Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Oranjestad

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Oranjestad: $2,232 and $2,327 a month, rent and utilities included.

Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,232
/mo nomad
Oranjestad
🇦🇼 Aruba
$2,327
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary 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 Calgary and in Oranjestad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,327 in Oranjestad.

  • Calgary $2,232
  • Oranjestad $2,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $4,208 in Oranjestad.

  • Calgary $3,363
  • Oranjestad $4,208

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $6,089 in Oranjestad.

  • Calgary $4,493
  • Oranjestad $6,089

Living in Calgary costs roughly 4% less than in Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 67% above, Oranjestad 74% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.22 CA$24.54
$22.18 AWG 39.71
-22.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2 CA$101
$79.3 AWG 142
-10.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.56 CA$15.06
$10.14 AWG 18.16
4.14%
Cappuccino
$3.77 CA$5.38
$4.29 AWG 7.68
-12.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 CA$2.73
$1.41 AWG 2.52
35.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 CA$2.63
$1.66 AWG 2.97
10.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.86 CA$6.93
$2.92 AWG 5.24
66.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 CA$7.91
$4.10 AWG 7.33
35.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 CA$2.68
$1.84 AWG 3.30
2.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.73 CA$3.89
$2.93 AWG 5.24
-6.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.34 CA$7.61
$2.91 AWG 5.21
83.51%
Eggs
$3.77 CA$5.37
$5.40 AWG 9.66
-30.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.29 CA$16.09
$12.62 AWG 22.59
-10.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.46 CA$16.34
$9.22 AWG 16.50
24.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.26 CA$26.03
$12.03 AWG 21.54
51.79%
Apples (1kg)
$4.64 CA$6.62
$4.68 AWG 8.37
-0.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 CA$2.05
$2.31 AWG 4.13
-37.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.22 CA$6.02
$5.11 AWG 9.15
-17.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.86 CA$5.50
$3.56 AWG 6.38
8.43%
Potato (1kg)
$2.62 CA$3.74
$2.19 AWG 3.91
19.63%
Onion (1kg)
$2.66 CA$3.79
$2.05 AWG 3.67
29.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.59 CA$3.69
$2.67 AWG 4.78
-3.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 CA$2.19
$1.59 AWG 2.84
-3.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.26 CA$20.32
$9.91 AWG 17.75
43.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.27 CA$21.76
$9.70 AWG 17.36
57.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.41 CA$3.44
$3.95 AWG 7.07
-38.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 CA$4.41
$4.33 AWG 7.74
-28.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.88 CA$4.11
$2.14 AWG 3.83
34.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.7 CA$126
$30.14 AWG 54.0
194.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 CA$4.61
$16.86 AWG 30.18
-80.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.38 CA$1.97
$3.83 AWG 6.86
-63.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.49 CA$37.75
$24.95 AWG 44.67
6.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 CA$1.68
$2.04 AWG 3.65
-42.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K CA$40.3K
$25.9K AWG 46.4K
9.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.7K CA$29.5K
$34.7K AWG 62.2K
-40.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$159 CA$227
$252 AWG 451
-36.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.61 CA$53.6
$48.35 AWG 86.6
-22.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.68 CA$70.8
$104 AWG 187
-52.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 CA$75.9
$62.3 AWG 111
-14.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.31 CA$26.10
$26.38 AWG 47.22
-30.59%
Cinema Ticket
$14.08 CA$20.06
$12.02 AWG 21.52
17.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$809 CA$1,154
$254 AWG 455
218.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K CA$22.6K
$8,657 AWG 15.5K
83.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 CA$83.8
$59.1 AWG 106
-0.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.84 CA$55.4
$51.3 AWG 91.9
-24.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.4 CA$130
$109 AWG 195
-15.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 CA$155
$104 AWG 186
5.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,237 CA$1,764
$935 AWG 1,673
32.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$996 CA$1,420
$936 AWG 1,676
6.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,908 CA$2,720
$2,703 AWG 4,839
-29.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 CA$2,382
$3,031 AWG 5,426
-44.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,530 CA$5,032
$2,210 AWG 3,956
59.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,336 CA$4,755
$1,744 AWG 3,121
91.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calgary
Oranjestad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,130 CA$4,461
$1,706 AWG 3,053
83.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
6.25
-27.84%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Oranjestad: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Calgary
$996
Oranjestad
$936 6% $60
Groceries & Markets
Calgary
$387
Oranjestad
$365 5.8% $23
Eating Out
Calgary
$265
Oranjestad
$294 11.1% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
$247
Oranjestad
$405 64.1% $158
Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
$134
Oranjestad
$145 8.3% $11
Getting Around
Calgary
$110
Oranjestad
$75 32.3% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
$81
Oranjestad
$86 6% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Calgary and $935 in Oranjestad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 84% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $79.0 in Oranjestad. Groceries flip the comparison at $387 vs $365, with Oranjestad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Calgary
🇦🇼 Oranjestad
🕒 Local time
06:10 6:10 AM
08:10 8:10 AM
2 h ahead of Calgary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,267,344
35,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calgary Oranjestad 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Calgary
  • 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
Calgary vs Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Oranjestad cheaper than Calgary?
Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Calgary or Oranjestad?
Average pay runs 84% higher in Calgary, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Calgary and Oranjestad?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Calgary versus $935 in Oranjestad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Calgary or in Oranjestad?
Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $79.0 in Oranjestad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Calgary and in Oranjestad?
All in, you'll spend $2,232 per month in Calgary versus $2,327 in Oranjestad – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Calgary or in Oranjestad?
At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,327 in Oranjestad, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Oranjestad. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Calgary or in Oranjestad?
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.
Which city is safer, Calgary or Oranjestad?
Safety-wise, Calgary 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Oranjestad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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