cost of living in Aruba : Parliamentarian Dangui Oduber has sharply criticized the Aruban government over the relentless rise in the cost of living, accusing the AVP-Futuro administration of doing the exact opposite of what it promised during its election campaign. Instead of lowering prices and improving purchasing power, Oduber argues, the government has presided over month-after-month increases that are strangling household budgets across the island.
According to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the subsistence minimum, the minimum income needed for an individual or household to live with dignity, has risen once again. For a family of two adults and two children aged 0 to 14, the minimum required income reached Afl. 5,602 per month in March 2026, an increase of Afl. 95 compared to March 2025, when the figure stood at Afl. 5,507. The increase was driven primarily by higher costs in essential categories, with food and non-alcoholic beverages rising by Afl. 71 over the twelve-month period, while housing costs increased by Afl. 14 in the same timeframe.
The situation becomes even more critical when comparing the subsistence minimum with actual wages. For a single adult, the subsistence minimum is calculated at Afl. 2,636 per month, while the minimum wage sits at approximately Afl. 1,900. This means the minimum wage falls short of covering basic living expenses by more than Afl. 700 per month, leaving a significant gap that many Arubans simply cannot bridge.
This shortfall, Oduber noted, confirms the warning previously issued by the Central Bank of Aruba: the middle class on the island is steadily disappearing. People are entering supermarkets with fear, the parliamentarian said, as the cost of living has reached a point where 100 Florin no longer holds any meaningful value.
Both the Central Bank and CBS have confirmed that food prices have seen drastic increases, and household wallets are emptier than ever. Despite the government’s promises to bring relief, lower the cost of living, and fill refrigerators again, the reality today is the complete opposite. Prices of water and electricity have not decreased, while rising gas prices and daily increases in food and beverage costs continue to squeeze household budgets relentlessly.
Oduber emphasized that the government has forgotten about approximately 80,000 people in Aruba. For this group, there are no incentives and no improvement in purchasing power, while the middle class disappears further with each passing day. Many Arubans are now forced to work two jobs just to make it to the end of the month, subjecting families to enormous stress and pressure due to the high cost of living.
The parliamentarian also criticized Minister Geoffrey Wever for telling the public there is no inflation and that no prices have risen in Aruba. Oduber described a minister who refuses to acknowledge the reality of price increases as being totally disconnected from the daily struggles of the population.
Oduber concluded by pointing out that in a country where the government has accumulated more than 500 million Florin in surplus, it is unacceptable that so many people are suffering. The prosperity that was promised, he said, has not been shared with the people who need it most.
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