Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Amman

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.

49

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Amman
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Amman Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,023

/mo nomad

Amman

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa and in Amman

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

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

Sanaa $1,023
Amman $1,209

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

Sanaa $1,619
Amman $1,904

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

Sanaa $2,216
Amman $2,599

Sanaa is about 15% cheaper than Amman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 YER 1,520

$7.10 JOD 5.03

-9.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.52 YER 6,020

$71.3 JOD 50.5

-64.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.76 YER 2,301

$7.06 JOD 5.00

38.24%

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

$3.79 YER 895

$4.41 JOD 3.12

-14.06%

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

$1.18 YER 278

$0.64 JOD 0.45

84.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 YER 140

$0.54 JOD 0.38

9.26%

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)

$2.06 YER 487

$1.61 JOD 1.14

27.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 YER 386

$0.66 JOD 0.47

148.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 YER 475

$1.53 JOD 1.08

31.37%

Eggs

$3.76 YER 886

$2.32 JOD 1.64

62.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.06 YER 4,023

$9.21 JOD 6.52

85.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.44 YER 1,990

$6.32 JOD 4.47

33.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 YER 4,482

$12.67 JOD 8.97

49.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 YER 771

$2.51 JOD 1.78

30.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 YER 238

$2.07 JOD 1.46

-51.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 YER 509

$1.82 JOD 1.29

18.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 YER 408

$0.77 JOD 0.54

124.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$0.94 JOD 0.67

60.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 YER 314

$0.79 JOD 0.56

68.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 284

$0.62 JOD 0.44

93.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 YER 152

$0.70 JOD 0.50

-8.57%

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)

$5.54 YER 1,306

$3.85 JOD 2.72

43.90%

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)

$0.41 YER 95.6

$0.82 JOD 0.58

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 YER 20.0K

$42.82 JOD 30.32

98.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.21 YER 992

$0.60 JOD 0.42

601.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 YER 510

$1.43 JOD 1.02

51.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 YER 1,701

$7.13 JOD 5.05

1.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 YER 500

$1.76 JOD 1.24

20.45%

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

$16.7K YER 3.9M

$32.3K JOD 22.9K

-48.40%

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

$34.4K YER 8.1M

$33.9K JOD 24.0K

1.56%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$136 JOD 96.6

-20.41%

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

$23.21 YER 5,475

$15.46 JOD 10.94

50.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$100 YER 23.7K

$31.99 JOD 22.65

213.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 YER 15.6K

$54.3 JOD 38.44

21.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.55 YER 3,904

$33.57 JOD 23.76

-50.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.02 YER 1,420

$11.25 JOD 7.96

-46.49%

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

$117 YER 27.5K

$551 JOD 390

-78.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,184 YER 515.0K

$9,387 JOD 6,646

-76.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.59 YER 9,810

$62.1 JOD 43.99

-33.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$123 YER 28.9K

$81.7 JOD 57.9

49.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.01 YER 11.3K

$128 JOD 90.8

-62.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.10 YER 9,694

$82.2 JOD 58.2

-49.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 YER 51.7K

$524 JOD 371

-58.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.7 YER 22.1K

$269 JOD 191

-65.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 YER 97.3K

$777 JOD 550

-46.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 YER 64.6K

$428 JOD 303

-36.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,087 YER 963.9K

$1,542 JOD 1,092

164.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$795 YER 187.5K

$1,010 JOD 715

-21.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$190 YER 44.8K

$740 JOD 524

-74.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

6.94

62.10%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Amman: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$270 26.4%

Amman

$265 21.9% 1.8% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$232 22.7%

Amman

$184 15.2% 20.8% $48

Eating Out

Sanaa

$133 13.1%

Amman

$201 16.6% 50.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$114 11.1%

Amman

$159 13.2% 39.9% $45

Getting Around

Sanaa

$101 9.9%

Amman

$54 4.5% 46.9% $48

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$94 9.2%

Amman

$269 22.3% 188% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$78 7.7%

Amman

$77 6.4% 1.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $219 in Sanaa versus $524 in Amman. 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 $26 in Sanaa versus $71 in Amman. Groceries tell a different story – $270 in Sanaa vs $265 in Amman – so Amman wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇯🇴 Amman

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

Same time as Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

4,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 263 YER (1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.791 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sanaa Amman 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
Amman

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

Sanaa vs Amman: 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 $1,534 per month in Sanaa and $1,814 in Amman. 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 $26 in Sanaa and $71 in Amman. 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 $1,023 in Sanaa and $1,209 in Amman. 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.