Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,276 a month against $2,555 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
Learn more

Aruba Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
Learn more

Mexico Living Index

Jump to prices

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,555

/mo nomad

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Mexico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Aruba versus $1,276 in Mexico.

Aruba $2,555
Mexico $1,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,283 in Aruba versus $2,023 in Mexico.

Aruba $4,283
Mexico $2,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,010 in Aruba versus $2,770 in Mexico.

Aruba $6,010
Mexico $2,770

Living in Aruba is roughly 100% more expensive than in Mexico on average.

Aruba (89% above) and Mexico (5% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.58 AWG 33.24

$10.91 MX$202

70.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 AWG 161

$44.51 MX$822

101.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 AWG 18.04

$9.21 MX$170

9.45%

Cappuccino

$4.95 AWG 8.86

$3.55 MX$65.6

39.44%

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

$2.08 AWG 3.73

$1.43 MX$26.34

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 AWG 3.29

$1.07 MX$19.83

71.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 AWG 10.25

$2.73 MX$50.4

109.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 AWG 14.20

$4.40 MX$81.3

80.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 AWG 3.17

$1.61 MX$29.74

9.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 AWG 5.28

$2.74 MX$50.7

7.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.34 AWG 5.98

$1.72 MX$31.76

94.19%

Eggs

$4.87 AWG 8.72

$2.57 MX$47.55

89.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 AWG 22.86

$9.34 MX$173

36.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 AWG 13.66

$8.13 MX$150

-6.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.21 AWG 21.84

$11.62 MX$215

5.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 AWG 8.64

$2.94 MX$54.3

64.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 AWG 4.91

$1.62 MX$29.95

69.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.25 AWG 11.18

$2.08 MX$38.41

200.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 AWG 9.28

$1.91 MX$35.21

171.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 AWG 6.07

$2.07 MX$38.22

63.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 AWG 3.59

$2.05 MX$37.86

-1.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.94 AWG 5.27

$1.44 MX$26.69

104.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 AWG 4.28

$1.10 MX$20.33

117.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.03 AWG 17.96

$4.64 MX$85.7

116.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.08 AWG 18.03

$10.76 MX$199

-6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.57 AWG 8.17

$1.79 MX$33.08

155.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 AWG 8.15

$3.33 MX$61.5

36.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$0.63 MX$11.61

295.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 AWG 169

$27.08 MX$500

248.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.32 AWG 34.58

$2.77 MX$51.2

597.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.91 AWG 6.99

$2.76 MX$51.1

41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.06 AWG 39.47

$11.03 MX$204

100.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 AWG 4.27

$1.47 MX$27.17

62.59%

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

$26.3K AWG 47.1K

$20.8K MX$384.4K

26.39%

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

$35.7K AWG 64.0K

$24.2K MX$446.9K

47.83%

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

$236 AWG 422

$69.1 MX$1,278

241.16%

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

$85.5 AWG 153

$23.20 MX$429

268.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$102 AWG 182

$28.94 MX$535

252.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.8 AWG 141

$36.82 MX$680

114.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.97 AWG 69.8

$18.19 MX$336

114.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 AWG 18.22

$5.29 MX$97.7

92.44%

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

$232 AWG 416

$264 MX$4,887

-12.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K AWG 21.0K

$6,272 MX$115.9K

86.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.5 AWG 123

$56.8 MX$1,050

20.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 AWG 137

$41.50 MX$767

84.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 AWG 226

$99.0 MX$1,828

27.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 AWG 217

$89.5 MX$1,654

35.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 AWG 1,763

$714 MX$13.2K

37.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 AWG 1,831

$469 MX$8,674

117.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 AWG 4,656

$1,323 MX$24.5K

96.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 AWG 4,722

$901 MX$16.7K

192.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,271 AWG 4,064

$2,553 MX$47.2K

-11.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,762 AWG 3,154

$1,467 MX$27.1K

20.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,516 AWG 4,503

$768 MX$14.2K

227.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

11.44

-45.37%

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

Last update for Aruba: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1K 40%

Mexico

$469 36.8% 54.1% $554

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$423 16.6%

Mexico

$121 9.5% 71.3% $302

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$391 15.3%

Mexico

$273 21.4% 30.3% $119

Eating Out

Aruba

$298 11.7%

Mexico

$190 14.9% 36.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$177 6.9%

Mexico

$129 10.1% 26.9% $48

Getting Around

Aruba

$143 5.6%

Mexico

$46 3.6% 67.8% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

$99 3.9%

Mexico

$47 3.7% 52.2% $52

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $546 in Aruba, $617 in Mexico. Capital cities: $928 in Oranjestad vs $1,051 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $2,438 in Aruba, $735 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 13% higher in Mexico.

Dining out costs 13% more in Mexico.

Public transport is 92% more expensive in Aruba.

Salaries are 232% higher in Aruba, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Aruba.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇲🇽 Mexico

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

2 h behind Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,739

124,777,324

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aruba Mexico 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Mexico

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 Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,555 per month in Aruba and $1,276 in Mexico, there's a 100% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Mexico is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

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