Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Aruba Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 2.1 times more expensive than Aruba overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 47.6% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
- pay 6.5% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
- pay 23.6% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
- pay 82.8% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
- pay 6.3 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 39.4% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
- pay 10.7% more in District of Columbia
District of Columbia vs. Aruba Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Aruba, you would:
pay 47.6% more for restaurants
Aruba | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.00 AWG30.62 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.14 AWG18.26 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.86 AWG3.34 | $3.20 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.83 AWG3.30 | $2.79 | |
Aruba vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.5% more for groceries
Aruba | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.40 AWG6.13 | $4.43 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $11.12 AWG20.04 | $8.04 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.97 AWG14.35 | $4.19 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.41 AWG9.74 | $4.55 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.61 AWG6.50 | $7.74 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.41 AWG4.34 | $2.95 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.16 AWG2.09 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.72 AWG4.90 | $2.20 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.61 AWG4.70 | $3.00 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.41 AWG2.54 | $1.35 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.30 AWG2.35 | $1.64 | |
Aruba vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 23.6% more for transportation
Aruba | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $5.48 AWG9.87 | $3.53 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $30.00 AWG54.04 | $77.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $26,095.70 AWG47,004.88 | $35,699.74 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $48.03 AWG86.51 | $16.73 | |
Aruba vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 82.8% more for housing
Aruba | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $86.50 AWG155.81 | $69.41 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $705.36 AWG1,270.53 | $2,568.48 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $985.96 AWG1,775.96 | $2,088.16 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $195.56 AWG352.25 | $146.54 | |
Aruba vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 6.3 times more for childcare
Aruba | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $275.00 AWG495.34 | $2,650.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,223.55 AWG23,818.92 | $40,166.67 | |
Aruba vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 39.4% more for entertainment and sports
Aruba | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $4.00 AWG7.21 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.24 AWG7.64 | $6.07 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $13.75 AWG24.77 | $13.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $83.11 AWG149.70 | $103.76 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $12.47 AWG22.46 | $16.75 | |
Aruba vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.7% more for clothing
Aruba | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.00 AWG99.07 | $76.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $57.85 AWG104.21 | $48.40 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $114.41 AWG206.07 | $104.31 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $102.90 AWG185.35 | $133.22 | |
Aruba vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Aruba vs. District of Columbia
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in Aruba vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Aruba and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about District of Columbia or Aruba. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.