Asuncion - Post Report Question and Answers
What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
Asuncion has all the things of a large city - movie theaters, arcades, concerts, and many restaurants but also is small enough so you can be anywhere in the city in 20-40 mins. - Aug 2022
The local people are so friendly and helpful, we feel safe, access to quality goods and services, there isn't much traffic. - Aug 2022
It feels very safe to me. The weather is usually good until it rains. - Jan 2021
It's a great jump off for other South American cities, you can save a lot of money here, a calm way a life. - Jun 2019
It is generally peaceful, calm and beautiful. - Aug 2018
it's relatively small and easy to get to all parts of it compared to larger metro areas (like Sao Paulo)! - Jun 2018
I love the people and the relaxed way of life. Asuncion does not feel like a large city. It is very affordable and everyone is very kind and welcoming. I love the weather but it is very hot in the summer and can reach temperatures of 105F or more. Winter usually sees temperatures in the sixties but it feels really cold partly because the houses aren't heated! There are amazing road trips if you don't mind time in the car. You can visit Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina (even Uruguay) from here. - May 2016
You can save money. If you don't like cold weather, you'll like it here. This is the heart of South America, so you can explore Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, & Uruguay pretty easily. - Sep 2015
Paraguay has the happiest people in the world according to a Gallup poll. It is sunny, the land is fertile, the economy is growing and yes, people generally have a positive outlook on life. - Apr 2015
Laid-back lifestyle, warm climate (brutally hot summers), saving money. - Aug 2014
If you don't travel you will save money, but most people travel because you gotta get out or you might go crazy. Iguazu Falls is only 5 hours from Asuncion. Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Sao Paulo, Brazil are easy plane rides although not as cheap as they used to be. - Jul 2013
Compared to other Latin American capitals, Asuncion is safer, cheaper, and easier to get around. We save money, but others complain about the rising cost of living. Weather is pleasant save for the hot and humid part of the year Dec-Feb. - Aug 2011
Not much. Material goods are comparable to WashDC prices, services and labor are about 60% of WashDC prices. Music, dance, sports, lessons are in-expensive. - Jun 2011
A lot of people say this is a poor country -- as a USAID dependent having seen poverty, there ain't that much here. It's rapidly developing, with 4 huge malls, lots and lots of available products to buy, nice houses (even for the working poor).I can count on my hand the number of shacks I've seen and compared to other "developing countries," Paraguay is heaven (in the economic sense).The increase in GDP last year was almost 10%.Huge. The downside is there are lots of underemployed people - but, at least they're employed. Asuncion is a very laid-back city (except for the driving).If you have kids, or if you enjoy taking classes or taking lessons in various sports, you can do it all here. Activities are very inexpensive compared to other cities, and are readily available. If you are a golf aficiando or a tennis enthusiast, this is your post. I golf EVERY DAY.Seriously. The weather is perfect (except for the occasional rainy day) and there are plenty of golf instructors (cheap!) who are willing to help your game. As a woman, it is rare, however, to see another woman on the course, but it hasn't deterred me -- everyone is very polite. My kids all take tennis and golf lessons. In addition, we all take guitar and art classes. So, that's what you can do on a daily basis -- lots of classes. As for touring -- seeing the ruins of the Jesuit missions is great (and great history), going to Iguazu Falls is wonderful. BUT once you've done that, there isn't much more to see in the country. There are the small towns that make the famous a'poi lace, hammocks, etc. But that's really a one time trip. Everyone usually takes advantage of the proximity of Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil and explores them. The only disadvantage is that if you have a family, flying is very expensive ($500 per ticket).A lot of people drive (if you're used to road trips) and the highways are great for a "developing country."Seriously. You can save money here -- if you buy local products, (except for clothes), everything is cheap. Vegetables are wonderful if you buy in the farmer's market on Tuesdays, the beef cannot be beat. Because this is a land-locked country, the only local fish everyone eats is surubí, but I won't eat it because a lot of it is caught from the river which is really polluted. So I rely on frozen Tilapia or Salmon. We've had to buy a lot of our clothes from the States which is ok -- the DPO is only weekly, so mail takes about 2 weeks to get here. We also have the pouch for bigger items. There is a local grocery store that imports US products every month or so, which is nice -- so if you're dying for pancake mix or syrup, or even Poptarts, you can get it there (even spices!).Other stuff you can't get you can buy from Walmart online or Netgrocer. Paraguayans are very nice, but kinda introverted. They are welcoming, kind and are very proud of their country. It takes a while to get to know any Paraguayans well. But if you plan to be here a while, don't worry, you will!Weather is nice -- in June, July and August it can dip down into the 40s and 50s. September and October are wonderful (70s), November is great (80s), but December, January, February are HOT!!!(90s - 115s) -- March and April are cooler in the 70s and 80s. So you might need a light coat for the winter months of July and August, but don't be surprised to see Paraguayans all bundled up with hats, mittens and boots during this time. And they might look at you weirdly if you wander about without a coat. - Feb 2011
This is a fairly inexpensive country full of warm people. The fact that there are zero tourists makes for a fascinating (if not slightly surreal) experience. - Apr 2010
