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City comparison

Asunción vs Cuenca

In short

Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.

  • Rent

    in Cuenca cheaper — −40%

  • Family budget

    in Cuenca cheaper — −42%

  • Internet

    in Asunción cheaper — −25%

In numbers

Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.

  • House or apartment rent

    per month
    Asunción≈ $763–1,020₲4.5–6M
    Cuenca$350–720$350–720
    cheaper by 40%
  • Family groceries

    per month
    Asunción≈ $280₲1,650,472
    cheaper by 23%
    Cuenca$362$362
  • Family budget

    per month
    Asunción≈ $633₲3,732,432
    Cuenca$369.6$369.6
    cheaper by 42%
  • Internet

    per month
    Asunción≈ $25₲150k
    cheaper by 25%
    Cuenca$33.93$33.93
  • Winter

    average
    Asunción18 °C18 °C
    Cuenca10–19 °C10–19 °C
  • Precipitation

    per year
    Asunción1,433 mm1,433 mm
    Cuenca876 mm876 mm
  • Ready-made house

    purchase
    Asunción$195–420k$195–420k
    Cuenca$121,250–284,750$121,250–284,750
    cheaper by 34%

By topic

A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.

Housing

Asunción

Long-term rent

A 2–3 bedroom apartment in Villa Morra, Carmelitas or Recoleta is PYG 4.5–6 million a month, that is $770–1,020. Utilities on top.

SpecialistClasipar: apartments, houses and plots in Asunción, Lambaré and Fernando de la Mora · checked 28 Sep 2026

Buying a house

A house in Asunción is most often $195–420k, with the middle around $300k. In guaraní, in cheaper areas the same houses go for PYG 400–900 million, that is $68–153k.

SpecialistClasipar: apartments, houses and plots in Asunción, Lambaré and Fernando de la Mora · checked 28 Sep 2026

Rent in the suburbs

Lambaré and Fernando de la Mora are half the price of the city: a two-room apartment is PYG 2.5–4.5 million, that is $425–770. The price for this is the rush-hour drive.

SpecialistClasipar: apartments, houses and plots in Asunción, Lambaré and Fernando de la Mora · checked 28 Sep 2026

Everything about housing in Asunción →

Cuenca

Buying a house

A house with three or more bedrooms in the canton of Cuenca on RE/MAX listings is mostly 121-285k dollars, median 180k. An apartment with three or more bedrooms: median 192k.

SpecialistRE/MAX Ecuador: all active listings of houses for sale (the site's open data) · checked 6 Oct 2026

Long-term rent

A three-bedroom apartment on RE/MAX listings is 350-540 dollars a month, a furnished two-bedroom up to 720. There are few listings, only 8 apartments.

SpecialistRE/MAX Ecuador: all active listings of apartments for rent (the site's open data) · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about housing in Cuenca →

Money and prices

Asunción

Groceries for a family

The minimum food basket in the city is PYG 412,618 per person a month, for a family of four about 1.65 million, that is about $280.

SpecialistABC Color: INE data on monetary poverty for 2025, cost of baskets · checked 28 Sep 2026

Family monthly budget

The poverty line is PYG 933,108 per person, for a family of four 3.73 million without housing. With rent in a decent area, from 8–10 million.

SpecialistABC Color: INE data on monetary poverty for 2025, cost of baskets · checked 28 Sep 2026

Everything about money and prices in Asunción →

Cuenca

Groceries for a family

In INEC's official basket for a family of four in Cuenca, food and drinks cost 362 dollars a month (August 2026), of which 42 is eating out.

OfficialINEC: basic family consumption basket (CFBC) by city, August 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Family budget per month

INEC's poverty line for a family of four is 370 dollars a month. INEC's basic basket for four in Cuenca is 894, the dearest in the country, with 219 for rent.

OfficialINEC: bulletin on income poverty, ENEMDU, December 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about money and prices in Cuenca →

Family and kids

Asunción

Private schools

Monthly fees at the well-known schools average PYG 3 million, above the minimum wage. For specific schools, from 2.19 to 4.26 million.

SpecialistEl Nacional: monthly fees at private schools in Asunción for the 2026 school year · checked 28 Sep 2026

Everything about family and kids in Asunción →

Cuenca

Nothing yet

Healthcare

Asunción

Healthcare

Asunción has private sanatoriums with paediatric cardiology, paediatric haematology, intensive care and their own diagnostics. Nationally beds are few: 1.04 per thousand people.

SpecialistSanatorio Migone Battilana: list of specialties · checked 28 Sep 2026

Everything about healthcare in Asunción →

Cuenca

Social security hospital

The IESS social security Hospital José Carrasco Arteaga is a third-level hospital with adult and paediatric ICU. It treats IESS members and patients of the public network.

OfficialIESS: Hospital de Especialidades José Carrasco Arteaga, home page · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about healthcare in Cuenca →

Transport

Asunción

Transport in the city

A bus fare is PYG 2,300, with air conditioning 3,400 - about 40 and 58 cents. It is cheap because of the subsidy, but the quality is such that almost everyone in Asunción gets a car.

