Dammam vs Yanbu
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 54. Dammam is stronger on nothing outright; Yanbu on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Saudi Arabia's Gulf port capital, with Bahrain across the causeway
Full Dammam profile →Plan a trip to Dammam →Red Sea industrial port with a coral-stone old town and quiet reefs
Full Yanbu profile →Plan a trip to Yanbu →Where they differ
- Air quality. Yanbu leads on air quality, 70 to 50, against Dammam. PM2.5: 27.4 µg/m³ vs 18.3 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Dammam leads on getting there & around, 16 to 6, against Yanbu. Non-stop airport destinations: 40 vs 8.
- Internet. Dammam leads on internet, 59 to 54, against Yanbu. Measured download: 21 Mbps vs 15.2 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Dammam if you want
- faster internet (21 Mbps measured)
Pick Yanbu if you want
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 53 | 53 |
| Safety | 73 | 73 |
| Healthcare | 83 | 83 |
| Internet | 59 ✓ | 54 |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 16 ✓ | 6 |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 50 | 70 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 65 | 65 |
Cost
| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,550 | $1,550 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 65.9 | 65.9 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 | 83 |
| Life expectancy | 78.9 yrs | 78.9 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 21 Mbps ✓ | 15.2 Mbps |
| Upload | 8.7 Mbps ✓ | 8.1 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 40 ✓ | 8 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 27.4 µg/m³ | 18.3 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Dammam or Yanbu?
- Dammam and Yanbu cost about the same: roughly $1,550 per month for one person.
- Is Dammam or Yanbu safer?
- Dammam and Yanbu score the same on safety (73), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Dammam or Yanbu?
- Dammam: a measured median of 21 Mbps versus 15.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.