Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Berlin

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.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,040

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa and in Berlin

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

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

Sanaa $1,040
Berlin $2,545

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

Sanaa $1,608
Berlin $3,901

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

Sanaa $2,175
Berlin $5,257

Sanaa is about 59% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.46 YER 1,524

$16.81 €15.00

-61.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.31 YER 5,969

$79.6 €71.0

-68.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 YER 2,300

$13.38 €11.94

-27.13%

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

$4.27 €3.81

-10.54%

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

$1.17 YER 277

$3.40 €3.03

-65.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 YER 141

$3.12 €2.79

-80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 YER 468

$1.27 €1.13

55.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 YER 387

$2.45 €2.19

-33.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 YER 492

$3.30 €2.94

-36.67%

Eggs

$3.57 YER 842

$4.45 €3.97

-19.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.52 YER 4,131

$17.10 €15.26

2.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 YER 1,984

$12.19 €10.88

-31.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 YER 4,504

$18.30 €16.33

4.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 YER 802

$3.58 €3.19

-5.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$1.98 €1.77

-46.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 YER 521

$3.27 €2.92

-32.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 YER 393

$3.81 €3.40

-56.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$2.13 €1.90

-29.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 YER 326

$2.21 €1.97

-37.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 284

$1.49 €1.33

-19.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 YER 160

$1.01 €0.90

-32.67%

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

$10.49 €9.37

-46.04%

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)

$0.43 YER 102

$4.37 €3.90

-90.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 YER 20.4K

$71.0 €63.3

21.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 YER 988

$5.29 €4.72

-20.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 YER 494

$3.05 €2.73

-31.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 YER 1,704

$36.30 €32.39

-80.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 YER 486

$2.28 €2.03

-9.65%

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

$16.9K YER 4.0M

$33.2K €29.7K

-49.17%

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

$34.6K YER 8.2M

$39.1K €34.9K

-11.41%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$379 €339

-71.34%

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

$23.35 YER 5,506

$19.31 €17.23

20.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$102 YER 24.0K

$48.41 €43.20

110.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.1 YER 15.8K

$40.31 €35.97

66.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 YER 3,779

$35.51 €31.69

-54.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.97 YER 1,407

$15.53 €13.86

-61.56%

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

$118 YER 27.7K

$144 €128

-18.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,130 YER 502.3K

$15.8K €14.1K

-86.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.48 YER 10.0K

$94.6 €84.5

-55.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 YER 28.5K

$46.33 €41.34

160.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.63 YER 11.2K

$103 €92.2

-53.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.69 YER 9,594

$141 €126

-71.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 YER 52.4K

$1,488 €1,328

-85.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$94.7 YER 22.3K

$1,098 €980

-91.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.2K

$2,665 €2,378

-84.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 YER 65.0K

$2,080 €1,856

-86.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,240 YER 999.9K

$8,578 €7,655

-50.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 YER 194.6K

$5,438 €4,853

-84.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$197 YER 46.4K

$3,487 €3,112

-94.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

3.8

196.05%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$272 26.4%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 29.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$234 22.7%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 91.2% $213

Eating Out

Sanaa

$134 13%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 116% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$113 11%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 53.3% $60

Getting Around

Sanaa

$103 10%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 6.1% $6.3

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$95 9.2%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 1059% $1K

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 9.7% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h behind Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

3,769,962 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

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

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sanaa Berlin 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
Berlin

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 Berlin: 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 $1,560 per month in Sanaa and $3,818 in Berlin. 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 $1,040 in Sanaa and $2,545 in Berlin. 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.