Yemen, Sanaa

Country Full Name: Republic of Yemen.

Location: Yemen is in the Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Country Climate: Mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east.

Country Terrain: Narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in centre slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula.

Major Languages: Arabic.

Major Religions: Islam.

Population: 2.2 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: Agriculture is the mainstay of Yemen's economy, generating more than 20 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Yemen is a small oil producer. Yemen's industrial sector constitutes almost half of gross domestic product. Together with services, construction, and commerce, industry accounts for less than 25 percent of the labour force. The largest contributor to the manufacturing sector's output is oil refining, which generates almost half of total revenue. The Yemen government expects LNG to add substantially to its budget and enable it to develop a petrochemicals industry.

Currency: Yemeni Rial (YER).

Inflation: 16% (2011 est.).

Sanaa is the capital and largest city of Yemen.

Sanaa International Airport is Yemen's main domestic and international airport. Al Madina, a commercial area of the old city, is where development is proceeding rapidly.

The cost of living in Sanaa in Yemen is very low compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Sanaa in Yemen is currently ranked 759 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very low compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 758 places that are more expensive, and 21 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very low compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 775 places that are more expensive, and 4 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are average compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 435 places that are more expensive, and 344 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 737 places that are more expensive, and 42 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are very low compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 770 places that are more expensive, and 9 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very low compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 760 places that are more expensive, and 19 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 759 places that are more expensive, and 20 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very low compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 757 places that are more expensive, and 22 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are average compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 331 places that are more expensive, and 448 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 589 places that are more expensive, and 190 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 419 places that are more expensive, and 360 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 667 places that are more expensive, and 112 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are average compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 372 places that are more expensive, and 407 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Sanaa in Yemen are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Sanaa in Yemen is ranked as extreme hardship with a hardship index of 40%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Sanaa in Yemen are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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