Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Mexico Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,082 in Aruba versus $1,121 in Mexico.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,780 in Aruba versus $1,781 in Mexico.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,478 in Aruba versus $2,441 in Mexico.

Living in Aruba costs about 3% less than in Mexico on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Aruba 19% lower, Mexico 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 AWG 27.96

$10.51 MX$184

48.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 AWG 161

$41.82 MX$731

114.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 AWG 17.86

$7.83 MX$137

27.46%

Cappuccino

$4.28 AWG 7.66

$3.37 MX$59.0

27.00%

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

$1.87 AWG 3.35

$1.34 MX$23.38

39.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 AWG 3.08

$0.98 MX$17.20

75.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 AWG 6.39

$2.33 MX$40.79

53.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 AWG 9.09

$4.13 MX$72.2

23.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 AWG 3.40

$1.51 MX$26.35

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 AWG 5.40

$2.57 MX$45.01

17.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 AWG 6.73

$1.78 MX$31.13

111.24%

Eggs

$4.98 AWG 8.91

$2.37 MX$41.39

110.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.50 AWG 40.26

$8.63 MX$151

160.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 AWG 13.30

$7.53 MX$132

-1.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.38 AWG 23.95

$10.73 MX$188

24.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 AWG 9.40

$2.75 MX$48.14

91.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 AWG 5.58

$1.46 MX$25.51

113.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 AWG 12.97

$1.86 MX$32.52

289.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.44 AWG 11.52

$1.80 MX$31.45

257.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.95 AWG 7.07

$1.93 MX$33.67

104.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 AWG 4.65

$2.05 MX$35.93

26.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.06 AWG 7.26

$1.27 MX$22.14

219.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 AWG 5.16

$1.04 MX$18.22

176.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 AWG 18.10

$4.36 MX$76.2

131.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 AWG 17.58

$11.48 MX$201

-14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 AWG 6.15

$1.65 MX$28.81

108.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 AWG 8.47

$3.01 MX$52.6

57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 AWG 5.30

$0.64 MX$11.25

362.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 AWG 163

$26.22 MX$458

247.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.26 AWG 34.46

$2.69 MX$47.01

615.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.04 AWG 9.01

$1.99 MX$34.83

153.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.78 AWG 44.35

$10.67 MX$186

132.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 AWG 2.60

$1.27 MX$22.29

14.17%

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

$25.9K AWG 46.4K

$20.4K MX$355.9K

27.38%

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

$34.7K AWG 62.2K

$23.3K MX$408.2K

48.84%

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

$222 AWG 397

$63.3 MX$1,107

250.13%

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

$85.3 AWG 153

$23.40 MX$409

264.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.2 AWG 170

$28.07 MX$491

239.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.9 AWG 138

$35.26 MX$616

118.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.17 AWG 70.1

$18.50 MX$324

111.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 AWG 18.04

$4.86 MX$85.0

107.41%

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

$226 AWG 404

$247 MX$4,316

-8.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K AWG 20.6K

$5,786 MX$101.2K

98.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 AWG 114

$51.6 MX$902

23.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.9 AWG 136

$41.40 MX$724

83.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 AWG 226

$94.4 MX$1,650

33.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 AWG 215

$88.3 MX$1,544

36.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 AWG 1,444

$647 MX$11.3K

24.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 AWG 1,044

$456 MX$7,967

28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 AWG 2,851

$1,249 MX$21.8K

27.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 AWG 2,636

$853 MX$14.9K

72.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,264 AWG 4,052

$2,595 MX$45.4K

-12.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,766 AWG 3,161

$1,536 MX$26.9K

14.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,531 AWG 4,529

$806 MX$14.1K

214.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.45

-43.23%

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

Last update for Aruba: July 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $543 in Aruba, $530 in Mexico. Capital cities: $684 in Oranjestad vs $1,003 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $2,403 in Aruba, $761 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 11% more in Mexico.

Public transport is 109% more expensive in Aruba.

Salaries are 216% higher in Aruba, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Aruba.

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 Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,437 per month in Aruba and $1,524 in Mexico, there's a 6% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Aruba: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Mexico is consistently higher than in Aruba across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Aruba, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Mexico 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: Aruba wins on affordability; Mexico may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.