Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oranjestad and Buenos Aires

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.

113

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
Learn more

Oranjestad Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,327

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Oranjestad $2,327
Buenos Aires $1,685

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

Oranjestad $4,208
Buenos Aires $2,742

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

Oranjestad $6,089
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Oranjestad is roughly 38% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.18 AWG 39.71

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

18.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 AWG 142

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

22.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 AWG 18.16

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-21.27%

Cappuccino

$4.29 AWG 7.68

$3.98 ARS 6,029

7.79%

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

$1.41 AWG 2.52

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-31.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 AWG 2.97

$1.55 ARS 2,349

7.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 AWG 5.24

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-23.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 AWG 7.33

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-10.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AWG 3.30

$1.44 ARS 2,181

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 AWG 5.24

$2.46 ARS 3,738

19.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 AWG 5.21

$1.63 ARS 2,467

78.53%

Eggs

$5.40 AWG 9.66

$2.89 ARS 4,385

86.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 AWG 22.59

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

18.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 AWG 16.50

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-7.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 AWG 21.54

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-12.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 AWG 8.37

$2.75 ARS 4,166

70.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 AWG 4.13

$2.18 ARS 3,300

5.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 AWG 9.15

$1.45 ARS 2,205

252.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 AWG 6.38

$1.99 ARS 3,013

78.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 AWG 3.91

$1.24 ARS 1,885

76.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 AWG 3.67

$1.27 ARS 1,921

61.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 AWG 4.78

$1.70 ARS 2,575

57.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 AWG 2.84

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-8.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.91 AWG 17.75

$4.18 ARS 6,337

137.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.70 AWG 17.36

$5.80 ARS 8,790

67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 AWG 7.07

$2.09 ARS 3,163

89.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 AWG 7.74

$2.77 ARS 4,198

56.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 AWG 3.83

$0.75 ARS 1,132

185.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.14 AWG 54.0

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

11.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.86 AWG 30.18

$1.62 ARS 2,451

940.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.83 AWG 6.86

$0.98 ARS 1,481

290.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.95 AWG 44.67

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

223.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 AWG 3.65

$1.36 ARS 2,058

50.00%

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

$25.9K AWG 46.4K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-7.50%

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

$34.7K AWG 62.2K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

0.58%

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

$252 AWG 451

$216 ARS 326.9K

16.88%

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

$48.35 AWG 86.6

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

88.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$104 AWG 187

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

232.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 AWG 111

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

24.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.38 AWG 47.22

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

54.63%

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 AWG 21.52

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

15.24%

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

$254 AWG 455

$466 ARS 706.7K

-45.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,657 AWG 15.5K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-4.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 AWG 106

$122 ARS 185.2K

-51.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 AWG 91.9

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-47.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 AWG 195

$117 ARS 177.4K

-7.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 AWG 186

$140 ARS 211.9K

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 AWG 1,673

$763 ARS 1.2M

22.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 AWG 1,676

$505 ARS 766.1K

85.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,703 AWG 4,839

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

69.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,031 AWG 5,426

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

155.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,210 AWG 3,956

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-17.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,744 AWG 3,121

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-6.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,706 AWG 3,053

$954 ARS 1.4M

78.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

57.25

-89.08%

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

Last update for Oranjestad: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oranjestad

$936 40.6%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 46.1% $431

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oranjestad

$405 17.5%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 32.6% $132

Groceries & Markets

Oranjestad

$365 15.8%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 22.1% $81

Eating Out

Oranjestad

$294 12.8%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 5.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Oranjestad

$145 6.3%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 47.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Oranjestad

$86 3.7%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 18.1% $16

Getting Around

Oranjestad

$75 3.2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 51% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $935 in Oranjestad and $763 in Buenos Aires. 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: $79.0 in Oranjestad vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h ahead of Oranjestad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.499 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

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).

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).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Oranjestad
Buenos Aires

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

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

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

Average pay runs 79% higher in Oranjestad, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $254 in Oranjestad versus $466 in Buenos Aires. 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, Oranjestad and Buenos Aires 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.