Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,026 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,026

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,026 in Sanaa versus $1,779 in Athens.

Sanaa $1,026
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,621 in Sanaa versus $2,721 in Athens.

Sanaa $1,621
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,216 in Sanaa versus $3,663 in Athens.

Sanaa $2,216
Athens $3,663

Living in Sanaa costs roughly 42% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sanaa is 24% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 YER 1,532

$16.83 €14.99

-61.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.10 YER 5,922

$66.0 €58.8

-61.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 YER 2,203

$11.21 €9.98

-16.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 YER 486

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 YER 617

Cappuccino

$3.81 YER 898

$4.08 €3.64

-6.62%

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

$1.16 YER 274

$2.77 €2.47

-58.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 YER 131

$0.54 €0.48

1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 YER 490

$1.84 €1.64

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 YER 398

$1.43 €1.27

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 YER 465

$2.67 €2.38

-26.22%

Eggs

$3.68 YER 868

$4.95 €4.41

-25.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.49 YER 4,125

$15.09 €13.44

15.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.40 YER 1,982

$10.99 €9.79

-23.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 YER 4,395

$19.77 €17.60

-5.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 YER 775

$2.12 €1.89

55.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 YER 249

$1.98 €1.76

-46.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 YER 514

$1.33 €1.18

63.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 YER 413

$2.16 €1.92

-18.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 YER 348

$1.06 €0.94

38.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 YER 322

$1.15 €1.02

19.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 YER 293

$1.08 €0.96

14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 YER 153

$0.85 €0.75

-23.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.55 YER 602

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 438

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 YER 603

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 YER 1,263

$5.46 €4.86

-2.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 YER 104

$1.35 €1.20

-67.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 YER 20.1K

$30.52 €27.18

179.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 YER 971

$3.81 €3.39

8.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 YER 506

$1.03 €0.92

107.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 YER 1,670

$16.49 €14.68

-57.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 YER 488

$2.34 €2.09

-11.54%

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

$16.9K YER 4.0M

$27.8K €24.7K

-39.13%

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

$26.6K €23.7K

29.81%

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

$108 YER 25.5K

$202 €180

-46.61%

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

$23.43 YER 5,527

$26.81 €23.87

-12.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 YER 23.9K

$30.49 €27.14

231.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.5 YER 15.7K

$54.1 €48.14

22.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.39 YER 3,868

$27.40 €24.40

-40.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 YER 1,437

$10.44 €9.30

-41.67%

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

$117 YER 27.7K

$568 €505

-79.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,329 YER 549.4K

$15.2K €13.5K

-84.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.90 YER 9,885

$90.7 €80.7

-53.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$124 YER 29.2K

$39.32 €35.01

214.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.93 YER 11.3K

$105 €93.7

-54.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.17 YER 9,714

$129 €115

-68.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 YER 51.5K

$742 €661

-70.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$94.8 YER 22.4K

$648 €577

-85.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 YER 95.9K

$1,271 €1,132

-68.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 YER 63.9K

$1,122 €999

-75.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,212 YER 993.6K

$3,999 €3,561

5.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$812 YER 191.6K

$3,281 €2,921

-75.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$194 YER 45.7K

$1,245 €1,109

-84.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

4.44

153.38%

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

Last update for Sanaa: November 2, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$271 26.4%

Athens

$316 17.8% 16.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$233 22.7%

Athens

$260 14.6% 11.6% $27

Eating Out

Sanaa

$133 12.9%

Athens

$272 15.3% 105% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$115 11.2%

Athens

$164 9.2% 42.9% $49

Getting Around

Sanaa

$102 9.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 56% $57

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$95 9.2%

Athens

$648 36.4% 584% $554

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 4.7% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Sanaa and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Sanaa vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $316 per month, with Sanaa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

1 h behind Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sanaa Athens 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
Athens

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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanaa wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sanaa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 84% lower in Sanaa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $218 in Sanaa versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sanaa – a meal for two runs $25 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,026 per month in Sanaa versus $1,779 in Athens – Sanaa is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sanaa is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Sanaa wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.