Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Oranjestad

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,327 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
Learn more

Oranjestad Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Oranjestad

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Oranjestad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,327 in Oranjestad.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Oranjestad $2,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $4,208 in Oranjestad.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Oranjestad $4,208

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $6,089 in Oranjestad.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Oranjestad $6,089

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 28% less than in Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Oranjestad 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$22.18 AWG 39.71

-15.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$79.3 AWG 142

-18.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$10.14 AWG 18.16

27.02%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$4.29 AWG 7.68

-7.23%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.41 AWG 2.52

45.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.66 AWG 2.97

-6.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.92 AWG 5.24

31.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$4.10 AWG 7.33

12.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.84 AWG 3.30

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.93 AWG 5.24

-16.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.91 AWG 5.21

-43.99%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$5.40 AWG 9.66

-46.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$12.62 AWG 22.59

-15.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.22 AWG 16.50

8.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$12.03 AWG 21.54

14.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.68 AWG 8.37

-41.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.31 AWG 4.13

-5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$5.11 AWG 9.15

-71.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$3.56 AWG 6.38

-44.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.19 AWG 3.91

-43.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.05 AWG 3.67

-38.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$2.67 AWG 4.78

-36.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.59 AWG 2.84

8.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$9.91 AWG 17.75

-57.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$9.70 AWG 17.36

-40.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$3.95 AWG 7.07

-47.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$4.33 AWG 7.74

-36.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$2.14 AWG 3.83

-64.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$30.14 AWG 54.0

-9.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$16.86 AWG 30.18

-90.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$3.83 AWG 6.86

-74.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$24.95 AWG 44.67

-69.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$2.04 AWG 3.65

-33.33%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$25.9K AWG 46.4K

8.11%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$34.7K AWG 62.2K

-0.57%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$252 AWG 451

-14.44%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$48.35 AWG 86.6

-47.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$104 AWG 187

-69.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$62.3 AWG 111

-19.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$26.38 AWG 47.22

-35.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$12.02 AWG 21.52

-13.23%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$254 AWG 455

83.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$8,657 AWG 15.5K

4.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$59.1 AWG 106

106.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$51.3 AWG 91.9

89.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$109 AWG 195

7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$104 AWG 186

34.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$935 AWG 1,673

-18.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$936 AWG 1,676

-46.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$2,703 AWG 4,839

-40.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$3,031 AWG 5,426

-60.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,210 AWG 3,956

21.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,744 AWG 3,121

6.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,706 AWG 3,053

-44.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.25

816.00%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Oranjestad: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Oranjestad

$936 40.6% 85.4% $431

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Oranjestad

$365 15.8% 28.4% $81

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Oranjestad

$294 12.8% 5.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Oranjestad

$405 17.5% 48.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Oranjestad

$145 6.3% 32.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Oranjestad

$86 3.7% 22.1% $16

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Oranjestad

$75 3.2% 104% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $935 in Oranjestad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oranjestad pays 79% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $79.0 in Oranjestad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $365 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

35,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.499 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.499 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Oranjestad 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Oranjestad

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

Buenos Aires vs Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Oranjestad differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $2,327 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Oranjestad. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $935 in Oranjestad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $254 in Oranjestad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Oranjestad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,327 in Oranjestad, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Oranjestad. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Oranjestad are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Oranjestad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.