Moving to Costa Rica from Paraguay
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Paraguay to Costa Rica — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Paraguay to Costa Rica, you would find that Costa Rica is 2.3 times more expensive than Paraguay overall. A PYG451,283,512 salary in Paraguay would need to be roughly CRC69,318,572 in Costa Rica to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Paraguay to Costa Rica.
What does your salary buy?
PYG451,283,512 → CRC69,318,572
To maintain the same standard of living in Costa Rica
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.5 times more
Groceries
pay 2.2 times more
Transportation
pay 97.7% more
Housing
pay 2.3 times more
Childcare
pay 3.8 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.3 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Get free moving quotes to Costa Rica
We've teamed up with a vetted network of international movers to help MyLifeElsewhere readers plan their move with confidence. Tell us about your move and get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes in under 2 minutes.
- ✅ Up to 5 quotes from screened movers
- ✅ Licensed and insured providers only
- ✅ 100% free — you choose who contacts you
Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Paraguay to Costa Rica, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Costa Rica?
Top countries of origin for Costa Rica's foreign-born residents.
- 350,854
- 28,214
- 25,530
- 16,682
- 15,209
- 13,711
- · · ·
-
45.99
Paraguay
Key Indicator Comparison
How Paraguay and Costa Rica stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Paraguay generally does better on safety, though Costa Rica leads in road traffic deaths.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Paraguay generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Paraguay generally does better on environment, though Costa Rica leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Paraguay generally does better on infrastructure, though Costa Rica leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
Paraguay generally does better on employment & economy, though Costa Rica leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Costa Rica performs significantly better than Paraguay across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Asuncion | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 91°/72°F (33°/22°C) | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/61°F (26°/16°C) | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/58°F (25°/14°C) | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 87°/68°F (31°/20°C) | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) |
View all months
| Month | Asuncion | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 92°/73°F (33.5°/22.8°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) |
| Feb | 91°/72°F (32.6°/22.3°C) | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) |
| Mar | 89°/70°F (31.6°/21.3°C) | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) |
| Apr | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.6°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) |
| May | 77°/60°F (25.0°/15.7°C) | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) |
| Jun | 74°/57°F (23.1°/13.8°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) |
| Jul | 74°/56°F (23.2°/13.1°C) | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 77°/58°F (24.8°/14.3°C) | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) |
| Sep | 80°/61°F (26.4°/15.9°C) | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) |
| Oct | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.6°C) | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) |
| Nov | 87°/68°F (30.7°/20.1°C) | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) |
| Dec | 90°/71°F (32.3°/21.8°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) |
Data:
Dirección de Meteorología e Hidrología (DMH),
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Paraguay and Costa Rica. To live, work, or study long-term in Costa Rica, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Costa Rica's immigration authority.
Paraguay passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa Free
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Paraguay
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Costa Rica than Paraguay?
Day-to-day costs in Costa Rica run about 104% higher than Paraguay on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Costa Rica?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a PYG451,283,512 comparable salary, that's around CRC17,329,643 in Costa Rica for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, deposits, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Costa Rica?
With 21.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Costa Rica can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Paraguay and Costa Rica.
Is Costa Rica safe for expats?
Paraguay generally does better on safety, though Costa Rica leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Costa Rica is 17.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 7.0 in Paraguay.
How is healthcare in Costa Rica compared to Paraguay?
Paraguay generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in health coverage index. There are 26.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Costa Rica, compared to 38.8 in Paraguay. Costa Rica scores 81 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Paraguay: 72).
What's the weather like in Costa Rica compared to Paraguay?
The average high temperature in San Jose is 77°F, compared to 83°F in Asuncion. San Jose receives around 73.5 in of rainfall per year, while Asuncion gets 55.2 in.
What language do they speak in Costa Rica?
The official language in Costa Rica is Spanish. In Paraguay, the official languages are Guaraní and Spanish.
