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: $1,066 in Aruba versus $1,260 in Mexico.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,830 in Aruba versus $2,019 in Mexico.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,593 in Aruba versus $2,777 in Mexico.

Living in Aruba costs about 15% less than in Mexico on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Aruba 22% lower, Mexico 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.60 AWG 33.30

$11.94 MX$203

55.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 AWG 159

$46.71 MX$793

90.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 AWG 18.19

$10.16 MX$173

Cappuccino

$4.93 AWG 8.82

$3.88 MX$65.9

27.06%

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

$2.14 AWG 3.83

$1.58 MX$26.90

35.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 AWG 3.23

$1.11 MX$18.79

63.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 AWG 9.82

$2.92 MX$49.56

88.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 AWG 14.10

$4.82 MX$81.8

63.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 AWG 3.20

$1.77 MX$30.11

1.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 AWG 5.37

$3.04 MX$51.7

-1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 AWG 6.05

$1.93 MX$32.82

75.13%

Eggs

$5.03 AWG 9.00

$2.69 MX$45.61

86.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 AWG 22.71

$9.76 MX$166

29.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.50 AWG 13.42

$8.70 MX$148

-13.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 AWG 21.53

$12.54 MX$213

-4.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 AWG 8.37

$3.12 MX$53.0

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 AWG 5.09

$1.75 MX$29.78

62.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.33 AWG 11.33

$2.22 MX$37.73

185.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.05 AWG 9.04

$2.14 MX$36.31

135.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 AWG 6.14

$2.20 MX$37.29

55.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 AWG 3.45

$2.09 MX$35.55

-7.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 AWG 5.05

$1.53 MX$26.00

84.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 AWG 4.35

$1.23 MX$20.83

97.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.14 AWG 18.15

$4.72 MX$80.2

114.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 AWG 17.64

$11.54 MX$196

-14.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.52 AWG 8.10

$1.82 MX$30.99

148.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 AWG 8.16

$3.45 MX$58.6

32.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 AWG 4.36

$0.69 MX$11.78

253.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.5 AWG 164

$29.26 MX$497

212.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.21 AWG 34.38

$2.88 MX$48.83

567.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 AWG 6.79

$2.87 MX$48.73

32.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.81 AWG 39.03

$11.76 MX$200

85.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 AWG 3.92

$1.49 MX$25.26

46.98%

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

$26.2K AWG 46.9K

$22.4K MX$381.1K

16.86%

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

$35.3K AWG 63.2K

$26.1K MX$442.9K

35.40%

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

$232 AWG 416

$74.6 MX$1,267

211.54%

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

$85.7 AWG 153

$25.21 MX$428

239.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.0 AWG 177

$31.40 MX$533

215.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.5 AWG 139

$39.89 MX$678

94.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.38 AWG 70.5

$19.08 MX$324

106.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 AWG 18.02

$5.62 MX$95.4

79.18%

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

$228 AWG 408

$282 MX$4,787

-19.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K AWG 21.1K

$6,767 MX$114.9K

74.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.6 AWG 125

$60.5 MX$1,027

15.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.5 AWG 137

$44.67 MX$759

71.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 AWG 227

$105 MX$1,782

20.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 AWG 219

$97.9 MX$1,663

24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 AWG 1,807

$766 MX$13.0K

31.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 AWG 1,784

$494 MX$8,386

101.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,632 AWG 4,711

$1,413 MX$24.0K

86.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 AWG 4,694

$954 MX$16.2K

174.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,285 AWG 4,090

$2,695 MX$45.8K

-15.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,723 AWG 3,085

$1,570 MX$26.7K

9.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,481 AWG 4,440

$835 MX$14.2K

197.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

11.43

-45.32%

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

Last update for Aruba: August 29, 2026

Last update for Mexico: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $545 in Aruba, $672 in Mexico. Capital cities: $922 in Oranjestad vs $1,134 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $2,417 in Aruba, $784 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 23% higher in Mexico.

Dining out costs 24% more in Mexico.

Public transport is 77% more expensive in Aruba.

Salaries are 208% 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 $1,164 per month in Aruba and $1,836 in Mexico, there's a 58% 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.