Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $2,376 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Aruba versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Aruba $2,376
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,248 in Aruba versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Aruba $4,248
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Aruba versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Aruba $6,119
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Aruba is roughly 52% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aruba 77% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 AWG 25.95

$11.12 MX$204

30.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 AWG 163

$48.99 MX$900

85.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 AWG 19.01

$11.23 MX$206

-5.43%

Cappuccino

$5.19 AWG 9.29

$3.76 MX$69.0

38.03%

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

$2.35 AWG 4.21

$1.65 MX$30.34

42.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AWG 4.11

$1.28 MX$23.48

79.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.38

$3.26 MX$59.8

60.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$5.66 MX$104

20.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 AWG 2.98

$1.81 MX$33.23

-7.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 AWG 5.15

$2.94 MX$54.0

-2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 AWG 5.44

$2.05 MX$37.62

48.29%

Eggs

$3.80 AWG 6.81

$2.93 MX$53.7

29.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 AWG 25.00

$11.95 MX$219

16.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 AWG 7.55

$9.51 MX$175

-55.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.7

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$2.01 MX$36.99

-2.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.72

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.82

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.46

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.18

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.3

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$0.34 MX$6.33

632.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.47

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.74

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.3

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.26

$1.52 MX$27.91

56.58%

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

$21.7K MX$399.0K

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

$24.8K MX$455.6K

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

$233 AWG 418

$63.0 MX$1,156

270.56%

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

$133 AWG 239

$28.88 MX$530

362.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AWG 155

$33.93 MX$623

155.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,024

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$457

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$124

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

$302 AWG 541

$428 MX$7,854

-29.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

50.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,286

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 AWG 116

$53.7 MX$986

20.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$110 MX$2,016

7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 AWG 1,167

$1,062 MX$19.5K

-38.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AWG 2,540

$671 MX$12.3K

111.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,256 AWG 5,828

$2,379 MX$43.7K

36.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 AWG 7,222

$1,260 MX$23.1K

220.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 AWG 3,377

$997 MX$18.3K

89.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 52.7% $748

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$453 19%

Mexico City

$126 8% 72.3% $328

Eating Out

Aruba

$269 11.3%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 22.9% $62

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$148 * 6.2%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 122% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$82 * 3.5%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 90.5% $75

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 165% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

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 $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays 89% 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 $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $327, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

00:45 12:45 AM

2 h behind Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.498 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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 = 0.498 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aruba Mexico City 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Mexico City differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,376 vs $1,561 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 89% 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 $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 122% 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 $1,561 in Mexico City – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $2,376 in Aruba, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Aruba. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Aruba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.