · housing, food, transport, utilities & private healthcare allowance
Planning estimate only. Actual costs vary by neighborhood, exchange rate, household needs, import preferences, and housing terms.
What changes the number
Budget for the version of Paraguay you’ll actually live.
Imported food, international schools, frequent rideshares, and U.S.-style conveniences lift the total quickly.
Deposits, household items, document fees, translations, and temporary lodging make month one meaningfully higher.
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Going deeper
Understanding the real cost of relocating
The estimates above give you a monthly baseline, but the first year of living in Paraguay rarely looks like a flat, predictable number. Costs move in phases — a heavier setup period, a settling-in period, and then a more stable monthly rhythm once your household is established.
The setup phase (first 1-3 months)
This is consistently the most expensive stretch, and the one new arrivals underestimate the most. Apartment deposits in Paraguay are commonly one to two months' rent, sometimes more for furnished short-term units. On top of that, you're likely paying for temporary lodging while you search for permanent housing, document translation and certification fees, a SIM card and initial phone setup, and basic household items if your rental arrives unfurnished. It's reasonable to budget two to three times your expected monthly cost-of-living figure for this stretch alone.
Asunción vs. Encarnación vs. Ciudad del Este
Asunción tends to sit at the higher end of the cost spectrum, particularly for housing in central or well-connected neighborhoods, but it also offers the widest range of options — meaning a disciplined budget can still find real savings there. Encarnación is generally more moderate, with the Costanera waterfront area commanding a premium over surrounding neighborhoods. Ciudad del Este's cost of living is shaped heavily by its role as a commercial and trade hub — some imported goods and electronics are notably cheaper here, while housing near the busiest commercial districts can carry its own premium.
The habits that move your number the most
Two households with identical income can land on very different monthly totals based on lifestyle choices rather than location. Frequent use of rideshare over public transport, a preference for imported groceries over local markets, private international schooling, and U.S.-style dining out all raise the monthly figure substantially. None of these are wrong choices — but they're worth being deliberate about rather than defaulting into out of habit.
What tends to be cheaper than people expect
Domestic help, basic groceries and produce from local markets, prescription medication, and routine healthcare visits are frequently far less expensive than U.S. equivalents. This is where many relocators find room to offset the higher costs of imported goods or premium housing — building a lifestyle that mixes local and imported habits deliberately, rather than defaulting entirely to either extreme.