Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,591 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
Learn more

Aruba Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,591

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,591 in Aruba versus $791 in China.

Aruba $2,591
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,489 in Aruba versus $1,251 in China.

Aruba $4,489
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,386 in Aruba versus $1,711 in China.

Aruba $6,386
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Aruba: monthly costs span $136 to $2,559, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Aruba.

Living in Aruba is roughly 227% more expensive than in China on average.

Aruba (90% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 AWG 33.51

$2.98 ¥19.78

528.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 AWG 161

$22.09 ¥147

307.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 AWG 19.12

$5.20 ¥34.55

105.58%

Cappuccino

$4.40 AWG 7.88

$2.97 ¥19.71

48.15%

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

$2.06 AWG 3.68

$0.48 ¥3.18

329.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 AWG 3.34

$0.30 ¥2.00

523.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 AWG 9.20

$1.08 ¥7.17

375.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 AWG 14.02

$2.28 ¥15.13

243.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 AWG 3.22

$1.80 ¥11.94

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 AWG 5.26

$1.68 ¥11.13

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 AWG 6.06

$0.92 ¥6.13

268.48%

Eggs

$5.01 AWG 8.96

$1.61 ¥10.72

211.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 AWG 23.42

$13.38 ¥88.9

-2.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 AWG 13.02

$3.35 ¥22.25

117.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.24 AWG 21.89

$11.35 ¥75.4

7.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 AWG 8.39

$1.82 ¥12.11

157.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 AWG 4.99

$1.31 ¥8.68

112.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.34 AWG 11.34

$1.49 ¥9.88

325.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 AWG 9.34

$1.27 ¥8.46

311.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 AWG 6.33

$0.71 ¥4.73

398.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 AWG 3.65

$0.93 ¥6.20

119.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 AWG 5.12

$0.62 ¥4.11

361.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 AWG 4.43

$0.56 ¥3.73

341.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 AWG 18.21

$3.78 ¥25.12

169.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 AWG 18.22

$12.13 ¥80.6

-16.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.61 AWG 8.24

$0.83 ¥5.53

455.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 AWG 7.84

$1.68 ¥11.19

160.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 AWG 4.40

$0.29 ¥1.91

748.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.6 AWG 166

$17.83 ¥118

419.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.67 AWG 35.21

$1.49 ¥9.88

1220.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.91 AWG 7.00

$0.37 ¥2.49

956.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 AWG 39.49

$7.10 ¥47.17

210.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 AWG 4.44

$1.26 ¥8.36

96.83%

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

$26.6K AWG 47.6K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

36.72%

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

$35.9K AWG 64.3K

$17.5K ¥116.5K

104.92%

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

$230 AWG 411

$54.6 ¥363

321.00%

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

$82.8 AWG 148

$8.73 ¥58.0

848.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.4 AWG 176

$11.07 ¥73.5

788.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.7 AWG 141

$40.77 ¥271

92.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.97 AWG 67.9

$14.48 ¥96.2

162.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 AWG 17.73

$6.78 ¥45.05

46.17%

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

$227 AWG 407

$517 ¥3,433

-55.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K AWG 20.9K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-41.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 AWG 124

$46.53 ¥309

49.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AWG 140

$35.66 ¥237

119.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 AWG 230

$77.0 ¥512

66.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 AWG 223

$80.3 ¥533

55.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 AWG 2,040

$386 ¥2,564

195.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 AWG 1,924

$235 ¥1,558

358.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,838 AWG 5,079

$822 ¥5,461

245.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,036 AWG 5,433

$453 ¥3,011

570.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,240 AWG 4,009

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-52.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 AWG 3,038

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-28.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,443 AWG 4,372

$1,093 ¥7,264

123.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

3.46

80.64%

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

Last update for Aruba: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.1K 41.5%

China

$235 29.6% 78.2% $841

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$411 15.9%

China

$74 9.4% 81.9% $337

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$393 15.2%

China

$210 26.5% 46.5% $183

Eating Out

Aruba

$292 11.3%

China

$88 11.1% 69.8% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$180 7%

China

$108 13.6% 40.3% $73

Getting Around

Aruba

$142 5.5%

China

$22 2.8% 84.2% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

$99 3.8%

China

$54 6.9% 44.8% $44

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,087 in Aruba, $298 in China. Capital cities: $932 in Oranjestad vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,395 in Aruba, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 265% higher in Aruba.

Dining out costs 255% more in Aruba.

Public transport is 417% more expensive in Aruba.

Salaries are about 2.7 times higher in Aruba, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

16:31 4:31 PM

12 h ahead of Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,739

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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 = 0.501 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aruba China 14,150 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,591 per month in Aruba and $791 in China, China comes out about 69% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,087 in Aruba and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Aruba it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.