Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,040 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sanaa
🇾🇪 Yemen
$1,040
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,040 in Sanaa versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

  • Sanaa $1,040
  • Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,608 in Sanaa versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

  • Sanaa $1,608
  • Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,175 in Sanaa versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

  • Sanaa $2,175
  • Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Sanaa costs roughly 38% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sanaa is 22% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.46 YER 1,524
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
-65.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.31 YER 5,969
$64.5 ARS 97.8K
-60.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.75 YER 2,300
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
-24.30%
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
$3.98 ARS 6,029
-4.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 YER 277
$2.05 ARS 3,103
-42.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.60 YER 141
$1.55 ARS 2,349
-61.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.84 ARS 5,830
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.60 ARS 6,970
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.98 YER 468
$1.44 ARS 2,181
37.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 YER 387
$2.46 ARS 3,738
-33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.09 YER 492
$1.63 ARS 2,467
28.22%
Eggs
$3.57 YER 842
$2.89 ARS 4,385
23.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.52 YER 4,131
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
64.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.41 YER 1,984
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
-15.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.10 YER 4,504
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
39.01%
Apples (1kg)
$3.40 YER 802
$2.75 ARS 4,166
23.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 YER 249
$2.18 ARS 3,300
-51.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.21 YER 521
$1.45 ARS 2,205
52.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.67 YER 393
$1.99 ARS 3,013
-16.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 YER 357
$1.24 ARS 1,885
21.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 YER 326
$1.27 ARS 1,921
8.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 YER 284
$1.70 ARS 2,575
-29.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 YER 160
$1.73 ARS 2,617
-60.69%
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
$4.18 ARS 6,337
35.41%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$5.80 ARS 8,790
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.09 ARS 3,163
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.77 ARS 4,198
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 YER 102
$0.75 ARS 1,132
-42.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$86.3 YER 20.4K
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
217.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.19 YER 988
$1.62 ARS 2,451
158.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.10 YER 494
$0.98 ARS 1,481
114.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.22 YER 1,704
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
-6.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.06 YER 486
$1.36 ARS 2,058
51.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.9K YER 4.0M
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
-39.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K YER 8.2M
$34.5K ARS 52.4M
0.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$109 YER 25.6K
$216 ARS 326.9K
-49.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.35 YER 5,506
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
-8.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$102 YER 24.0K
$31.36 ARS 47.6K
224.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.1 YER 15.8K
$49.82 ARS 75.6K
34.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.03 YER 3,779
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
-6.04%
Cinema Ticket
$5.97 YER 1,407
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
-42.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$118 YER 27.7K
$466 ARS 706.7K
-74.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,130 YER 502.3K
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
-76.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.48 YER 10.0K
$122 ARS 185.2K
-65.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$121 YER 28.5K
$97.4 ARS 147.8K
23.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$47.63 YER 11.2K
$117 ARS 177.4K
-59.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.69 YER 9,594
$140 ARS 211.9K
-70.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 YER 52.4K
$763 ARS 1.2M
-70.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$94.7 YER 22.3K
$505 ARS 766.1K
-81.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$408 YER 96.2K
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
-74.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 YER 65.0K
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
-76.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,240 YER 999.9K
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
58.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$825 YER 194.6K
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
-55.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sanaa
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$197 YER 46.4K
$954 ARS 1.4M
-79.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.25
57.25
-80.35%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sanaa
$272
Buenos Aires
$284 4.6% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sanaa
$234
Buenos Aires
$273 16.6% $39
Eating Out
Sanaa
$134
Buenos Aires
$279 108% $145
Clothing & Footwear
Sanaa
$113
Buenos Aires
$214 89.4% $101
Getting Around
Sanaa
$103
Buenos Aires
$37 64.3% $66
Accommodation & Living
Sanaa
$95
Buenos Aires
$505 433% $410
Sport & Entertainment
Sanaa
$79
Buenos Aires
$71 10.6% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Sanaa and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 385% 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $284 per month, with Sanaa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇾🇪 Sanaa
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🕒 Local time
11:17 11:17 AM
05:17 5:17 AM
6 h behind Sanaa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,527,861 Capital
2,891,082 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sanaa Buenos Aires 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sanaa
  • Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sanaa and in Buenos Aires?
Sanaa and Buenos Aires differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,040 vs $1,685 including rent). Sanaa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 385% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Sanaa and in Buenos Aires?
Rent for a central apartment: $222 in Sanaa versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Sanaa and Buenos Aires?
Childcare runs $118 in Sanaa versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,040 in Sanaa versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sanaa but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sanaa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Sanaa and Buenos Aires?
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.
Is Sanaa or Buenos Aires safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Sanaa and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Sanaa or Buenos Aires?
Expats usually find Sanaa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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