Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,376 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Santiago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Aruba versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Aruba $2,376
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,248 in Aruba versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Aruba $4,248
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Aruba versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Aruba $6,119
Santiago $2,564

Living in Aruba is roughly 97% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aruba is 77% above, Santiago is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 AWG 25.95

$10.19 CLP 9,931

42.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 AWG 163

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

74.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 AWG 19.01

$8.54 CLP 8,323

24.36%

Cappuccino

$5.19 AWG 9.29

$3.19 CLP 3,115

62.70%

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

$2.35 AWG 4.21

$1.68 CLP 1,637

39.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AWG 4.11

$1.22 CLP 1,191

88.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.38

$4.21 CLP 4,101

24.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$4.66 CLP 4,539

46.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 AWG 2.98

$1.32 CLP 1,283

26.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 AWG 5.15

$1.80 CLP 1,756

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 AWG 5.44

$1.58 CLP 1,543

92.41%

Eggs

$3.80 AWG 6.81

$4.25 CLP 4,141

-10.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 AWG 25.00

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

24.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 AWG 7.55

$6.75 CLP 6,580

-37.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 CLP 1,991

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$1.53 CLP 1,497

28.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,549

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 CLP 1,708

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,051

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,476

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 CLP 1,145

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 CLP 1,041

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,015

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 CLP 5,732

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CLP 1,513

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CLP 2,218

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$0.85 CLP 829

192.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 CLP 383

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 820

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.26

$1.50 CLP 1,467

58.67%

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

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

$233 AWG 418

$151 CLP 147.3K

54.44%

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

$133 AWG 239

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

1008.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AWG 155

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

357.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 CLP 7,185

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

$302 AWG 541

$434 CLP 423.3K

-30.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

62.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 AWG 116

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

122.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

75.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 AWG 1,167

$555 CLP 540.8K

17.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AWG 2,540

$372 CLP 363.2K

280.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,256 AWG 5,828

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

222.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 AWG 7,222

$779 CLP 759.1K

418.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 AWG 3,377

$791 CLP 771.7K

138.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 73.8% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$453 19%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 59.9% $271

Eating Out

Aruba

$269 11.3%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 30.3% $81

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$148 * 6.2%

Santiago

$236 20% 60.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$82 * 3.5%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 24.4% $20

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 398% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Santiago

$49 4.1%

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 $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays 138% 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 $52.0 in Santiago. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $236, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

02:52 2:52 AM

1 h ahead of Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.498 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aruba Santiago 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Santiago differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($2,376 vs $1,206 including rent). Santiago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 138% 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 $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 60% 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 $1,206 in Santiago – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,376 in Aruba, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Aruba. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago 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 Santiago 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 Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Aruba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.