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Asunción vs Quito cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇵🇾 Asunción
🇪🇨 Quito
At a glance
- Where Quito is clearly cheaper: Laundry (61%↓), Scooter rental (42%↓), Street food (27%↓)
- Where Asunción is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (60%↓), Beer (31%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Asunción 2 vs Quito 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Asunción | Quito | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ₲ 40,000$6.85 | $ 5$5 | Quito −27% |
| Street food1 item | ₲ 12,000$2.06 | $ 1.5$1.5 | Quito −27% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ₲ 120,000$20.6 | $ 18$18 | Quito −12% |
| Coffeeone cup | ₲ 20,000$3.43 | $ 3$3 | Quito −12% |
| Beerone bottle | ₲ 12,000$2.06 | $ 3$3 | Asunción −31% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ₲ 40,000$6.85 | $ 6$6 | Quito −12% |
| Bottled water | ₲ 5,000$0.86 | $ 0.7$0.7 | Quito −18% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ₲ 6,000$1.03 | $ 1$1 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | ₲ 25,000$4.28 | $ 5$5 | Asunción −14% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ₲ 15,000$2.57 | $ 3$3 | Asunción −14% |
| Transitone ride | ₲ 2,300$0.39 | $ 0.35$0.35 | Quito −11% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ₲ 150,000$25.7 | $ 15$15 | Quito −42% |
| Hotel night3-star | ₲ 350,000$59.9 | $ 55$55 | Quito −8% |
| Studio rent (month) | ₲ 2,500,000$428 | $ 450$450 | Asunción −5% |
| Laundry | ₲ 15,000$2.57 | $ 1$1 | Quito −61% |
| SIM card1 week data | ₲ 50,000$8.56 | $ 10$10 | Asunción −14% |
| Haircutcut | ₲ 50,000$8.56 | $ 10$10 | Asunción −14% |
| Massage1 hour | ₲ 150,000$25.7 | $ 25$25 | similar |
| Half-day tourper person | ₲ 200,000$34.3 | $ 30$30 | Quito −12% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ₲ 20,000$3.43 | $ 8.5$8.5 | Asunción −60% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Asunción or Quito?
Quito is 7% cheaper than Asunción. Daily budget $121 vs $109; a month $1,892 vs $1,830.
Which is easier to travel, Asunción or Quito?
About the same: Asunción 2.6/5, Quito 2.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Asunción and Quito?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Asunción is about $1,892 and Quito about $1,830 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.