---
title: "Living in Oranjestad as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/oranjestad
description: "Dutch Caribbean capital outside the hurricane belt"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Oranjestad, Aruba

Oranjestad scores 71.4/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 65 of 1000 cities. There is no open cost-of-living figure yet; expect no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 45.5 Mbps.

Oranjestad is the capital of Aruba, a small Dutch Caribbean island south of the hurricane belt with a dry, sunny climate, steady trade winds and a remote-work scheme allowing stays of up to 90 days. English is spoken everywhere, but the island is expensive, built around resort tourism along Palm Beach and needs a car beyond the hotel strip.

Known for: One Happy Workation 90-day stay, Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, Constant trade winds, High prices.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 71.4 |
| Cost of living | — |
| Safety | 92 |
| Healthcare | — |
| Internet | 71 |
| Visa ease | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 50 |
| Climate | 67 |
| Air quality | 87 |
| Quality of life | — |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | — | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | — | country | 2021 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 87.8 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | — | country | 2021 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | — | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 45.5 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 9.4 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Coming soon (Starting in 2026) | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-10-13 | [^10] |
| Visa guide | [Aruba long-stay visa guide](https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/aruba) | country | 2026-10-13 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | 90 days / unlimited / 90 days | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (AUA) | 35 | city | 2026-10 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 126 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 3 / 2 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 8 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10.7 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | — | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | — | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 26.5 | 29 | 79 | yes |
| Feb | 26.3 | 15 | 78 | yes |
| Mar | 26.4 | 10 | 79 | yes |
| Apr | 26.9 | 11 | 81 | yes |
| May | 27.5 | 21 | 83 | yes |
| Jun | 27.8 | 21 | 83 | yes |
| Jul | 27.8 | 26 | 83 | yes |
| Aug | 28.4 | 27 | 81 | no |
| Sep | 28.8 | 51 | 81 | no |
| Oct | 28.6 | 94 | 81 | no |
| Nov | 28.2 | 90 | 80 | no |
| Dec | 27.4 | 60 | 79 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Queen Beatrix International Airport | AUA | 35 | 35 | 16 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 35, of which 35 international (Wikipedia, 2026-10).

## Similar cities

- [Willemstad](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/willemstad) (68.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/oranjestad-vs-willemstad)
- [Punta del Este](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/punta-del-este) (65.2) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/oranjestad-vs-punta-del-este)
- [Rosario](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/rosario) (66.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/oranjestad-vs-rosario)
- [Colonia del Sacramento](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/colonia-del-sacramento) (70.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/colonia-del-sacramento-vs-oranjestad)
- [Bridgetown](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/bridgetown) (75.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/bridgetown-vs-oranjestad)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Oranjestad as a digital nomad?

We do not have a reliable monthly cost figure for Oranjestad yet.

### Is Oranjestad safe for digital nomads?

Oranjestad scores 92/100 on safety. Aruba records — homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 87.8/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Aruba have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for Aruba as of 2026-10-13. Visitors from the US can stay 90 days visa-free. The long-stay routes that do exist are in the Aruba visa guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/aruba

### How fast is the internet in Oranjestad?

Measured median download speed in Oranjestad was 45.5 Mbps (upload 9.4 Mbps) across 4,556 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Oranjestad?

Not yet. Starlink's availability map lists Aruba as coming soon (Starting in 2026) as of 2026-10. Roaming plans may work for short stays, but local rules on using them vary.

### Which airports serve Oranjestad and how many nonstop flights are there?

Oranjestad is served by Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) with 35 nonstop destinations, of which 35 are international. 16 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-10.

### When is the best time of year to be in Oranjestad?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 79°F (26°C) in Feb to 84°F (29°C) in Sep (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Oranjestad or Willemstad: which is better for digital nomads?

Willemstad is the city with the closest factor profile to Oranjestad in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Where to stay in Oranjestad](https://navoy.io/hotels/aruba/oranjestad) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/estimates-of-rates-of-homicides-per-100-000-population (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Nostos long-stay visa guides, Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/visas (retrieved 2026-10-04)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/oranjestad