Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,040 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,040

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,040 in Sanaa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Sanaa $1,040
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,608 in Sanaa versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Sanaa $1,608
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,175 in Sanaa versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Sanaa $2,175
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Sanaa costs roughly 62% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sanaa is 22% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.46 YER 1,524

$20.22 $20.22

-68.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.31 YER 5,969

$85.0 $85.0

-70.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 YER 2,300

$12.35 $12.35

-21.05%

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

$3.82 YER 900

$5.47 $5.47

-30.16%

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

$1.17 YER 277

$3.82 $3.82

-69.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 YER 141

$2.50 $2.50

-76.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 YER 468

$1.13 $1.13

75.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 YER 387

$3.78 $3.78

-56.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 YER 492

$3.25 $3.25

-35.69%

Eggs

$3.57 YER 842

$4.14 $4.14

-13.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.52 YER 4,131

$13.08 $13.08

33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 YER 1,984

$14.31 $14.31

-41.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 YER 4,504

$15.96 $15.96

19.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 YER 802

$4.38 $4.38

-22.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$1.45 $1.45

-27.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 YER 521

$4.54 $4.54

-51.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 YER 393

$4.19 $4.19

-60.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$2.63 $2.63

-42.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 YER 326

$2.36 $2.36

-41.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 284

$1.76 $1.76

-31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 YER 160

$2.16 $2.16

-68.52%

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)

$5.66 YER 1,336

$9.81 $9.81

-42.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 YER 102

$1.49 $1.49

-71.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 YER 20.4K

$40.51 $40.51

113.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 YER 988

$2.67 $2.67

56.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 YER 494

$1.58 $1.58

32.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 YER 1,704

$35.29 $35.29

-79.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 YER 486

$0.99 $0.99

108.08%

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

$16.9K YER 4.0M

$35.8K $35.8K

-52.81%

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

$34.6K YER 8.2M

$27.2K $27.2K

27.30%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$219 $219

-50.43%

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

$23.35 YER 5,506

$58.0 $58.0

-59.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$102 YER 24.0K

$68.4 $68.4

48.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.1 YER 15.8K

$57.9 $57.9

15.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 YER 3,779

$14.82 $14.82

8.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.97 YER 1,407

$14.13 $14.13

-57.75%

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

$118 YER 27.7K

$1,509 $1,509

-92.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,130 YER 502.3K

$21.5K $21.5K

-90.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.48 YER 10.0K

$51.7 $51.7

-17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 YER 28.5K

$44.05 $44.05

173.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.63 YER 11.2K

$85.1 $85.1

-44.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.69 YER 9,594

$105 $105

-61.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 YER 52.4K

$1,932 $1,932

-88.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$94.7 YER 22.3K

$1,272 $1,272

-92.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.2K

$3,670 $3,670

-88.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 YER 65.0K

$2,525 $2,525

-89.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,240 YER 999.9K

$7,617 $7,617

-44.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 YER 194.6K

$3,199 $3,199

-74.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$197 YER 46.4K

$5,105 $5,105

-96.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

6.79

65.68%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$272 26.4%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 48.4% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$234 22.7%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 47.9% $112

Eating Out

Sanaa

$134 13%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 160% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$113 11%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 13.8% $16

Getting Around

Sanaa

$103 10%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 44.5% $46

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$95 9.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 1243% $1.2K

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Sanaa and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2496% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Sanaa vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $403 per month, with Sanaa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

00:34 12:34 AM

8 h behind Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sanaa Austin, TX 13,510 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanaa wins on cost – living expenses run 160% lower than in Austin, TX. 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 2496% lower in Austin, TX. 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: $222 in Sanaa versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,040 per month in Sanaa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 160% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sanaa runs roughly 113% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,040 in Sanaa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sanaa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sanaa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Sanaa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.