How much does a trip to Paraguay cost? Daily budget and prices

Paraguay splits into two cost worlds. Asunción, Encarnación and the Jesuit mission towns are cheap by South American standards, and the border cities are cheaper still. The Chaco and any guided wildlife or Mennonite-colony trip are a different scale: 4x4 hire, a guide and remote lodging push a day well past the national average.

The table below is per person per day, assuming two people share a room at mid-range and comfort. Solo travellers pay more for beds but the same for food and transport.

Food is where Paraguay feels cheapest. A set lunch (menú del día) at a neighbourhood restaurant is US$4–8 and usually includes a drink. Street chipa is US$0.50–1. Dinner at a good Asunción restaurant runs US$20–40, and a litre of Pilsen beer US$2–3.

Transport is modest. The Asunción–Encarnación bus is US$12–20, and city buses cost a few thousand guaraníes. Sights are rarely the budget problem: the Trinidad and Jesús mission ticket covering both plus San Cosme is about US$4–6, and the Itaipú dam panoramic tour is free or a small fee. Both figures are worth confirming on arrival.

Accommodation is the main variable. A mid-range Asunción hotel with AC is US$50–100; dorms and simple rooms cost far less outside the capital.

Paraguay runs on cash. Hotels, malls and larger Asunción restaurants take cards, but buses, markets, small restaurants and most of the interior expect guaraníes. Carry small notes; change for a ₲100,000 note at a market stall is not guaranteed.

ATMs are common in cities and some dispense US dollars as well as guaraníes, with a fee per withdrawal. US dollars and Brazilian reais are widely exchanged in the border cities. Budget a buffer for ATM fees and for the days when the machine you find is empty.

Asunción is the priciest base for beds and restaurants. Encarnación and the mission circuit are cheaper, and Ciudad del Este is cheap for food and lodging but tempts with electronics and cross-border shopping. In the Chaco, Filadelfia, Loma Plata and Neuland have a handful of places to stay, so rates hold up and guided trips dominate the bill.

Season matters less than you would expect. The main swing is availability around holidays, when the few mid-range rooms in small towns fill and you pay for whatever is left.

Eat the menú del día at lunch, when the same kitchen charges a fraction of dinner prices. Take long-distance buses rather than flying; the network is good and fares are low. Base yourself in one city and do day trips rather than moving hotels every night. Book the Chaco as a shared departure if one is running, and treat a private 4x4 as a splurge.

Prices here are 2026 estimates converted near the market rate, and the guaraní moves. Confirm the exchange rate before you travel, and treat the mission ticket and Itaipú tour figures as check-on-arrival items.

Two planning pages change the budget more than any price list: the visa rules for your passport, and the season you pick. Sort both before you fix a daily number.