Cost of living in Paraguay

Thanks for that info.
Is there any food that you can't really find there?

Is it hard to find a place to rent temporally (a month).

The current exchange rate is about Gs. 5,100 to the dollar. I am currently living in Villa Morra, Asunción.

Bus prices are now Gs. 2,100 per trip within Asunción.

Health insurance:

There are 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.

Movies:

Going to the movies costs Gs. 20,000 every day except Wednesdays which is half price day at all movie theaters. Pirated DVDs cost anywhere between Gs. 5,000 and 20,000, depending on how foreign you look and how good your bargaining skills are.

Onto the food:

Prices for fresh produce are very low. If you are willing to go to the outdoor markets (Mercado 4 and Mercado de Abasto) 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.

You can expect to pay much more for processed foods, especially imported goods. Ingredients for some ethnic cuisines such as Mexican (flour tortillas, black beans, cilantro) and Asian (soy sauce, fresh ginger, rice noodles) are readily available. Casa Rica (corner of España and San Martin)can be a good source for hard to find (and unfortunately pricey) imported goods from Europe. Nuts such as walnuts and almonds are ridiculously expensive and pine nuts are impossible to find.

Michael Boch is a German bakery downtown that offers specialty breads made with hard to find whole wheat and rye flours.

Paraguay is one of the best places in Latin America to buy electronics. It is not as cheap as the US and the selection is not quite as extensive. However in comparison to the rest of Latin America the selection is good and the prices are good.

Some people like to go to Ciudad del Este to buy big ticket items. Not worth an exclusive trip unless you plan to buy a lot of stuff. In Asunción there are several shopping galleries (they are safe and brightly lit) that offer electronics. I have bought laptops, cell phones, computer parts there all without any issues.

If you want to bring electronics in from another country you need to consider the following:

- depending on how you bring it in (via an official move, suitcase, in a car) it might be subject to import tax.

- it is really hot here. I have seen some tvs for sale here that are specifically rated for use in the tropics. Not sure what exactly that means but it is probably looking into.

- Paraguay runs on 220 voltage which leads to a choice if you are coming from a 110 country: new appliances or expensive and heavy transformers. Also the outlets are not standardized so you´ll need to go to a local hardware store and buy adaptors.

Saludos!
Natalia
www.guidetoparaguay.com

La respuesta y la lista de Capelo es muy interesantes.
Mientras tanto, las respuestas de el 5# 7# 8# son muy profesionales y detallados.

It is a good choice that school.  I would consider that one for my kids given some things (french language, view of graduate studies in France).

Regarding neighbourhoods, I would recommend you Mburucuya, Villa Morra, Barrio Jara, Barrio Herrera.

you can look for houses in clasipar.com, abc.com.py/clasificados, alquiler.com.py, or ultimahora.com   clasificados

It is quite a nightmare to find good accommodation.  I am looking for a 3 bed house with swimming pool, two floors, garden, garage in a good neigbhourhood.  Price starts at 750 USD.  If you could afford 1,000 USD you will find it quickly.

Chacoman,

All those messages are quite outdated!

For all those looking for an accomodation, please check the Classifieds section (on the left hand of the page) and you may even post an ad there yourself.

Best regards
Arlette