Cost of living

[Chadd]

I browsed through the FAQ/links and did not see anything that directly covered what I am about to ask. If I missed something I apologize.

How much income does it take to live fairly comfortably in Aruba? Obviously that will vary based on your idea of comfort, but I'm just looking for the basic month to month type of bills/costs. Due to a long term project starting to pay off, I may actually be much closer to relocating to the tropics than I had anticipated. It's time to start filling in the blanks right now.

[Andrea J.]

you may want to private message the following
SUGAR (kathy from arf-aruba)
BillStellaR (Stella from arf-aruba)
Sugar is year round.
Stella is 6 mos.

and

SanNic (he is about 5 or 6 mos a yr too)
Mmattalo ( 5 or 6 times a year for at least 2 weeks)
LuvSun (she and husband have openend a business on the beach and are there year round)

electricity and water costs are HUGE

Originally Posted by Chadd

I browsed through the FAQ/links and did not see anything that directly covered what I am about to ask. If I missed something I apologize.

How much income does it take to live fairly comfortably in Aruba? Obviously that will vary based on your idea of comfort, but I'm just looking for the basic month to month type of bills/costs. Due to a long term project starting to pay off, I may actually be much closer to relocating to the tropics than I had anticipated. It's time to start filling in the blanks right now.

[lucky]

just a thought.with all the sunshine in aruba why don't people use solar panels? they could lower energy costs

[Andrea J.]

Solar Hot Water Heater
above link to some solar discussion.

if you'd like to further the discussion along i would suggest creating a new thread about solar questions?

Originally Posted by lucky

just a thought.with all the sunshine in aruba why don't people use solar panels? they could lower energy costs

[danadog56]

Well Chad, as soon as my ship comes in I will be following in your footsteps.......HAHAHA....I will be old, gray, deaf, blind, and fatter when that happens....

[Chadd]

Originally Posted by danadog56

Well Chad, as soon as my ship comes in I will be following in your footsteps.......HAHAHA....I will be old, gray, deaf, blind, and fatter when that happens....

I'm not counting my chickens yet, but a lot of time and effort have gone into this. I'd like to get my divemaster or instructor certification so I can supplement my income, wherever I end up.

[BillStellaR]

I think that I have answered this before but the cost of living is about the same as in the States or Canada. I am from Canada and in Aruba electricity is about four times what we pay in Canada so you have to be careful with the airco usage. Water is also very expensive, especially if you have a pool or a garden to water. For me, food is the same as I pay in Canada.

Being able to woirk in Aruba is complicated and I am not qualified in answering that aspect of it. I only spend 6 months in Aruba and I am not a resident.

PM me for any specific questions.
Stella

[Chadd]

Thanks Bill, that does give me the general stuff that I need for now. I may very well take you up on the offer for more specific info later.

[priki123]

Good question, last time I was there I noticed that prices are a little bit higher due to the importation of products. Good news is that I saw some solar panels on a couple of houses. I think its allowed by the Electrical company to generate your own power but not 100% sure.

[luvsun]

After we've been here longer and working we can help you out too Chadd...