Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,027 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,027

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,027 in Sanaa versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Sanaa $1,027
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,623 in Sanaa versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Sanaa $1,623
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,220 in Sanaa versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Sanaa $2,220
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Sanaa costs roughly 34% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sanaa is 24% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 YER 1,534

$11.02 MX$204

-41.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.73 YER 6,069

$48.68 MX$900

-47.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 YER 2,211

$10.90 MX$201

-14.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 YER 477

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 610

Cappuccino

$3.78 YER 892

$3.68 MX$68.1

2.72%

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

$1.12 YER 264

$1.63 MX$30.18

-31.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 YER 131

$1.25 MX$23.07

-55.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 YER 474

$1.70 MX$31.50

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 YER 401

$3.02 MX$55.8

-43.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 YER 470

$1.92 MX$35.53

3.65%

Eggs

$3.75 YER 885

$2.73 MX$50.5

37.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 YER 4,107

$11.77 MX$218

47.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 YER 1,980

$9.53 MX$176

-11.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 YER 4,475

$14.41 MX$266

31.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 YER 783

$3.02 MX$55.8

9.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$1.89 MX$35.01

-44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 YER 529

$1.99 MX$36.70

12.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 YER 392

$2.19 MX$40.38

-24.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$1.92 MX$35.43

-21.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 YER 313

$1.87 MX$34.49

-28.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 283

$1.44 MX$26.62

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 YER 159

$1.27 MX$23.39

-47.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.49 YER 587

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 438

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 YER 614

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 YER 1,265

$5.22 MX$96.4

2.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 YER 104

$0.34 MX$6.30

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 YER 19.9K

$19.65 MX$363

328.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 YER 1,005

$2.00 MX$36.90

113.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 YER 492

$0.52 MX$9.67

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 YER 1,763

$5.34 MX$98.7

39.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 YER 500

$1.52 MX$28.13

39.47%

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

$17.1K YER 4.0M

$22.1K MX$408.0K

-22.35%

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

$24.5K MX$452.9K

40.62%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$61.1 MX$1,129

78.01%

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

$23.24 YER 5,481

$28.58 MX$528

-18.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$100 YER 23.7K

$34.47 MX$637

191.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 YER 15.9K

$56.4 MX$1,042

19.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 YER 3,899

$24.88 MX$460

-33.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 YER 1,413

$6.66 MX$123

-10.06%

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

$118 YER 27.9K

$427 MX$7,891

-72.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,167 YER 511.2K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-81.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.90 YER 9,884

$67.8 MX$1,253

-38.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$123 YER 28.9K

$52.0 MX$960

136.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.13 YER 11.4K

$106 MX$1,959

-54.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.83 YER 9,632

$113 MX$2,080

-63.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 YER 52.9K

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-78.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.0 YER 22.9K

$654 MX$12.1K

-85.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.3K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-82.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 YER 64.5K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-77.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 YER 981.6K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

15.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$798 YER 188.3K

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-58.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$196 YER 46.2K

$964 MX$17.8K

-79.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.3

-0.44%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$271 26.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 17.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$232 22.6%

Mexico City

$124 8% 46.6% $108

Eating Out

Sanaa

$132 12.9%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 54.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$114 11.1%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 33.5% $38

Getting Around

Sanaa

$101 9.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 74.5% $75

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$97 9.4%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 575% $557

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 12.2% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Sanaa and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 392% 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: $26.00 in Sanaa vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $318 per month, with Sanaa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

06:33 6:33 AM

9 h behind Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sanaa Mexico City 14,440 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanaa and Mexico City differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,027 vs $1,548 including rent). Sanaa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 392% lower in Mexico City. 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: $224 in Sanaa versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sanaa runs roughly 328% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $118 in Sanaa versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,027 in Sanaa versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sanaa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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 51% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.