Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Aruba: $2,376 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Vancouver

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Aruba versus $2,684 in Vancouver.

Aruba $2,376
Vancouver $2,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,248 in Aruba versus $3,878 in Vancouver.

Aruba $4,248
Vancouver $3,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Aruba versus $5,072 in Vancouver.

Aruba $6,119
Vancouver $5,072

Living in Aruba costs roughly 11% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aruba 77% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 AWG 25.95

$17.30 CA$24.66

-16.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 AWG 163

$69.0 CA$98.3

31.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 AWG 19.01

$10.56 CA$15.05

0.57%

Cappuccino

$5.19 AWG 9.29

$3.89 CA$5.54

33.42%

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

$2.35 AWG 4.21

$2.05 CA$2.93

14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AWG 4.11

$1.62 CA$2.31

41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.38

$5.54 CA$7.90

-5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$6.33 CA$9.02

8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 AWG 2.98

$2.31 CA$3.30

-27.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 AWG 5.15

$2.50 CA$3.56

15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 AWG 5.44

$4.44 CA$6.33

-31.53%

Eggs

$3.80 AWG 6.81

$4.07 CA$5.80

-6.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 AWG 25.00

$11.28 CA$16.08

23.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 AWG 7.55

$13.42 CA$19.13

-68.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$1.33 CA$1.90

47.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$2.44 CA$3.48

2.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.26

$1.38 CA$1.96

72.46%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

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

$233 AWG 418

$81.2 CA$116

187.51%

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

$133 AWG 239

$37.45 CA$53.4

256.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AWG 155

$51.4 CA$73.2

68.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

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

$302 AWG 541

$1,094 CA$1,560

-72.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

$19.9K CA$28.4K

-10.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 AWG 116

$32.73 CA$46.66

98.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$92.6 CA$132

27.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 AWG 1,167

$1,745 CA$2,488

-62.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AWG 2,540

$1,484 CA$2,115

-4.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,256 AWG 5,828

$2,998 CA$4,273

8.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 AWG 7,222

$2,422 CA$3,453

66.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 AWG 3,377

$3,799 CA$5,416

-50.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

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

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6% 4.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$453 19%

Vancouver

$170 6.5% 62.5% $283

Eating Out

Aruba

$269 11.3%

Vancouver

$272 10.4% 1.2% $3.2

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$148 * 6.2%

Vancouver

$399 15.2% 170% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$82 * 3.5%

Vancouver

$124 4.8% 51.1% $42

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Vancouver

$104 4% 942% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

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 $652 in Aruba and $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 101% 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 $69.0 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $399, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

06:51 6:51 AM

3 h behind Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

631,486

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aruba Vancouver 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Vancouver differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,376 vs $2,684 including rent). Aruba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 101% lower in Vancouver. 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 $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 170% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,376 per month in Aruba versus $2,684 in Vancouver – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,376 in Aruba versus $2,684 in Vancouver, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Aruba but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Aruba 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 Vancouver 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 Aruba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.