Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Aruba

Name: Aruba
Address: AW

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,775 a month against $2,591 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Spain versus $2,591 in Aruba.

Spain $1,775
Aruba $2,591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Spain versus $4,489 in Aruba.

Spain $2,606
Aruba $4,489

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,438 in Spain versus $6,386 in Aruba.

Spain $3,438
Aruba $6,386

Internal cost variation is higher in Aruba: monthly costs span $136 to $2,559, compared to $931–$2,610 in Spain. City choice carries more weight in Aruba.

Living in Spain costs about 32% less than in Aruba on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 30% above, Aruba 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.96

$18.73 AWG 33.51

-10.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.91

$89.9 AWG 161

-38.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.18

$10.69 AWG 19.12

6.36%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.17

$4.40 AWG 7.88

-45.00%

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

$2.68 €2.40

$2.06 AWG 3.68

30.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.87 AWG 3.34

-4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$5.14 AWG 9.20

-33.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.47

$7.83 AWG 14.02

-50.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.80 AWG 3.22

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.94 AWG 5.26

-49.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$3.39 AWG 6.06

-50.74%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.07

$5.01 AWG 8.96

-31.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.70

$13.09 AWG 23.42

8.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.46

$7.27 AWG 13.02

14.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.52

$12.24 AWG 21.89

32.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$4.69 AWG 8.39

-47.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.79 AWG 4.99

-27.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$6.34 AWG 11.34

-67.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$5.22 AWG 9.34

-50.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$3.54 AWG 6.33

-48.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.04 AWG 3.65

-1.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.86 AWG 5.12

-54.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.47 AWG 4.43

-68.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.70

$10.17 AWG 18.21

-37.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.06

$10.18 AWG 18.22

-44.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.17

$4.61 AWG 8.24

-71.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$4.38 AWG 7.84

-52.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.46 AWG 4.40

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.49

$92.6 AWG 166

-64.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.97

$19.67 AWG 35.21

-77.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.91 AWG 7.00

-62.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.39

$22.07 AWG 39.49

13.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$2.48 AWG 4.44

-28.63%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$26.6K AWG 47.6K

33.61%

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

$30.6K €27.4K

$35.9K AWG 64.3K

-14.81%

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

$149 €134

$230 AWG 411

-35.01%

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

$17.67 €15.84

$82.8 AWG 148

-78.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.57

$98.4 AWG 176

-67.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.64

$78.7 AWG 141

-43.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.70

$37.97 AWG 67.9

-59.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.66

$9.91 AWG 17.73

-2.52%

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

$544 €488

$227 AWG 407

139.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,504

$11.7K AWG 20.9K

-9.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.1

$69.3 AWG 124

22.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.26

$78.4 AWG 140

-52.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.9

$128 AWG 230

-30.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$125 AWG 223

-15.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €947

$1,140 AWG 2,040

-7.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €724

$1,075 AWG 1,924

-24.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,453

$2,838 AWG 5,079

-42.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,117

$3,036 AWG 5,433

-58.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,706

$2,240 AWG 4,009

84.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,359

$1,698 AWG 3,038

55.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,791

$2,443 AWG 4,372

-18.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

6.25

-47.20%

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

Last update for Spain: 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

Spain

$808 45.5%

Aruba

$1.1K 41.5% 33.1% $268

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

Aruba

$393 15.2% 44.6% $121

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

Aruba

$292 11.3% 21.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

Aruba

$411 15.9% 107% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

Aruba

$180 7% 26.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

Aruba

$99 3.8% 55% $35

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

Aruba

$142 5.5% 176% $90

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $920 in Spain, $1,087 in Aruba. Capital cities: $1,508 in Madrid vs $932 in Oranjestad.

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $2,395 in Aruba. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Aruba.

Dining out costs 37% more in Aruba.

Public transport is 200% more expensive in Aruba.

Salaries are 21% higher in Aruba, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇦🇼 Aruba

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

5 h behind Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

106,739

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Spain Aruba 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
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

Spain vs Aruba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,591 per month in Aruba and $1,775 in Spain, Spain comes out about 32% 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 Spain: 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 $920 in Spain. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Spain wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.