Living in Sanaa, Yemen

Sanaa is a large city in Amanat Alasimah, Yemen (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 19°C over the year with about 259 mm of rain. For foreigners, long-term residency in Yemen is hard to obtain.

See which cities rank best for you

12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).

Climate: 19°C; 259 mm rain a year
Size: Large; 1 to 5 million people
Safety: 35/100; country-level
Residency: Hard to obtain; for most foreigners

Limited data for Yemen. Figures for safety, healthcare and political stability in Yemen are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Yemen, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

Travel advisory. As of 13 October 2026, the US State Department advises against all travel to Yemen ("Level 4: Do Not Travel"). Our quiz and best-cities lists leave Sanaa out, and the safety figures below are country averages that do not reflect the advisory. Read the current advisory on travel.state.gov and your own government's travel advice.

What stands out about Sanaa

Dry: about 259 mm of rain a year
Long-term residency is hard to obtain

Safety and stability

Yemen scores 35 out of 100 on safety, safer than 1% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 2.4 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Yemen: Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025) and life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Residency and visas

Hard to obtain. No self-funded, investor, or means-tested route exists; the only long-term residency is a sponsor-tied permit requiring a Yemen-based individual or organization to sponsor the applicant (typically employment), and the country is in active civil war.

For short visits, 1 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 11 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 186 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Healthcare

Yemen scores 46 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 5% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Yemen: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Climate

Sanaa averages 19°C across the year with about 259 mm of rain, which makes it mild and very dry. It is warmer than 48% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Questions couples ask about Sanaa

Is Sanaa a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and political stability. Our figures for Yemen are partial: no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a mild, very dry climate (19°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks 915 cities for both of you at once.

Can foreigners live in Yemen long term?

Our assessment: hard to obtain. No self-funded, investor, or means-tested route exists; the only long-term residency is a sponsor-tied permit requiring a Yemen-based individual or organization to sponsor the applicant (typically employment), and the country is in active civil war.

What is the weather like in Sanaa?

Sanaa averages 19°C across the year with about 259 mm of rain, which makes it mild and very dry. It is warmer than 48% of the cities we track.