With costs rising in much of the world, the question anyone considering a move abroad asks first is simple: what does daily life actually cost?
So I went on a grocery run and wrote down every price.
Where to shop, and what it tells you
Supermarkets here span a wide price spectrum, and knowing the tiers matters more than any single price:
- High-end / premium — places like Casa Rica carry higher prices alongside a vast selection of imported goods.
- Mid-range — Los Jardines and Superseis offer a balanced everyday experience.
- Wholesale clubs — Fortis and Box operate like Sam’s Club, for bulk buying.
- Discount / budget — Virgen del Rosario or Cacique in Luque, La Bomba or El Faro in Asunción, running on thin margins for rock-bottom prices.
For this price check I shopped at Virgen del Rosario in Luque, sticking to recognizable quality brands to show what a standard basket costs at discount prices.
Total basket: 275,000 PYG — approximately $35.29 USD.
Pantry staples and breakfast
| Item | PYG | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs, 30-pack (Yumita) | 37,000 | ~$4.75 |
| Instant oats (Quaker, 400g) | 18,000 | ~$2.30 |
| Froot Loops cereal (340g) | 24,000 | ~$3.00 |
| Blackberry jam (Areguá, local) | 18,200 | ~$2.33 |
| Long-grain rice (Tío Nico, 1kg) | 6,800 | ~$0.87 |
| Elbow macaroni (Anita, 400g) | 5,500 | ~$0.71 |
Premium egg brands like Nutriuevo sit slightly higher.
Canned goods and condiments
| Item | PYG | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Whole kernel corn (Norte) | 6,300 | ~$0.80 |
| Peas (Norte) | 4,500 | ~$0.60 |
| Flaked tuna | 7,800 | ~$1.00 |
| Orange juice (Watts, 1L) | 9,000 | ~$1.15 |
| Mayonnaise (Hellmann’s, 475g pouch) | 14,950 | ~$1.92 |
| Ketchup (Hellmann’s, 500g pouch) | 16,300 | ~$2.10 |
Fresh produce and dairy
Produce is priced per kilogram.
| Item | PYG/kg | USD/kg | USD/lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow onions | 3,200 | ~$0.41 | ~$0.19 |
| Potatoes | 3,400 | ~$0.44 | ~$0.20 |
| Carrots | 8,200 | ~$1.05 | ~$0.48 |
| Fresh pears | 8,600 | ~$1.10 | ~$0.50 |
| Shelf-stable milk (Trébol, 1L) | 7,800 | ~$1.00 | — |
| Sliced sandwich bread | 7,900 | ~$1.01 | — |
Snacks, drinks and household
| Item | PYG | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Oreo cookies (118g) | 6,300 | ~$0.81 |
| Doritos (250g bag) | 24,400 | ~$3.13 |
| Coca-Cola (2L) | 14,000 | ~$1.79 |
| Paper towels (Snob, multi-pack) | 11,700 | ~$1.50 |
| Toilet paper (Milli, multi-pack) | 11,500 | ~$1.47 |
What this tells you
Local staples — rice, pasta, onions, potatoes — are genuinely cheap. Imported and branded snack items (Doritos, Froot Loops, Oreos) cost close to what you’d pay in the US, because that’s largely what they are: imports.
The practical takeaway for budgeting: if you eat like a local, food costs very little here. If you want to replicate a North American or European shopping basket exactly, expect to pay closer to home prices on the branded items.
Prices reflect a discount supermarket in Luque and move with the guaraní-dollar rate. Treat them as a snapshot, not a fixed reference.
