HOW MUCH COST YOU TO LIVE IN PARAGUAY
Life in Paraguay in
comparison to the US or EU standards is much cheaper. Asuncion in Paraguay is
ranked as one of the world's least expensive capital to live in.
The avarage salary in
the capital is around US$250 per month (skilled worker gets US$220), in rural
areas it goes down to US$125.
If you are not money
waster, for 500 EUR you may have a decent /not luxurious/ life there. But it
really depends on the way of life as each human is different! Everyone has
another way of life, which can be favorably or also extremely expensive.
Therefore nobody can actually give overall information: With US$1000 one can
live in Paraguay well and other with the same amount like a king.
If one lives normally
and buys predominantly native products, Paraguay is extraordinarily favorable.
The Paraguayan food usually tastes excellently.
In addition, there are
humans, who from particular reasons always or almost exclusively buy only
imported products, which come from their homeland. These products are naturally
substantially more expensive than back home.
What is good that e.g.
retirees do not have to prove the amount of income, as e.g. in Costa Rica,
where you need to prove income of US$2,000 per month to ask for residency.
Prices of foodstuff in
Shopping Markets in the capital are almost comparable with prices in USA/EU,
but outside much cheaper.
What is surprisingly
still cheap is the house construction. Four room house built from good material
may cost from US$35 thousand. Less quality material may bring the price down
even to US$20 thousand. E.g. swimming
pool construction costs from US$2,500.
Health insurance:
Several private health
insurance companies in Asuncion that offer countrywide coverage. Depending on
your age and coverage needs prices can range between USD $60 to $120 per month.
It is important to note though that most insurance policies do NOT cover large
operations. Some companies offer additional major surgery coverage for a hefty
price.
Energy prices:
Itaipu means cheap
electricity for Paraguay. During the summer with the AC running on a regular
basis and 2 computers on all day our electric bill was still less than US$ 70
per month
Internet:
Supposedly the
internet monopoly in Paraguay is about to be dismantled. In theory this will
lead to cheaper and hopefully faster internet service but... who knows what
will actually happen. Cell phone companies (Personal and TIGO)offer plans for
about $55 for 512 kbps (speeds are rarely as fast as advertised though).
Cell phone:
All cell phone
companies offer the option of a fixed price per month cell phone plan or a pay
as you go plan. The only way to ensure keeping your phone number is by having a
plan though. Most start at 15$ per month and come with lower rates.
Food prices:
Prices for fresh
produce are very low. If you are willing to go to the outdoor markets (Mercado
4 and Mercado de Abasto http://tinyurl.com/m2nmkt ) they are even lower. Prices
and quality are higher at the weekly Agroshopping in Mscl. Lopez Shopping on
Tuesdays but are still very reasonable. Examples of Agroshopping prices:
Bunches of fresh
herbs: Gs. 1,000
a half kilo of cherry
tomatoes: Gs. 5,000
500 grms of artesanal
boursin cheese: Gs. 7,000
A 10 piece roll of
fresh vegetarian sushi: Gs. 5,000
Some of the large
dairy producers like Gloria and Trebol have large distribution centers where
you can buy ricotta cheese, 20 pack boxes of milk and bars of butter for much
less than at the supermarkets.
In Paraguay (US$1.00 =
appx. 4500 Gs.)
Box of cigarettes with
20 pieces - US$0.40
1 kg cattle filet
costs - US$6.00
Main dish in
restaurant – from US$7.00 (outside the capital from US$2.00)
Property tax – few
tens dollars per year!
Mature cow – from
US$400 (US$150 for young one)
Cars are expensive!
Car rental – from
US$40 per day
Gasoline - US$0.95 per
liter
Example (as of the end of 2008):
A rented house in
Asuncion which has got 2 bed, 3 bathrooms, 3 living rooms, a garden with
covered bbq area, a garage, a dinning room and kitchen. Average costs per
family a month:
rent 1,200,000 Gs
electricity 90,000 Gs
water 50,000 Gs
land line 50,000 Gs
mobile phone x2 120,000 Gs
health insurnc x2 215,000
Gs
internet 130,000 Gs
groceries
600,000 Gs
petrol
400,000 Gs