Presidente Hayes is the lower (southern) Chaco — the part of western Paraguay closest to Asunción. Villa Hayes, the capital, sits on the Paraguay River 30 km from Asunción but feels worlds away — dusty, low-rise, oriented to the Trans-Chaco highway and the steel + cement industries that line the river. Beyond Villa Hayes, the department is vast cattle land, mostly empty.
CapitalVilla Hayes
Population123,313 (2022 census)
Area72,907 km²
2-bed rentUS$ 150–300/mo
ClimateSemi-arid, very hot summers
Drive to Asunción30–45 min from Villa Hayes
Presidente Hayes · Villa Hayes
01 / overview
What Presidente Hayes is
Two zones. The river belt around Villa Hayes, with cement, steel, and chemical industries — plus Asunción's overflow housing. Beyond that, deep Chaco — cattle ranches sized in tens of thousands of hectares, almost no roads, climate that swings from cool dry winters to 45 °C summer afternoons.
02 / who it fits
Best for
Industrial entrepreneurs
Villa Hayes industrial corridor offers the cheapest river-front industrial land in eastern Paraguay.
Cattle ranchers
Some of the cheapest cattle land in South America, with established export channels.