Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Yemen

Name: Yemen
Address: YE

For one person, living is cheaper in Yemen: $1,060 a month against $2,701 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Yemen
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Yemen Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in Yemen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United States and in Yemen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,701 per month in the United States vs $1,060 in Yemen, rent included.

United States $2,701
Yemen $1,060

A couple spends around $3,980 per month in the United States vs $1,741 in Yemen, rent included.

United States $3,980
Yemen $1,741

A family of three spends $5,258 per month in the United States vs $2,421 in Yemen, rent included.

United States $5,258
Yemen $2,421

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($980–$5,162) than in Yemen ($91.0–$1,387), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 155% higher than in Yemen on average.

The United States sits 100% above the global median, while Yemen is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$8.06 YER 1,901

147.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$25.83 YER 6,093

213.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$10.45 YER 2,465

15.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 YER 828

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 YER 1,217

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$3.60 YER 849

54.17%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.71 YER 403

56.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.94 YER 223

122.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 $7.76

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$3.01 YER 709

-65.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.31 YER 309

170.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$4.33 YER 1,021

7.16%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$5.17 YER 1,220

-19.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 $12.76

$11.04 YER 2,603

15.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 $12.63

$10.07 YER 2,376

25.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$29.64 YER 6,992

-41.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$5.91 YER 1,393

-12.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.30 YER 543

-28.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$4.37 YER 1,032

2.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.90 YER 685

71.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.53 YER 597

12.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.50 YER 590

23.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.85 YER 201

157.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.00 YER 237

127.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.52 YER 594

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 YER 421

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 YER 856

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$5.19 YER 1,224

104.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.41 YER 96.5

473.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.1 $64.1

$85.9 YER 20.3K

-25.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.17 YER 511

64.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.09 YER 492

-11.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.19 $30.19

$7.42 YER 1,749

306.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.75 YER 649

-61.09%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$16.9K YER 4.0M

108.65%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$35.1K YER 8.3M

-26.30%

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

$217 $217

$78.3 YER 18.5K

176.67%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$20.78 YER 4,901

195.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.4 $74.4

$40.53 YER 9,560

83.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.08 $45.08

$55.8 YER 13.2K

-19.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.07 $23.07

$14.57 YER 3,436

58.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 $14.79

$5.95 YER 1,402

148.57%

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

$1,480 $1,480

$65.1 YER 15.4K

2174.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K $25.5K

$1,649 YER 388.9K

1443.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$57.5 YER 13.6K

-7.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$82.3 YER 19.4K

-48.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 $94.3

$57.4 YER 13.6K

64.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$58.2 YER 13.7K

98.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 $1,678

$235 YER 55.5K

613.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$131 YER 30.9K

903.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$491 YER 115.8K

439.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$339 YER 79.9K

544.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,374 $3,374

$3,260 YER 769.1K

3.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,661 $2,661

$701 YER 165.3K

279.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,404 $4,404

$273 YER 64.4K

1513.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.12

-41.10%

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

Last update for the United States: October 10, 2026

Last update for Yemen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 48.6%

Yemen

$131 12.4% 90% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

United States

$411 15.2%

Yemen

$357 33.7% 13.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$352 13%

Yemen

$140 13.2% 60.4% $213

Eating Out

United States

$327 12.1%

Yemen

$150 14.1% 54.2% $177

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5.1%

Yemen

$115 10.8% 16.4% $23

Getting Around

United States

$86 3.2%

Yemen

$100 9.5% 16.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$75 2.8%

Yemen

$68 6.4% 9.4% $7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,609 in the United States vs $85.0 in Yemen. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,730 in Washington, DC and $219 in Sanaa.

Average salary: $4,533 in the United States vs $302 in Yemen. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1793% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 150% more in the United States.

Public transport is 200% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are 1401% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇾🇪 Yemen

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

7 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

28,250,420

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

YER to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United States Yemen 12,370 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
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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

United States vs Yemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yemen is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 155% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,609 versus $85.0 in Yemen.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Yemen, adding to the overall 155% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Yemen, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Yemen is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.