Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Aruba

Name: Aruba
Address: AW

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,591 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
Learn more

Aruba Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Aruba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $2,591 in Aruba.

China $791
Aruba $2,591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $4,489 in Aruba.

China $1,251
Aruba $4,489

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $6,386 in Aruba.

China $1,711
Aruba $6,386

Internal cost variation is higher in Aruba: monthly costs span $136 to $2,559, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Aruba.

Living in China costs about 69% less than in Aruba on average.

China (42% below) and Aruba (90% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$18.73 AWG 33.51

-84.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$89.9 AWG 161

-75.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$10.69 AWG 19.12

-51.36%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$4.40 AWG 7.88

-32.50%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$2.06 AWG 3.68

-76.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.87 AWG 3.34

-83.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$5.14 AWG 9.20

-78.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$7.83 AWG 14.02

-70.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.80 AWG 3.22

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$2.94 AWG 5.26

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$3.39 AWG 6.06

-72.86%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$5.01 AWG 8.96

-67.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$13.09 AWG 23.42

2.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$7.27 AWG 13.02

-53.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$12.24 AWG 21.89

-7.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$4.69 AWG 8.39

-61.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$2.79 AWG 4.99

-53.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$6.34 AWG 11.34

-76.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$5.22 AWG 9.34

-75.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$3.54 AWG 6.33

-79.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.04 AWG 3.65

-54.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$2.86 AWG 5.12

-78.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$2.47 AWG 4.43

-77.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$10.17 AWG 18.21

-62.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$10.18 AWG 18.22

19.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$4.61 AWG 8.24

-82.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$4.38 AWG 7.84

-61.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.46 AWG 4.40

-88.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$92.6 AWG 166

-80.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$19.67 AWG 35.21

-92.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$3.91 AWG 7.00

-90.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$22.07 AWG 39.49

-67.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$2.48 AWG 4.44

-49.19%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$26.6K AWG 47.6K

-26.86%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$35.9K AWG 64.3K

-51.20%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$230 AWG 411

-76.25%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$82.8 AWG 148

-89.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$98.4 AWG 176

-88.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$78.7 AWG 141

-48.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$37.97 AWG 67.9

-61.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$9.91 AWG 17.73

-31.58%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$227 AWG 407

127.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$11.7K AWG 20.9K

69.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$69.3 AWG 124

-32.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$78.4 AWG 140

-54.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$128 AWG 230

-40.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$125 AWG 223

-35.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$1,140 AWG 2,040

-66.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$1,075 AWG 1,924

-78.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$2,838 AWG 5,079

-71.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$3,036 AWG 5,433

-85.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$2,240 AWG 4,009

109.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,698 AWG 3,038

39.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$2,443 AWG 4,372

-55.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.25

-44.64%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Aruba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Aruba

$1.1K 41.5% 359% $841

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Aruba

$393 15.2% 87% $183

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Aruba

$180 7% 67.4% $73

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Aruba

$292 11.3% 231% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Aruba

$411 15.9% 453% $337

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Aruba

$99 3.8% 81.3% $44

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Aruba

$142 5.5% 534% $119

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $1,087 in Aruba. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $932 in Oranjestad.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $2,395 in Aruba. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 265% higher in Aruba.

Dining out costs 255% more in Aruba.

Public transport is 417% more expensive in Aruba.

Salaries are about 2.7 times higher in Aruba, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇦🇼 Aruba

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

05:20 5:20 AM

12 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

106,739

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.501 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Aruba 14,150 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Aruba

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

China vs Aruba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,591 per month in Aruba and $791 in China, China comes out about 69% cheaper. 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 cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,087 in Aruba and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 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: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.