Aruba vs Cancun With Kids: Real Prices for a Family of 4
Aruba and Cancun are the two Caribbean beach trips Texas families compare most. We priced both for the same family — 2 adults and 2 kids (ages 6 and 10), one room — on Expedia, for spring break and early summer, plus real round-trip flights from Dallas.
Want these prices for your week, in your inbox? Real Aruba or Cancun resort options land in your email right away, with links to book. Reply with your kids' ages and Peter, our Fora travel advisor, prices 2–3 picks for your exact dates and can book it for you. Free, same price as booking direct.
The short answer
| Cancun | Aruba | |
|---|---|---|
| All-inclusive, spring break (middle price per night) | $752 | $981 |
| All-inclusive, early summer (middle price per night) | $650 | $971 |
| Cheapest round trip for 4 from Dallas, spring break | $1,666 Viva via Monterrey, 14-hour layover going out | $2,816 Delta via Atlanta, long layovers |
| A more comfortable schedule | $5,028 Frontier nonstop, basic fares — bags extra | $3,648 Delta via Atlanta, shorter trip home |
Cancun wins on the hotel: at spring break, Aruba's all-inclusives cost about 30% more a night (49% more in early summer). A 7-night spring-break week at Aruba's middle all-inclusive rate works out to about $6,866, against $5,267 in Cancun. Flights can close the gap: spring-break nonstops to Cancun from Dallas were expensive when we checked, so compare the whole trip, not just the resort.
Want these prices for your week, in your inbox? Real Aruba and Cancun prices for your family and dates land in your email right away, with links to book. Reply with your kids' ages and Peter, our Fora travel advisor, prices 2–3 picks for your exact dates and can book it for you. Free, same price as booking direct.
How they compare for a family
- • Choice: we priced 25 Cancun family all-inclusives against 6 in Aruba. Cancun has many more big resorts with water parks and kids' clubs — our Cancun price page has a two-tap finder that matches them to your kids' ages.
- • Weather: Aruba sits outside the hurricane belt, so a summer or fall trip is a safer bet there. Cancun's hurricane season runs June through November.
- • Room-only option: Aruba also has well-reviewed room-only hotels (middle price $3,274 for 5 nights in early summer), which can beat all-inclusive if your family eats light. See what an Aruba trip costs for hotel-by-hotel totals.
- • Getting there: Cancun is about a 3-hour nonstop from Dallas. Aruba usually means a connection, and the cheapest fares had long layovers.
How we got these prices
Cancun: 7-night all-inclusive totals from one Expedia search per week (spring break Mar 13–20 and early summer Jun 19–26, 2027), checked November 9, 2026. Aruba: 5-night totals (Mar 13–18 and Jun 19–24, 2027) from Expedia, checked October 21, 2026; per-night prices let you compare the two. Flights: Expedia round-trip economy for 2 adults and kids 6 and 10 from Dallas — Cancun checked October 26, 2026, Aruba October 21, 2026. These are standard rates before member discounts, so today's price may differ. No resort paid to be listed. If you book through our advisor or an Expedia link, we may earn a commission; your price is the same.