Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,821 a month against $2,591 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,591

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Costa Rica

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,591 in Aruba versus $1,821 in Costa Rica.

Aruba $2,591
Costa Rica $1,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,489 in Aruba versus $2,773 in Costa Rica.

Aruba $4,489
Costa Rica $2,773

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,386 in Aruba versus $3,725 in Costa Rica.

Aruba $6,386
Costa Rica $3,725

Internal cost variation is higher in Aruba: monthly costs span $136 to $2,559, compared to $1,004–$2,114 in Costa Rica. City choice carries more weight in Aruba.

Living in Aruba is roughly 42% more expensive than in Costa Rica on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Aruba 90% above, Costa Rica 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 AWG 33.51

$11.26 ₡5,085

66.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 AWG 161

$54.5 ₡24.6K

64.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 AWG 19.12

$11.02 ₡4,975

-2.99%

Cappuccino

$4.40 AWG 7.88

$4.43 ₡1,999

-0.68%

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

$2.06 AWG 3.68

$2.34 ₡1,055

-11.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 AWG 3.34

$1.84 ₡829

1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 AWG 9.20

$3.26 ₡1,473

57.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 AWG 14.02

$4.55 ₡2,054

72.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 AWG 3.22

$2.45 ₡1,105

-26.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 AWG 5.26

$3.56 ₡1,608

-17.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 AWG 6.06

$2.76 ₡1,245

22.83%

Eggs

$5.01 AWG 8.96

$3.97 ₡1,794

26.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 AWG 23.42

$10.47 ₡4,728

25.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 AWG 13.02

$9.98 ₡4,507

-27.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.24 AWG 21.89

$13.91 ₡6,278

-12.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 AWG 8.39

$5.06 ₡2,283

-7.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 AWG 4.99

$1.69 ₡764

65.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.34 AWG 11.34

$3.45 ₡1,558

83.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 AWG 9.34

$3.23 ₡1,460

61.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 AWG 6.33

$3.44 ₡1,555

2.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 AWG 3.65

$3.25 ₡1,465

-37.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 AWG 5.12

$1.09 ₡492

162.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 AWG 4.43

$2.67 ₡1,204

-7.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 AWG 18.21

$5.38 ₡2,427

89.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 AWG 18.22

$15.50 ₡6,996

-34.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.61 AWG 8.24

$2.75 ₡1,241

67.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 AWG 7.84

$3.30 ₡1,489

32.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 AWG 4.40

$1.13 ₡509

117.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.6 AWG 166

$65.5 ₡29.6K

41.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.67 AWG 35.21

$2.17 ₡979

806.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.91 AWG 7.00

$2.02 ₡913

93.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 AWG 39.49

$8.94 ₡4,036

146.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 AWG 4.44

$1.61 ₡726

54.04%

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

$26.6K AWG 47.6K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-22.93%

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

$35.9K AWG 64.3K

$37.4K ₡16.9M

-3.81%

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

$230 AWG 411

$94.9 ₡42.9K

141.94%

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

$82.8 AWG 148

$31.42 ₡14.2K

163.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.4 AWG 176

$58.6 ₡26.4K

68.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.7 AWG 141

$65.7 ₡29.7K

19.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.97 AWG 67.9

$22.20 ₡10.0K

71.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 AWG 17.73

$8.10 ₡3,656

22.35%

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

$227 AWG 407

$722 ₡325.9K

-68.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K AWG 20.9K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

-9.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 AWG 124

$75.5 ₡34.1K

-8.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AWG 140

$56.4 ₡25.5K

38.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 AWG 230

$128 ₡57.9K

0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 AWG 223

$108 ₡48.8K

15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 AWG 2,040

$960 ₡433.4K

18.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 AWG 1,924

$708 ₡319.6K

51.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,838 AWG 5,079

$1,749 ₡789.4K

62.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,036 AWG 5,433

$1,215 ₡548.5K

149.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,240 AWG 4,009

$2,656 ₡1.2M

-15.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 AWG 3,038

$1,839 ₡830.1K

-7.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,443 AWG 4,372

$1,058 ₡477.8K

130.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

9.56

-34.62%

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

Last update for Aruba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.1K 41.5%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 34.2% $367

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$411 15.9%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 55% $226

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$393 15.2%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 3.3% $13

Eating Out

Aruba

$292 11.3%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 25.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$180 7%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 8.1% $15

Getting Around

Aruba

$142 5.5%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 41.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

$99 3.8%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 16.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,087 in Aruba, $855 in Costa Rica. Capital cities: $932 in Oranjestad vs $1,164 in San Jose.

National salary averages: $2,395 in Aruba, $1,087 in Costa Rica. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 27% higher in Aruba.

Dining out costs 44% more in Aruba.

Public transport is 39% more expensive in Aruba.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Aruba, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Aruba.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

2 h behind Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,739

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.5 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.5 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aruba Costa Rica 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Costa Rica

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 Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,591 per month in Aruba and $1,821 in Costa Rica, Costa Rica comes out about 30% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,087 in Aruba and $855 in Costa Rica. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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