Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $2,376 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aruba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

141

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Calgary

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 Calgary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Aruba versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Aruba $2,376
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,248 in Aruba versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Aruba $4,248
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Aruba versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Aruba $6,119
Calgary $4,493

Living in Aruba is roughly 6% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aruba 77% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 AWG 25.95

$17.22 CA$24.54

-15.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 AWG 163

$71.2 CA$101

27.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 AWG 19.01

$10.56 CA$15.06

0.57%

Cappuccino

$5.19 AWG 9.29

$3.77 CA$5.38

37.67%

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

$2.35 AWG 4.21

$1.91 CA$2.73

23.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AWG 4.11

$1.84 CA$2.63

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.38

$4.86 CA$6.93

7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$5.55 CA$7.91

23.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 AWG 2.98

$1.88 CA$2.68

-11.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 AWG 5.15

$2.73 CA$3.89

5.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 AWG 5.44

$5.34 CA$7.61

-43.07%

Eggs

$3.80 AWG 6.81

$3.77 CA$5.37

0.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 AWG 25.00

$11.29 CA$16.09

23.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 AWG 7.55

$11.46 CA$16.34

-63.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$1.44 CA$2.05

36.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.02

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.50

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.74

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.76

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.41

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$2.88 CA$4.11

-13.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.26

$1.18 CA$1.68

101.69%

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

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

$233 AWG 418

$159 CA$227

46.52%

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

$133 AWG 239

$37.61 CA$53.6

254.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AWG 155

$49.68 CA$70.8

74.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.06

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

$302 AWG 541

$809 CA$1,154

-62.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

$15.9K CA$22.6K

12.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 AWG 116

$38.84 CA$55.4

67.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$91.4 CA$130

29.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 AWG 1,167

$1,237 CA$1,764

-47.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AWG 2,540

$996 CA$1,420

42.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,256 AWG 5,828

$1,908 CA$2,720

70.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 AWG 7,222

$1,671 CA$2,382

141.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 AWG 3,377

$3,130 CA$4,461

-39.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

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

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 29.8% $423

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$453 19%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 45.6% $207

Eating Out

Aruba

$269 11.3%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 1.3% $3.5

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$148 * 6.2%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 163% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$82 * 3.5%

Calgary

$134 6% 62.8% $52

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Calgary

$110 5% 1009% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Calgary

$81 3.7%

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 $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91.0 in Aruba vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $387, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

2 h behind Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.499 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aruba Calgary 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Calgary differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,376 vs $2,232 including rent). Calgary is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Calgary. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $652 in Aruba versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 162% 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 $2,232 in Calgary – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,376 in Aruba, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Aruba. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Calgary 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Aruba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.