Cost of living comparison

compared to

Aruba vs. Panama Cost of Living Summary

Aruba is 51.4% more expensive than Panama overall.

Restaurants: pay 55.2% more in Aruba
Groceries: pay 57.1% more in Aruba
Transportation: pay 54.3% more in Aruba
Housing: pay 61.7% more in Aruba
Childcare: pay 8.2% more in Aruba
Entertainment and Sports: pay 89.3% more in Aruba
Clothing: pay 33.8% more in Aruba

The cost of entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and clothing in Aruba are more expensive than in Panama. Notably, entertainment and sports is significantly more expensive in Aruba.

Aruba vs. Panama Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Aruba instead of Panama, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 55.2% more for restaurants

	Panama	Aruba
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.35 PAB8.35	$17.00 AWG30.60	+103.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.75 PAB7.75	$10.14 AWG18.24	+30.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.37 PAB1.37	$1.86 AWG3.34	+35.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.21 PAB1.21	$1.83 AWG3.29	+51.2%
Average			+55.2%

Panama vs. Aruba - Cost of restaurants

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pay 57.1% more for groceries

	Panama	Aruba
Bread 1 loaf	$2.21 PAB2.21	$3.40 AWG6.12	+53.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.02 PAB6.02	$11.12 AWG20.03	+84.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.86 PAB6.86	$7.97 AWG14.34	+16.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.47 PAB2.47	$5.41 AWG9.74	+119.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.58 PAB3.58	$3.61 AWG6.49	+0.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.13 PAB2.13	$2.41 AWG4.34	+12.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.60 PAB0.60	$1.16 AWG2.09	+94.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.40 PAB1.40	$2.72 AWG4.90	+93.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.51 PAB1.51	$2.61 AWG4.69	+73.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.96 PAB0.96	$1.41 AWG2.54	+47.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.99 PAB0.99	$1.30 AWG2.35	+31.6%
Average			+57.1%

Panama vs. Aruba - Cost of groceries

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pay 54.3% more for transportation

	Panama	Aruba
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.87 PAB3.87	$5.48 AWG9.86	+41.7%
Monthly public transit pass	$23.75 PAB23.75	$30.00 AWG54.00	+26.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$23,416.67 PAB23,416.67	$26,095.70 AWG46,972.26	+11.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$20.20 PAB20.20	$48.03 AWG86.45	+137.8%
Average			+54.3%

Panama vs. Aruba - Cost of transportation

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pay 61.7% more for housing

	Panama	Aruba
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.39 PAB48.39	$86.50 AWG155.71	+78.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$765.94 PAB765.94	$705.36 AWG1,269.65	-7.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$630.77 PAB630.77	$985.96 AWG1,774.72	+56.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$89.09 PAB89.09	$195.56 AWG352.01	+119.5%
Average			+61.7%

Panama vs. Aruba - Cost of housing

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pay 8.2% more for childcare

	Panama	Aruba
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$363.00 PAB363.00	$275.00 AWG495.00	-24.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,411.11 PAB9,411.11	$13,223.55 AWG23,802.39	+40.5%
Average			+8.2%

Panama vs. Aruba - Cost of childcare

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pay 89.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Panama	Aruba
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.95 PAB1.95	$4.00 AWG7.20	+105.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.54 PAB3.54	$4.24 AWG7.64	+19.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.48 PAB5.48	$13.75 AWG24.75	+150.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$51.47 PAB51.47	$83.11 AWG149.60	+61.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.97 PAB5.97	$12.47 AWG22.44	+109.0%
Average			+89.3%

Panama vs. Aruba - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 33.8% more for clothing

	Panama	Aruba
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.33 PAB43.33	$55.00 AWG99.00	+26.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.17 PAB34.17	$57.85 AWG104.14	+69.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.40 PAB80.40	$114.41 AWG205.93	+42.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$106.46 PAB106.46	$102.90 AWG185.22	-3.3%
Average			+33.8%

Panama vs. Aruba - Cost of clothing

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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: November 2025

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