Moving to Illinois from Yemen

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Yemen to Illinois — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Yemen to Illinois, you would find that Illinois is 3.7 times more expensive than Yemen overall. A YER17,880,000 salary in Yemen would need to be roughly $114,701 in Illinois to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Yemen to Illinois.

What does your salary buy?

YER17,880,000 $114,701

To maintain the same standard of living in Illinois

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 90.0% more

Groceries

pay 20.2% more

Transportation

pay 8.1% less

Housing

pay 4.0 times more

Childcare

pay 14.8 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 85.2% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 YER = 0.0042 USD (August 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Yemen to Illinois, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
5,880

people moved from Yemen to United States · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to United States?

Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Yemen and Illinois stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

How's the healthcare?

Adult obesity rate The World Factbook, 2022

share of adults with obesity

YE
17.1%
IL
34.6%

Yemen performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access The World Factbook, 2023

share of households with internet

YE
26.6%
IL
89.6%

Illinois performs significantly better than Yemen across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

YE
17.2%
IL
4.8%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

YE
$2,500
IL
$70,691

Illinois performs significantly better than Yemen across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

YE
67.5 yrs
IL
76.8 yrs

Illinois performs significantly better than Yemen across all family life metrics.

Data: The World Factbook

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Yemen and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.

Yemen passport

Yemen passport holder visiting United States

Visa Required
Yemen passport holders need a visa to enter United States.
United States passport

United States passport holder visiting Yemen

Visa Required
United States passport holders need a visa to enter Yemen.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Illinois than Yemen?

Day-to-day costs in Illinois run about 53% higher than Yemen on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Illinois?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a YER17,880,000 comparable salary, that's around $28,675 in Illinois for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Illinois?

Working remotely from Illinois's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Yemen and Illinois.

How is healthcare in Illinois compared to Yemen?

Yemen performs better than Illinois across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What language do they speak in Illinois?

The official language in Illinois is English. In Yemen, the official language is Arabic.

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At a Glance

YE
Population 30,984,689 12,830,632
Currency Yemeni Rial (YER) United States Dollar ($)
Languages Arabic English
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +967 +1
Time zones 1 11
Emergency number 911