SpecialistABC Color: public transport fares in Greater Asunción and the size of the subsidy · checked 28 Sep 2026

Everything about transport in Asunción →

Cuenca

Airport in the city

Mariscal La Mar airport is right in the city, on Avenida España. The flight to Quito takes about 55 minutes, to Guayaquil 35. Runway 1900 m at about 2530 m altitude.

OfficialCuenca airport (CORPAC): technical data · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about transport in Cuenca →

Climate

Asunción

Winter

The average July temperature is 18.3 degrees, with an average daytime high of 24.2. There is no winter in the usual sense, but the station’s absolute minimum went down to minus 1.2.

OfficialDINAC: climatological table of Silvio Pettirossi airport, 2011-2023 data · checked 28 Sep 2026

Summer heat

The average January maximum is 33.8 degrees, December and February about 33. The station’s absolute maximum is 43 degrees, and it fell in October, not at the height of summer.

OfficialDINAC: climatological table of Silvio Pettirossi airport, 2011-2023 data · checked 28 Sep 2026

Rainfall and seasonality

About 1,433 mm a year: a wet summer and a dry winter. The wettest month is November (203 mm), the driest August (25 mm), and 222 mm has fallen in a day.

OfficialDINAC: climatological table of Silvio Pettirossi airport, 2011-2023 data · checked 28 Sep 2026

Everything about climate in Asunción →

Cuenca

Winter climate

In June-August nights are 9-10 degrees and days 19-20. These are the coolest months; the rest of the year days are 20-22 and nights 10-11.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Cuenca 1981-2010 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Precipitation and seasons

About 880 mm a year, and it rains often: 12 to 21 days a month. Driest in July-August (20-28 mm), wettest in March-April.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Cuenca 1981-2010 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about climate in Cuenca →

Safety

Asunción

Homicides and safety

Nationally in 2025 there were 6.1 homicides per 100k people - the third-best figure in Latin America. No separate statistics by district of Asunción could be found.

SpecialistLa Nación: Paraguay among the three countries in the region with the lowest homicide rate in 2025 · checked 28 Sep 2026

Everything about safety in Asunción →

Cuenca

Safety and risks

Cuenca is not in the state of emergency zone from 15 Sep 2026: in Azuay province only the canton of Camilo Ponce Enríquez is included. Forest fires are frequent in Azuay.

OfficialUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: travel advice for Ecuador · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about safety in Cuenca →

Internet and phone

Asunción

Internet

Fibre to the home: Personal Hogar plans start from 400 Mbit/s for PYG 150k a month, about $26. For remote work the conditions are good.

SpecialistPersonal Hogar: home fiber rates · checked 28 Sep 2026

Everything about internet and phone service in Asunción →

Cuenca

Fibre-optic internet

Netlife sells 850 Mbit/s fibre for 33.93 dollars a month including tax, 16.96 on promotion. The municipal ETAPA sells plans from 19.99 dollars plus taxes.

SpecialistNetlife: home fibre-optic internet plans · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about internet and phone service in Cuenca →

Services

Asunción

Electricity and the ANDE tariff

Since December 2024 the ANDE tariff depends on the hour: at peak, 12 to 16 and 18 to 22, a kilowatt-hour costs PYG 669 instead of the previous 404; off-peak, 264.

SpecialistABC Color: new ANDE tariff scheme, peak-hour rates 65% higher · checked 28 Sep 2026

Gas: cylinders instead of a network

Cooking is done on cylinder gas: a 10 kg cylinder costs PYG 110–125k ($19–21). About half of homes cook on gas, a third on electricity.

SpecialistLa Nación: gas price to rise by an average of 500 guaraníes per kg, the 10 kg cylinder to go up to 110,000 · checked 29 Sep 2026

ESSAP water and sewerage

ESSAP water: a fixed charge of PYG 8,236 and 1,767 per m³ up to 15 m³. A bill for 15 m³ is about 35k ($6), and sewerage adds the same again. The tariff dates from 2018.

SpecialistDiario HOY: ESSAP tariff rises from September, table of old and new prices by category · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about services in Asunción →

Cuenca

Electricity at CENTROSUR tariff

Electricity is 0.091-0.105 dollars per kWh by block plus 1.41 a month. 300 kWh comes to about 30 dollars before the street lighting and fire service charges.

OfficialRegistro Oficial No. 380, 9th supplement: resolution ARCONEL-009/2026, electricity tariffs for October-December 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Water and sewerage, ETAPA

Water is 0.60 dollars per m³ up to 10 m³, then 0.70, plus 3.32 a month; sewerage is half the water bill. 15 m³ comes to about 19 dollars (2024 tariff).

OfficialETAPA EP: water and sewerage tariffs 2024 (brochure "Conoce nuestras tarifas") · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about services in Cuenca →

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