Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amman and Aqaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $916 a month against $1,209 in Amman, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Amman
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Amman Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index

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Amman

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,209

/mo nomad

Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amman and in Aqaba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Amman and in Aqaba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,209 per month in Amman vs $916 in Aqaba, rent included.

Amman $1,209
Aqaba $916

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Amman vs $1,507 in Aqaba, rent included.

Amman $1,904
Aqaba $1,507

A family of three spends $2,599 per month in Amman vs $2,098 in Aqaba, rent included.

Amman $2,599
Aqaba $2,098

Amman costs about 32% more than Aqaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Amman and Aqaba are more affordable than the global median – Amman 11% lower, Aqaba 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.10 JOD 5.03

$2.75 JOD 1.95

158.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 JOD 50.5

$71.2 JOD 50.4

0.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 JOD 5.00

$4.17 JOD 2.95

69.30%

Cappuccino

$4.41 JOD 3.12

$4.46 JOD 3.16

-1.12%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 JOD 0.45

$0.59 JOD 0.42

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 JOD 0.38

$0.58 JOD 0.41

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 JOD 6.10

$8.58 JOD 6.07

0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.14 JOD 7.89

$11.05 JOD 7.82

0.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 JOD 1.14

$1.45 JOD 1.02

11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 JOD 0.47

$0.47 JOD 0.33

40.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 JOD 1.08

$1.54 JOD 1.09

-0.65%

Eggs

$2.32 JOD 1.64

$1.73 JOD 1.22

34.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 JOD 6.52

$5.69 JOD 4.03

61.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 JOD 4.47

$4.20 JOD 2.97

50.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 JOD 8.97

$9.65 JOD 6.83

31.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 JOD 1.78

$1.39 JOD 0.99

80.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 JOD 1.46

$1.44 JOD 1.02

43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 JOD 1.29

$1.08 JOD 0.77

68.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 JOD 0.54

$0.74 JOD 0.53

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 JOD 0.67

$0.74 JOD 0.52

27.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 JOD 0.56

$0.73 JOD 0.51

8.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 JOD 0.44

$0.59 JOD 0.42

5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 JOD 0.50

$0.57 JOD 0.41

22.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 JOD 2.72

$3.92 JOD 2.78

-1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.48 JOD 15.21

$17.26 JOD 12.22

24.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.05 JOD 3.58

$2.81 JOD 1.99

79.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 JOD 3.60

$2.52 JOD 1.79

101.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 JOD 0.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.82 JOD 30.32

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$0.50 JOD 0.36

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 JOD 1.02

$1.37 JOD 0.97

4.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 JOD 5.05

$6.91 JOD 4.89

3.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 JOD 1.24

$1.44 JOD 1.02

22.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.3K JOD 22.9K

$31.5K JOD 22.3K

2.73%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.9K JOD 24.0K

$31.2K JOD 22.1K

8.52%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$136 JOD 96.6

$135 JOD 95.4

1.29%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.46 JOD 10.94

$15.70 JOD 11.12

-1.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.99 JOD 22.65

$32.92 JOD 23.31

-2.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 JOD 38.44

$64.3 JOD 45.53

-15.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.57 JOD 23.76

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 JOD 7.96

$11.12 JOD 7.87

1.17%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$551 JOD 390

$538 JOD 381

2.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,387 JOD 6,646

$2,836 JOD 2,008

230.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 JOD 43.99

$28.03 JOD 19.84

121.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.7 JOD 57.9

$42.43 JOD 30.04

92.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 JOD 90.8

$42.20 JOD 29.88

203.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 JOD 58.2

$70.0 JOD 49.53

17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 JOD 371

$286 JOD 202

83.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 JOD 191

$209 JOD 148

28.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 JOD 550

$681 JOD 482

14.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 JOD 303

$463 JOD 328

-7.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,542 JOD 1,092

$1,119 JOD 792

37.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,010 JOD 715

$565 JOD 400

78.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$740 JOD 524

$564 JOD 399

31.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Amman: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aqaba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Amman

$269 22.3%

Aqaba

$209 22.9% 22.3% $60

Groceries & Markets

Amman

$265 21.9%

Aqaba

$189 20.7% 28.5% $76

Eating Out

Amman

$201 16.6%

Aqaba

$158 17.2% 21.5% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amman

$184 15.2%

Aqaba

$183 20% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Amman

$159 13.2%

Aqaba

$82 9% 48.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Amman

$77 6.4%

Aqaba

$87 9.5% 12.7% $9.8

Getting Around

Amman

$54 4.5%

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8% 86.3% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Amman versus $286 in Aqaba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Amman, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Amman versus $71 in Aqaba. Groceries tell a different story – $265 in Amman vs $189 in Aqaba – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Amman

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

Same time as Amman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,000,000 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Amman Aqaba 280 km

From you

Amman
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Amman vs Aqaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amman costs about 32% more than Aqaba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,814 per month in Amman and $1,374 in Aqaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $286 there versus $524 in Amman.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,209 in Amman and $916 in Aqaba. That makes Aqaba about 24% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Amman, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aqaba costs $916 versus $1,209 in Amman. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Aqaba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amman makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.