Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Aruba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aruba: $2,376 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $2,376 in Aruba.

Vancouver $2,684
Aruba $2,376

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $4,248 in Aruba.

Vancouver $3,878
Aruba $4,248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $6,119 in Aruba.

Vancouver $5,072
Aruba $6,119

Living in Vancouver is roughly 13% more expensive than in Aruba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Aruba 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$14.50 AWG 25.95

19.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$90.9 AWG 163

-24.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$10.62 AWG 19.01

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$5.19 AWG 9.29

-25.05%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.35 AWG 4.21

-12.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.30 AWG 4.11

-29.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$5.24 AWG 9.38

5.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$6.84 AWG 12.25

-7.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$1.67 AWG 2.98

38.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$2.88 AWG 5.15

-13.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$3.04 AWG 5.44

46.05%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$3.80 AWG 6.81

7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$13.97 AWG 25.00

-19.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$4.22 AWG 7.55

218.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.96 AWG 3.51

-32.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.49 AWG 4.45

-2.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$2.38 AWG 4.26

-42.02%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

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

$81.2 CA$116

$233 AWG 418

-65.22%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$133 AWG 239

-71.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$86.6 AWG 155

-40.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$302 AWG 541

262.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

11.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

$64.9 AWG 116

-49.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$118 AWG 212

-21.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$652 AWG 1,167

167.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$1,419 AWG 2,540

4.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$3,256 AWG 5,828

-7.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$4,034 AWG 7,222

-39.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$1,886 AWG 3,377

101.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6% 4.4% $65

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Aruba

$148 * 6.2% 63% $251

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Aruba

$269 11.3% 1.2% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Aruba

$453 19% 167% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Aruba

$82 * 3.5% 33.8% $42

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Aruba

$10 * 0.4% 90.4% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Aruba

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,745 in Vancouver and $652 in Aruba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 101% 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: $69.0 in Vancouver vs $91.0 in Aruba. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $148, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇦🇼 Aruba

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

07:42 7:42 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

15,236

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.499 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Aruba 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
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

Vancouver vs Aruba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Aruba differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,684 vs $2,376 including rent). Aruba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 101% higher in Vancouver, 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: $1,745 in Vancouver versus $652 in Aruba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 170% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,684 per month in Vancouver versus $2,376 in Aruba – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,376 in Aruba versus $2,684 in Vancouver, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Aruba but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Aruba 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, Vancouver and Aruba 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 Aruba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.