Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,353 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aruba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,353

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Medellin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,353 in Aruba versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Aruba $2,353
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,233 in Aruba versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Aruba $4,233
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,112 in Aruba versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Aruba $6,112
Medellin $3,186

Living in Aruba is roughly 44% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aruba 73% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 AWG 26.58

$8.09 COP 26.1K

83.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 AWG 161

$47.05 COP 151.7K

91.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 AWG 18.86

$9.50 COP 30.6K

10.95%

Cappuccino

$5.12 AWG 9.15

$3.01 COP 9,722

70.10%

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

$2.42 AWG 4.34

$1.80 COP 5,801

34.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 AWG 4.06

$1.41 COP 4,554

60.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.29 AWG 9.48

$3.18 COP 10.2K

66.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 AWG 12.87

$5.75 COP 18.5K

25.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 AWG 2.97

$1.51 COP 4,869

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 AWG 5.10

$2.38 COP 7,667

19.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 AWG 5.37

$1.77 COP 5,712

69.49%

Eggs

$3.75 AWG 6.71

$2.89 COP 9,320

29.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.27 AWG 25.53

$10.19 COP 32.9K

40.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 AWG 7.43

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-57.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AWG 3.67

$1.55 COP 5,005

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 AWG 4.53

$1.17 COP 3,766

116.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.27

$1.35 COP 4,343

76.30%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$233 AWG 417

$170 COP 547.0K

37.36%

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

$132 AWG 236

$13.55 COP 43.7K

871.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.2 AWG 152

$28.07 COP 90.5K

203.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$296 AWG 529

$797 COP 2.6M

-62.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K AWG 32.4K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

98.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 AWG 115

$58.0 COP 186.9K

11.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$135 COP 435.2K

-12.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 AWG 1,169

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-45.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 AWG 2,489

$642 COP 2.1M

116.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,255 AWG 5,825

$2,028 COP 6.5M

60.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,978 AWG 7,118

$1,012 COP 3.3M

293.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,938 AWG 3,467

$657 COP 2.1M

194.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Aruba: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Aruba

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Aruba

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $653 in Aruba and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Aruba vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $297, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

19:59 7:59 PM

1 h behind Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.5 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.5 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aruba Medellin 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,353 in Aruba and $1,639 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Aruba is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $653 in Aruba versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 50% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,353 per month in Aruba versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Aruba on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.