Cost of living in Paraguay, prices and what it is like to live for an Expat, quality of life / hardship, and compare cost of living for Expatriates as at January 2021.

What is it like to live in Paraguay?

Climate: The climate is subtropical to temperate with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semi arid in the far west.

Language: The official languages are Guaraní and Spanish. English is spoken in business circles but some knowledge of Spanish will be appreciated as the latter is the common language in most private and public offices.

Religion: Christianity.

Economy: Paraguay has a market economy characterized by a large informal sector. Agriculture dominates the economy, but unequal land distribution has resulted in a large class of peasant farm labourers. A large portion of the population is uninvolved in the formal economy, instead existing as subsistence farmers.

Inflation: 2.2% for Paraguay as at December 2020.

Money: The currency of Paraguay is the Paraguay Guarani (PYG). ATMs are available. Travellers’ cheques are not widely accepted.

Tax: In Paraguay is based on the current personal income tax rate which is a flat rate of 10%.

Population: 7.1 Million (2020 est.)

Expat Life: Paraguayans are almost always friendly and courteous to expatriates. Expatriate dress code is typically a suits for both men and women. The safety risk for expatriates in Paraguay is low, but medium in the border areas. Risks include petty crime (in tourist areas), armed robbery, car theft, assault, rape, home invasion, and kidnapping.

Health Care: Private health care facilities are generally good in the major cities, but elsewhere may not meet acceptable international standards. Up front payment is often required for treatment. Cases of Zika virus have been reported. There are regular outbreaks of dengue fever. The official Coronavirus COVID-19 total reported cases for Paraguay as at 14 January 2021 is 118,592, with 2,451 deaths. The rate of deaths per 1 million population is 341. Current active cases is 22,001.

Paraguay covers all areas within the country other than Asuncion.

Cost Of Living

What is the cost of living in Paraguay?

The cost of living for expatriates in Paraguay as at January 2021 is low in comparison to other places in the world, with an overall Cost of Living Index (COLI), for all 13 basket groups, of 49.33 (New York =100). We have collected prices for the same items, world wide, based on Expat spending norms, in or closest to the location, and converted them to $USD so that we can compare the cost of 13 different baskets in 780 global locations. For each basket, compared to New York, the equivalent cost in Paraguay is as follows:

1) Alcohol and/or Tobacco: Cost is very low for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$510. Average price in a store for a midrange bottle of wine is USD$7.29, domestic/local beer (500ml) USD$1.01, imported/international beer (330ml) USD$1.46 and a pack of 20 cigarettes is USD$1.82.

2) Clothing: Cost is low for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$740. Average price for an international brand of mens jeans is USD$40, a quality international brand of running shoes USD$71, mens leather shoes suitable for office wear USD$51 while a medium size international summer dress from a global chain store is USD$38.

3) Communication: Cost is low for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. A basket costing USD$200 in New York costs USD$112. Average price for a monthly standard plan internet subscription is USD$30, while the benchmark mobile tariff is USD$0.09 per minute.

4) Education: Cost is low for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. A basket costing USD$30,000 in New York costs USD$16800. Average annual private international school fee (excluding extras) USD$10,895 for Primary School, and USD$12,124 for High School.

5) Furniture & Appliances: Cost is low for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofas. A basket costing USD$2,500 in New York costs USD$1375. Average price for a 6kg front loader Washing Machine is USD$590, and USD$507 for a 46+'' LED UHD TV.

6) Groceries: Cost is very low for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$440. Average grocery prices in a major international retail store for 1 kg apples is USD$2.11, 1 kg oranges USD$1.12, 1 head lettuce USD$0.46, 1 kg potatos USD$1.17, 1 kg boneless, skinless, chicken breast USD$3.68, 1 kg cheddar cheese USD$6.31, 1 dozen large eggs USD$2.02, 500g loaf white bread USD$0.69, 1 L full cream milk USD$0.95, and 1.5 L water USD$0.82.

7) Healthcare: Cost is low for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$540. Average healthcare cost for a private practice Doctor visit for an uninsured patient is USD$44, and a private hospital stay per day including nursing care, medications, diagnostic tests, food, and related costs is USD$1,340.

8) Household Accommodation: Cost is low for items such as apartment rent, house rent, property purchase, mortgage rate, and utilities. A basket costing USD$5,000 in New York costs USD$1800. Average expatriate house / apartment rent for a secure upmarket unfurnished apartment (3 bedrooms) is USD$1,329 in a central location, and USD$914 in a suburban location, per month, excluding utilities.

9) Miscellaneous: Cost is very low for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$160. Average price for dry cleaning (1 mens 2 pc suit) is USD$3.16, while an international newspaper is USD$0.97.

10) Personal Care: Cost is low for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$235. Average cost for a mens haircut and blow dry is USD$19, while a womens hair colour, cut and blow dry - medium length is USD$94.

11) Recreation & Culture: Cost is very low for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$240. Average price for a latest release international cinema ticket (average of on and off peak where applicable) for one adult is USD$6.83, and an international fitness, recreation or sports club membership cost for one adult is USD$33 per month.

12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: Cost is very low for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in a restaurant, and take away food and beverages. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$330. Average cappuccino price (regular, medium) is USD$2.20, coke/pepsi (330ml) USD$0.99, burger meal (international franchise or similar) USD$5.10, and a mid-range international restaurant meal for 2 USD$27.33.

13) Transport: Cost is average for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$720. Average average price over the last year for highest available octane petrol / gasoline (1L) is USD$0.86, while the benchmark car sedan purchase price including taxes/duties for a compact / small / economy vehicle (1.4 L) is USD$11,140.

How does the cost of living in Paraguay compare?

Paraguay is -46.4% cheaper than USA for groceries, -44.3% cheaper for household costs than UK, and 39.1% more expensive for transport costs than India.

What is the quality of life / hardship in Paraguay?

Paraguay is ranked as a some hardship location.The hardship premium for Paraguay for an expat from Australia, is for example 10%, i.e. host location (Paraguay) premium of 20% minus home (Australia) location premium of 10%.

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