Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amman and Sanaa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,023 a month against $1,209 in Amman, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Amman outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Amman
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Amman Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index

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Amman

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,209

/mo nomad

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amman and in Sanaa

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 Sanaa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,209 per month in Amman vs $1,023 in Sanaa, rent included.

Amman $1,209
Sanaa $1,023

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Amman vs $1,619 in Sanaa, rent included.

Amman $1,904
Sanaa $1,619

A family of three spends $2,599 per month in Amman vs $2,216 in Sanaa, rent included.

Amman $2,599
Sanaa $2,216

Amman costs about 18% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amman and Sanaa are more affordable than the global median – Amman 11% lower, Sanaa 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.10 JOD 5.03

$6.45 YER 1,520

10.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 JOD 50.5

$25.52 YER 6,020

179.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 JOD 5.00

$9.76 YER 2,301

-27.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 YER 460

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 YER 616

Cappuccino

$4.41 JOD 3.12

$3.79 YER 895

16.36%

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

$0.64 JOD 0.45

$1.18 YER 278

-45.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 JOD 0.38

$0.59 YER 140

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 JOD 6.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.14 JOD 7.89

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 JOD 1.14

$2.06 YER 487

-21.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 JOD 0.47

$1.64 YER 386

-59.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 JOD 1.08

$2.01 YER 475

-23.88%

Eggs

$2.32 JOD 1.64

$3.76 YER 886

-38.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 JOD 6.52

$17.06 YER 4,023

-46.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 JOD 4.47

$8.44 YER 1,990

-25.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 JOD 8.97

$19.00 YER 4,482

-33.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 JOD 1.78

$3.27 YER 771

-23.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 JOD 1.46

$1.01 YER 238

104.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 JOD 1.29

$2.16 YER 509

-15.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 JOD 0.54

$1.73 YER 408

-55.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 JOD 0.67

$1.51 YER 357

-37.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 JOD 0.56

$1.33 YER 314

-40.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 JOD 0.44

$1.20 YER 284

-48.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 JOD 0.50

$0.64 YER 152

9.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.55 YER 602

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 YER 425

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 YER 615

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 JOD 2.72

$5.54 YER 1,306

-30.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.48 JOD 15.21

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.05 JOD 3.58

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 JOD 3.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 JOD 0.58

$0.41 YER 95.6

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.82 JOD 30.32

$84.8 YER 20.0K

-49.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$4.21 YER 992

-85.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 JOD 1.02

$2.16 YER 510

-33.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 JOD 5.05

$7.21 YER 1,701

-1.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 JOD 1.24

$2.12 YER 500

-16.98%

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

$32.3K JOD 22.9K

$16.7K YER 3.9M

93.81%

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

$33.9K JOD 24.0K

$34.4K YER 8.1M

-1.54%

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

$136 JOD 96.6

$109 YER 25.6K

25.65%

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

$15.46 JOD 10.94

$23.21 YER 5,475

-33.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.99 JOD 22.65

$100 YER 23.7K

-68.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 JOD 38.44

$66.2 YER 15.6K

-17.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.57 JOD 23.76

$16.55 YER 3,904

102.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 JOD 7.96

$6.02 YER 1,420

86.88%

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

$551 JOD 390

$117 YER 27.5K

372.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,387 JOD 6,646

$2,184 YER 515.0K

329.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 JOD 43.99

$41.59 YER 9,810

49.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.7 JOD 57.9

$123 YER 28.9K

-33.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 JOD 90.8

$48.01 YER 11.3K

167.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 JOD 58.2

$41.10 YER 9,694

99.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 JOD 371

$219 YER 51.7K

138.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 JOD 191

$93.7 YER 22.1K

187.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 JOD 550

$413 YER 97.3K

88.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 JOD 303

$274 YER 64.6K

56.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,542 JOD 1,092

$4,087 YER 963.9K

-62.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,010 JOD 715

$795 YER 187.5K

27.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$740 JOD 524

$190 YER 44.8K

289.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

11.25

-38.31%

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

Last update for Amman: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sanaa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amman

$269 22.3%

Sanaa

$94 9.2% 65.2% $176

Groceries & Markets

Amman

$265 21.9%

Sanaa

$270 26.4% 1.8% $4.7

Eating Out

Amman

$201 16.6%

Sanaa

$133 13.1% 33.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amman

$184 15.2%

Sanaa

$232 22.7% 26.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Amman

$159 13.2%

Sanaa

$114 11.1% 28.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Amman

$77 6.4%

Sanaa

$78 7.7% 1.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Amman

$54 4.5%

Sanaa

$101 9.9% 88.4% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Amman versus $219 in Sanaa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Amman are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Amman versus $26 in Sanaa. Groceries tell a different story – $265 in Amman vs $270 in Sanaa – so Amman wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Amman

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

Same time as Amman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,000,000 Capital

1,527,861 Capital

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.791 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 263 YER (1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amman Sanaa 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Amman
Sanaa

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 Sanaa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amman costs about 18% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,534 in Sanaa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanaa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $219 there versus $524 in Amman.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Amman and $26 in Sanaa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Amman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,209 in Amman and $1,023 in Sanaa. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sanaa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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