---
title: "Dammam vs Yanbu for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/dammam-vs-yanbu
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 53 | 53 | tie |
| Safety | 73 | 73 | tie |
| Healthcare | 83 | 83 | tie |
| Internet | 59 | 54 | Dammam |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 16 | 6 | Dammam |
| Climate | 50 | 50 | tie |
| Air quality | 50 | 70 | Yanbu |
| Quality of life | 65 | 65 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,550 | $1,550 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.8 | 0.8 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 65.9 | 65.9 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 | 83 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 78.9 yrs | 78.9 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 21 Mbps | 15.2 Mbps | Dammam |
| Upload | 8.7 Mbps | 8.1 Mbps | Dammam |

## Visa

| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 40 | 8 | Dammam |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Dammam |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Dammam | Yanbu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 27.4 µg/m³ | 18.3 µg/m³ | Yanbu |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Dammam](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/dammam) · [Yanbu](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/yanbu). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/dammam-vs-yanbu