Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Aden

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,027 a month against $1,396 in Aden, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Aden
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Aden Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,027

/mo nomad

Aden

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa and in Aden

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

A single person spends $1,027 per month in Sanaa vs $1,396 in Aden, rent included.

Sanaa $1,027
Aden $1,396

A couple spends around $1,623 per month in Sanaa vs $2,358 in Aden, rent included.

Sanaa $1,623
Aden $2,358

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Sanaa vs $3,320 in Aden, rent included.

Sanaa $2,220
Aden $3,320

Sanaa is about 26% cheaper than Aden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sanaa sits 24% below the global median, while Aden is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 YER 1,534

$12.62 YER 2,978

-48.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.73 YER 6,069

$36.24 YER 8,549

-29.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 YER 2,211

$10.47 YER 2,470

-10.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 YER 477

$3.48 YER 821

-41.95%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 610

$4.49 YER 1,059

-42.54%

Cappuccino

$3.78 YER 892

$4.03 YER 951

-6.20%

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

$1.12 YER 264

$3.34 YER 787

-66.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 YER 131

$1.82 YER 430

-69.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 YER 474

$5.33 YER 1,257

-62.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 YER 401

$2.43 YER 573

-30.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 YER 470

$9.41 YER 2,220

-78.85%

Eggs

$3.75 YER 885

$10.55 YER 2,488

-64.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 YER 4,107

$8.36 YER 1,973

108.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 YER 1,980

$15.69 YER 3,701

-46.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 YER 4,475

$57.1 YER 13.5K

-66.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 YER 783

$13.40 YER 3,160

-75.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$3.76 YER 886

-72.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 YER 529

$10.47 YER 2,470

-78.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 YER 392

$4.67 YER 1,102

-64.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$4.24 YER 1,001

-64.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 YER 313

$4.22 YER 995

-68.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 283

$1.24 YER 293

-3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 YER 159

$1.45 YER 343

-53.79%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.49 YER 587

$6.21 YER 1,465

-59.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 438

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 YER 614

$4.16 YER 982

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 YER 1,265

$5.23 YER 1,233

2.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 YER 104

$0.35 YER 81.5

25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 YER 19.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 YER 1,005

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 YER 492

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 YER 1,763

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 YER 500

$2.88 YER 678

-26.39%

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

$17.1K YER 4.0M

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$50.8 YER 12.0K

114.16%

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

$23.24 YER 5,481

$9.88 YER 2,331

135.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$100 YER 23.7K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 YER 15.9K

$24.93 YER 5,880

170.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 YER 3,899

$10.11 YER 2,385

63.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 YER 1,413

$6.04 YER 1,424

-0.83%

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

$118 YER 27.9K

$33.38 YER 7,874

254.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,167 YER 511.2K

$5,414 YER 1.3M

-59.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.90 YER 9,884

$106 YER 25.0K

-60.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$123 YER 28.9K

$83.0 YER 19.6K

47.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.13 YER 11.4K

$111 YER 26.1K

-56.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.83 YER 9,632

$162 YER 38.2K

-74.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 YER 52.9K

$236 YER 55.6K

-4.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.0 YER 22.9K

$257 YER 60.7K

-62.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.3K

$828 YER 195.3K

-50.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 YER 64.5K

$534 YER 126.0K

-48.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 YER 981.6K

$602 YER 142.1K

591.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$798 YER 188.3K

$450 YER 106.2K

77.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$196 YER 46.2K

$381 YER 90.0K

-48.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

2.27%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aden: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$271 26.4%

Aden

$631 45.2% 132% $359

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$232 22.6%

Aden

$61 * 4.3% 73.9% $172

Eating Out

Sanaa

$132 12.9%

Aden

$201 14.4% 52.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$114 11.1%

Aden

$208 14.9% 82.1% $94

Getting Around

Sanaa

$101 9.8%

Aden

$1.4 * 0.1% 98.6% $99

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$97 9.4%

Aden

$257 18.4% 166% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Aden

$37 2.7% 53.4% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $224 in Sanaa versus $236 in Aden. 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 95% higher in Aden, 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 $26.00 in Sanaa versus $36.00 in Aden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $271 vs $631 – making Sanaa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇾🇪 Aden

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

Same time as Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

508,489

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Sanaa vs Aden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aden costs about 36% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,541 per month in Sanaa and $2,094 in Aden. 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 $1,027 in Sanaa and $1,396 in Aden. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $118 per month in Sanaa and $33.38 in Aden. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Aden at $1,396. In Sanaa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aden 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.

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