Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Sanaa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,040 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin 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 Berlin and in Sanaa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $1,040 in Sanaa, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Sanaa $1,040

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $1,608 in Sanaa, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Sanaa $1,608

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $2,175 in Sanaa, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Sanaa $2,175

Berlin costs about 145% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Berlin sits 90% above the global median, while Sanaa is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$6.46 YER 1,524

160.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$25.31 YER 5,969

214.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$9.75 YER 2,300

37.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 YER 462

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 YER 611

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$3.82 YER 900

11.78%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$1.17 YER 277

190.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$0.60 YER 141

420.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.98 YER 468

-35.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.64 YER 387

49.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.09 YER 492

57.89%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$3.57 YER 842

24.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$17.52 YER 4,131

-2.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$8.41 YER 1,984

44.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$19.10 YER 4,504

-4.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$3.40 YER 802

5.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.05 YER 249

88.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.21 YER 521

47.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$1.67 YER 393

128.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.51 YER 357

41.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.38 YER 326

60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.20 YER 284

24.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.68 YER 160

48.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 584

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 YER 423

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 YER 602

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$5.66 YER 1,336

85.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.43 YER 102

916.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$86.3 YER 20.4K

-17.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$4.19 YER 988

26.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$2.10 YER 494

45.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$7.22 YER 1,704

402.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.06 YER 486

10.68%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$16.9K YER 4.0M

96.73%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$34.6K YER 8.2M

12.88%

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

$379 €339

$109 YER 25.6K

248.97%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$23.35 YER 5,506

-17.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$102 YER 24.0K

-52.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$67.1 YER 15.8K

-39.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$16.03 YER 3,779

121.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$5.97 YER 1,407

160.13%

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

$144 €128

$118 YER 27.7K

22.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$2,130 YER 502.3K

639.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$42.48 YER 10.0K

122.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$121 YER 28.5K

-61.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$47.63 YER 11.2K

116.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$40.69 YER 9,594

247.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$222 YER 52.4K

569.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$94.7 YER 22.3K

1059.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$408 YER 96.2K

553.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$276 YER 65.0K

654.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$4,240 YER 999.9K

102.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$825 YER 194.6K

558.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$197 YER 46.4K

1673.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

11.25

-66.22%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sanaa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Sanaa

$95 9.2% 91.4% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Sanaa

$234 22.7% 47.7% $213

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Sanaa

$272 26.4% 22.5% $79

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Sanaa

$134 13% 53.6% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Sanaa

$113 11% 34.8% $60

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Sanaa

$103 10% 5.8% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Sanaa

$79 7.7% 10.7% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $222 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 run about 1673% higher in Berlin, 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 $80.0 in Berlin versus $25.00 in Sanaa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $272 – making Sanaa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

09:34 9:34 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

1,527,861 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Sanaa 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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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

Berlin vs Sanaa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 145%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $1,560 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,545 in Berlin and $1,040 in Sanaa. That's a gap of about 145%.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Sanaa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,040, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Sanaa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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