Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Oranjestad

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,891 a month against $2,311 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oranjestad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
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Oranjestad Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,891

/mo nomad

Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,891 in Santa Cruz versus $2,311 in Oranjestad.

Santa Cruz $1,891
Oranjestad $2,311

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,891 in Santa Cruz versus $4,151 in Oranjestad.

Santa Cruz $2,891
Oranjestad $4,151

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,890 in Santa Cruz versus $5,991 in Oranjestad.

Santa Cruz $3,890
Oranjestad $5,991

Living in Santa Cruz costs roughly 18% less than in Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Cruz 40% above, Oranjestad 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.90 AWG 39.19

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 AWG 145

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 AWG 18.29

Cappuccino

$4.43 AWG 7.93

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

$1.47 AWG 2.64

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 AWG 2.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 AWG 5.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 AWG 7.20

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 AWG 3.74

$1.83 AWG 3.27

14.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 AWG 4.85

$3.02 AWG 5.41

-10.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 AWG 8.08

$2.91 AWG 5.21

55.33%

Eggs

$4.64 AWG 8.31

$5.21 AWG 9.32

-10.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 AWG 14.17

$12.47 AWG 22.31

-36.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.65 AWG 13.69

$9.23 AWG 16.52

-17.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 AWG 11.60

$12.27 AWG 21.96

-47.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 AWG 8.13

$4.55 AWG 8.15

-0.22%

Banana (1kg)

$4.36 AWG 7.81

$2.29 AWG 4.11

90.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.08 AWG 14.45

$4.96 AWG 8.88

62.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.60 AWG 11.80

$3.42 AWG 6.13

92.98%

Potato (1kg)

$6.88 AWG 12.31

$2.27 AWG 4.06

203.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 AWG 3.42

$1.95 AWG 3.48

-2.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 AWG 5.43

$2.55 AWG 4.57

18.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.37 AWG 7.82

$1.58 AWG 2.83

176.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.45 AWG 18.70

$9.95 AWG 17.81

5.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 AWG 34.12

$9.81 AWG 17.55

94.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AWG 4.57

$3.90 AWG 6.98

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 AWG 5.55

$4.32 AWG 7.73

-28.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 AWG 3.43

$2.16 AWG 3.87

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$157 AWG 281

$29.50 AWG 52.8

433.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.50 AWG 34.89

$17.20 AWG 30.77

13.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.98 AWG 7.12

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.79 AWG 35.41

$25.07 AWG 44.87

-21.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 AWG 3.65

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

$26.5K AWG 47.3K

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

$35.7K AWG 63.9K

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

$140 AWG 251

$251 AWG 448

-44.06%

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

$71.4 AWG 128

$49.46 AWG 88.5

44.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$207 AWG 371

$107 AWG 192

93.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 AWG 126

$62.6 AWG 112

12.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.90 AWG 83.9

$25.69 AWG 45.97

82.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 AWG 15.10

$11.74 AWG 21.02

-28.11%

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

$139 AWG 248

$253 AWG 453

-45.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,547 AWG 15.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 AWG 138

$60.4 AWG 108

27.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$111 AWG 198

$51.3 AWG 91.8

115.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 AWG 250

$107 AWG 192

30.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 AWG 248

$103 AWG 184

34.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 AWG 2,274

$928 AWG 1,662

36.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 AWG 1,010

$940 AWG 1,682

-39.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 AWG 2,742

$2,663 AWG 4,765

-42.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 AWG 2,485

$3,013 AWG 5,392

-53.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,264 AWG 4,052

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,701 AWG 3,044

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,638 AWG 6,511

$1,736 AWG 3,107

109.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Last update for Oranjestad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

–

Oranjestad

$940 40.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

–

Oranjestad

$407 17.6%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

–

Oranjestad

$363 15.7%

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

–

Oranjestad

$295 12.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

–

Oranjestad

$145 6.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

–

Oranjestad

$86 3.7%

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

–

Oranjestad

$75 3.3%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,271 in Santa Cruz and $928 in Oranjestad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz pays 110% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

Same time as Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

35,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Santa Cruz Oranjestad 6 km

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Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz and Oranjestad differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,891 vs $2,311 including rent). Santa Cruz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 110% higher in Santa Cruz, 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: $1,271 in Santa Cruz versus $928 in Oranjestad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Oranjestad pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,891 per month in Santa Cruz versus $2,311 in Oranjestad – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,891 in Santa Cruz versus $2,311 in Oranjestad, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Oranjestad. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz 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, Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Oranjestad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.