Paraguay on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Paraguay is excellent for budget travel, with cheap food, buses and free sights in Asunción. A realistic daily minimum is about ₲330,000 (roughly €40) per person when sharing a room.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | ₲150,000 | ₲350,000 | ₲700,000 |
| Food & drink | ₲100,000 | ₲200,000 | ₲400,000 |
| Sights & tickets | ₲30,000 | ₲100,000 | ₲250,000 |
| Local transport | ₲50,000 | ₲120,000 | ₲300,000 |
| Per person, per day | ₲330,000 | ₲770,000 | ₲1,650,000 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Paraguay day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Panteón Nacional de los Héroes and its changing of the guard
- Casa de la Independencia museum
- The Costanera riverfront in Asunción
- The painted steps of Loma San Jerónimo
- The Costanera and river beaches of Encarnación
- The Basilica of Caacupé
Cheap eats
- Chipa, the cheese and manioc bread, a few thousand guaraníes
- Sopa paraguaya (a solid corn bread) from markets and bakeries, cheap per portion
- Empanadas from street stalls, a few thousand guaraníes each
- Menú del día lunch at local restaurants, roughly ₲25,000-40,000
- Tereré with herbs from Mercado 4 stalls, very cheap
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in hostels and simple hotels in Asunción's centre or Encarnación, about ₲200,000-350,000 for a double.
Getting around cheaply
Long-distance buses from Asunción's Terminal de Ómnibus are the cheapest way to travel (Encarnación about ₲100,000-150,000). In Asunción, local buses are cheapest, but Bolt and Uber (₲15,000-40,000) are easier. From the airport, a taxi is roughly ₲100,000-150,000.
A sample budget day
- Morning: Palacio de López, Panteón and Casa de la Independencia (free)
- Lunch: menú del día near the centre, about ₲35,000
- Afternoon: Museo del Barro (small fee or donation) by Bolt (about ₲30,000)
- Evening: sunset at Loma San Jerónimo, empanadas and a beer, about ₲50,000
- Total: about ₲330,000 including a shared room
More ways to save
- Carry cash; small shops and buses rarely take cards.
- Buy tereré herbs at Mercado 4 to try the local custom cheaply.
- Take day trips by local bus to Areguá and San Bernardino.
- Travel between May and September to avoid needing air-conditioned rooms.
- Book long buses at the terminal a day ahead in holiday periods.
- Combine Trinidad and Jesús missions on the same ticket and day.
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Common questions
Can you travel Paraguay on a budget?
Yes, easily. Hostels, local food and buses keep costs to about ₲330,000 per person a day.
What is free in Asunción?
The Panteón de los Héroes, Casa de la Independencia, the Costanera and Loma San Jerónimo.
What is tereré?
Cold yerba mate with herbs, Paraguay's national drink and part of UNESCO's intangible heritage list.