Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,376 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aruba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

141

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
Learn more

Aruba Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Buenos Aires

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aruba and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Aruba versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Aruba $2,376
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,248 in Aruba versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Aruba $4,248
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Aruba versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Aruba $6,119
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Aruba is roughly 41% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aruba 77% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 AWG 25.95

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-22.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 AWG 163

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

40.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 AWG 19.01

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-17.55%

Cappuccino

$5.19 AWG 9.29

$3.98 ARS 6,029

30.40%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 AWG 4.21

$2.05 ARS 3,103

14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AWG 4.11

$1.55 ARS 2,349

48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.38

$3.84 ARS 5,830

36.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$4.60 ARS 6,970

48.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 AWG 2.98

$1.44 ARS 2,181

15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 AWG 5.15

$2.46 ARS 3,738

17.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 AWG 5.44

$1.63 ARS 2,467

86.50%

Eggs

$3.80 AWG 6.81

$2.89 ARS 4,385

31.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 AWG 25.00

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

31.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 AWG 7.55

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-57.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-10.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$0.75 ARS 1,132

232.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.26

$1.36 ARS 2,058

75.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$233 AWG 418

$216 ARS 326.9K

8.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$133 AWG 239

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

421.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AWG 155

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

176.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$302 AWG 541

$466 ARS 706.7K

-35.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

97.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 AWG 116

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-33.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$117 ARS 177.4K

1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 AWG 1,167

$763 ARS 1.2M

-14.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AWG 2,540

$505 ARS 766.1K

180.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,256 AWG 5,828

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

103.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 AWG 7,222

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

240.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 AWG 3,377

$954 ARS 1.4M

97.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 64.4% $914

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$453 19%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 39.9% $181

Eating Out

Aruba

$269 11.3%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 3.8% $10

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$148 * 6.2%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 92.6% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$82 * 3.5%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 160% $132

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 268% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $652 in Aruba and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays 98% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Aruba vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $284, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h ahead of Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.499 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.499 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aruba Buenos Aires 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Buenos Aires

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aruba vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Buenos Aires differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,376 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Aruba, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $652 in Aruba versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 93% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,376 per month in Aruba versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,376 in Aruba, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Aruba. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aruba and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Aruba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.