Cost of living comparison

 Aruba
compared to
 North Carolina, USA
North Carolina vs. Aruba Cost of Living Summary

North Carolina is 49.1% more expensive than Aruba overall.

Restaurants
pay 5.7% more in North Carolina
Groceries
pay 14.4% less in North Carolina
Transportation
pay 17.7% less in North Carolina
Housing
pay 44.2% more in North Carolina
Childcare
pay 4.5 times more in North Carolina
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.7% less in North Carolina
Clothing
pay 19.0% less in North Carolina

The cost of childcare, housing, and restaurants in North Carolina are more expensive than in Aruba. Expenses including clothing, transportation, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in North Carolina. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in North Carolina.

North Carolina vs. Aruba Cost Breakdown

If you lived in North Carolina instead of Aruba, you would:

pay 5.7% more for restaurants

 
Aruba
North Carolina
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.00
AWG28.80
$16.06
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.14
AWG18.24
$10.06
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.80
AWG3.24
$2.31
 

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pay 14.4% less for groceries

 
Aruba
North Carolina
Bread
1 loaf
$3.44
AWG6.20
$3.48
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $11.00
AWG19.80
$6.25
 
Milk (1 gallon) $7.65
AWG13.77
$3.46
 

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pay 17.7% less for transportation

 
Aruba
North Carolina
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.48
AWG9.86
$3.19
 
Monthly public transit pass $40.00
AWG72.00
$53.89
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,000.00
AWG63,000.00
$34,400.31
 

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pay 44.2% more for housing

 
Aruba
North Carolina
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$79.65
AWG143.37
$72.47
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $705.36
AWG1,269.65
$1,527.81
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $655.25
AWG1,179.45
$1,294.23
 

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pay 4.5 times more for childcare

 
Aruba
North Carolina
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $225.00
AWG405.00
$1,254.70
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $7,404.07
AWG13,327.32
$25,128.75
 

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pay 3.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
Aruba
North Carolina
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.62
AWG6.53
$5.09
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.24
AWG7.64
$4.89
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.75
AWG24.75
$7.33
 

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pay 19.0% less for clothing

 
Aruba
North Carolina
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$65.00
AWG117.00
$49.88
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$57.37
AWG103.27
$37.28
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$116.59
AWG209.86
$86.65
 

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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: March 2025
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