Moving to paraguay?

Question

So I have been told that you can move to paraguay and pay under $20 a month for a nice little villa, and eat, for extremely cheap. Is this true? where can I find information on where to stay, and what parts are safe? I want to take my girlfriend there, maybe for a few months or longer depending on how cheap it is. Any body who has been there, or just knows a lot of information please share, I am extremely interested. What are the laws like? how do they treat americans? I dont want to run into any trouble and be locked up in a south american prison for the rest of my life!!!

Answer 1

this is the PHILIPPINE section.  you might want to ask your question in the latin america section.

http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/index;_ylt=...

Answer 2

Whoa, major misconception there, friend, watch out! $20? No way. Paraguay is a cheap place to live, granted, but I'd try something more like US$ 400 for bare basics, and more like US$ 800 to 1000 for a lifestyle you'll truly enjoy.

When you think of a desirable lifestyle, you'll need to rent a good house in a suburb of  Asuncion to get the big city entertainment options of Asuncion (careful with Ciudad del Este, it has its ugly spots in many ways); Paraguay's other cities are almost all towns, and extremely rural in every way; unless you think sitting by the river, tractor-spotting, is good fun, don't move to a small place; plan to spend US$ 300 to 400 on rent per month, and the same sum on food and drink if you're being reasonable without saying goodbye to whiskey, steaks, and cigars.

Flights to Paraguay are not so cheap, either. From the US, plan to spend about US$ 700 minimum for a return ticket per person.

As for laws, and how Americans are treated:

If you speak Spanish, nobody really cares where you're from. Paraguay is pretty mellow that way. But keep in mind that there may be those who do hold strong, political views, so I would keep a bit modest about your nationality.

The Paraguayan legal system is as close as it comes to total chaos without actually being a war zone, if you ask me. Police have the right to arrest and detain on suspicion, leaving you to have to prove your innocence. Without local support structure, or enough funds to pay your way to freedom, this can go badly for an outsider.

My advice: Paraguay - lovely. But only if you've done your homework, speak Spanish, bring money, and are realistic.

Answer 3

Heed the advice of the above answerer.  

To add my two cents,  I would advise you not to leave the security of the USA unless you are wise enough to distinguish the difference between two countries 10,000 miles apart whose only similarities is the first character in their respective names.