Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Oranjestad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,346 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
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Oranjestad Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,346 in Oranjestad.

Mexico City $1,608
Oranjestad $2,346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $4,175 in Oranjestad.

Mexico City $2,549
Oranjestad $4,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $6,004 in Oranjestad.

Mexico City $3,490
Oranjestad $6,004

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 31% less than in Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Oranjestad 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$22.02 AWG 39.40

-51.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$79.3 AWG 142

-39.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.15 AWG 18.17

1.97%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$4.33 AWG 7.74

-14.78%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.48 AWG 2.65

12.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.67 AWG 2.99

-23.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.97 AWG 5.32

7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.91 AWG 6.99

35.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.92 AWG 3.43

-10.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.89 AWG 5.17

5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.83 AWG 5.06

-31.45%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$5.36 AWG 9.59

-46.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.53 AWG 22.42

-12.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.17 AWG 16.41

0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$12.36 AWG 22.12

22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$4.73 AWG 8.47

-35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.30 AWG 4.12

-15.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$5.11 AWG 9.14

-60.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.56 AWG 6.37

-35.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.16 AWG 3.87

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.03 AWG 3.63

-11.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.59 AWG 4.63

-42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.59 AWG 2.84

-20.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$10.17 AWG 18.19

-47.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$10.19 AWG 18.24

58.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$3.95 AWG 7.08

-49.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$4.42 AWG 7.90

-3.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$2.14 AWG 3.83

-85.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$30.60 AWG 54.8

-35.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$16.76 AWG 30.00

-89.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$3.90 AWG 6.98

-86.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$24.70 AWG 44.20

-78.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$2.05 AWG 3.67

-26.34%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$26.3K AWG 47.1K

-17.41%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$34.9K AWG 62.5K

-31.33%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$256 AWG 458

-75.39%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$48.94 AWG 87.6

-44.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$107 AWG 191

-66.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$63.3 AWG 113

-6.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$25.89 AWG 46.32

-8.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.75 AWG 21.02

-45.53%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$252 AWG 451

71.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$8,767 AWG 15.7K

30.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$58.9 AWG 105

15.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$51.4 AWG 92.0

3.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$107 AWG 191

1.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$105 AWG 188

11.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$932 AWG 1,668

19.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$967 AWG 1,731

-26.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,676 AWG 4,790

-3.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$3,022 AWG 5,408

-53.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,284 AWG 4,087

58.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,709 AWG 3,059

24.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,690 AWG 3,024

-44.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.25

81.60%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oranjestad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Oranjestad

$967 41.3% 36.2% $257

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Oranjestad

$366 15.6% 14.5% $46

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Oranjestad

$294 12.5% 47.9% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Oranjestad

$145 6.2% 7.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Oranjestad

$412 17.5% 227% $286

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Oranjestad

$87 3.7% 21% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Oranjestad

$75 3.2% 196% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $932 in Oranjestad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oranjestad pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $79 in Oranjestad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $366 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

01:24 1:24 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

35,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 0.5 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,346 in Oranjestad, so Mexico City is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $932 in Oranjestad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 36% less than in Oranjestad. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $252 in Oranjestad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Oranjestad on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.