Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,350 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,350

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,350 in Aruba versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Aruba $2,350
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,243 in Aruba versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Aruba $4,243
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,135 in Aruba versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Aruba $6,135
Phuket $2,845

Living in Aruba is roughly 94% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aruba is 73% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.68 AWG 26.27

$4.40 ฿147

233.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 AWG 161

$32.26 ฿1,078

179.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 AWG 18.87

$8.76 ฿293

20.32%

Cappuccino

$5.26 AWG 9.42

$2.83 ฿94.5

85.87%

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

$2.42 AWG 4.34

$0.90 ฿30.14

168.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 AWG 3.93

$0.47 ฿15.56

365.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.37

$2.55 ฿85.2

105.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 AWG 12.69

$3.83 ฿128

85.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 AWG 2.94

$1.73 ฿57.7

-5.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 AWG 5.09

$1.47 ฿49.11

93.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 AWG 5.29

$1.51 ฿50.6

96.03%

Eggs

$3.72 AWG 6.66

$2.17 ฿72.7

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 AWG 25.47

$19.70 ฿658

-27.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 AWG 7.50

$3.34 ฿112

25.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 AWG 3.63

$1.70 ฿56.9

19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 AWG 4.54

$2.26 ฿75.6

12.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 AWG 4.42

$1.45 ฿48.45

70.34%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$239 AWG 428

$96.4 ฿3,221

147.98%

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

$132 AWG 237

$11.04 ฿369

1098.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.7 AWG 151

$17.14 ฿573

393.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

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

$298 AWG 533

$556 ฿18.6K

-46.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K AWG 31.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

53.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 AWG 118

$28.69 ฿959

130.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 AWG 215

$95.4 ฿3,187

26.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 AWG 1,174

$737 ฿24.6K

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 AWG 2,472

$462 ฿15.5K

198.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,142 AWG 5,623

$2,095 ฿70.0K

49.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,992 AWG 7,145

$1,201 ฿40.1K

232.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 AWG 3,352

$501 ฿16.7K

274.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Aruba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 58.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 66.5% $919

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$456 19.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 72.7% $331

Eating Out

Aruba

$271 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 55.3% $150

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$147 * 6.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 82.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$84 * 3.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 48.3% $40

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 289% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Phuket

$68 5.6%

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 $656 in Aruba and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays 274% 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: $90.0 in Aruba vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $147 vs $269, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

22:16 10:16 PM

11 h ahead of Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

79,308

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aruba Phuket 17,410 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Phuket differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($2,350 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 274% 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: $656 in Aruba versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 82% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,350 per month in Aruba versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,350 in Aruba, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Aruba. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Aruba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.