Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Sao Tome

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
Learn more

Sao Tome Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Sao Tome

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Sao Tome actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,218 in Sao Tome.

Austin, TX $2,704
Sao Tome $1,218

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,921 in Sao Tome.

Austin, TX $4,133
Sao Tome $1,921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,624 in Sao Tome.

Austin, TX $5,562
Sao Tome $2,624

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 122% more expensive than in Sao Tome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Sao Tome is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$8.91 STN 195

126.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$44.14 STN 965

92.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.85 STN 171

57.32%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.25 STN 49.12

143.11%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.87 STN 40.78

104.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.28 STN 27.93

95.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.73 STN 37.88

365.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$1.81 STN 39.58

396.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.57 STN 34.32

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.99 STN 21.63

281.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.06 STN 45.02

57.77%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.77 STN 104

-13.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$19.45 STN 425

-32.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$19.62 STN 429

-27.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$24.03 STN 525

-33.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.85 STN 84.2

13.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.78 STN 38.80

-18.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.68 STN 80.4

23.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.44 STN 75.3

21.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.95 STN 64.4

-10.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.35 STN 51.3

0.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.54 STN 11.90

225.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.07 STN 45.32

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.21 STN 48.28

343.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.05 STN 176

82.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.51 STN 32.99

84.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.64 STN 35.78

112.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.39 STN 30.39

7.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.64 STN 35.75

62.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.56 STN 56.0

-38.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$13.77 STN 301

156.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.73 STN 37.85

-42.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$24.7K STN 539.4K

45.03%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$31.3K STN 683.8K

-13.17%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$233 STN 5,095

-5.97%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$31.29 STN 684

85.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$66.0 STN 1,442

3.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$33.83 STN 739

71.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$25.54 STN 558

-41.97%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$20.28 STN 443

-30.33%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$227 STN 4,961

564.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,207 STN 48.2K

872.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$76.4 STN 1,669

-42.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$18.71 STN 409

462.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$282 STN 6,165

584.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$198 STN 4,325

542.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$947 STN 20.7K

287.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$441 STN 9,646

471.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,812 STN 39.6K

320.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,126 STN 24.6K

184.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$259 STN 5,650

1874.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.38

-7.99%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Sao Tome

$198 16.2% 84.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Sao Tome

$411 33.6% 2% $8

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Sao Tome

$147 12% 57.9% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Sao Tome

$330 27% 4.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5% 66.8% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Sao Tome

$74 6.1% 13.7% $12

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6% 64.9% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $282 in Sao Tome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1874% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $44.00 in Sao Tome. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $411, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

10:33 10:33 AM

5 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

53,300 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe Dobra (Db)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.85 STN (100 STN = 4.58 USD). 1 EUR = 24.48 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

STN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Sao Tome 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Sao Tome

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Sao Tome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome wins on cost – living expenses run 122% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Tome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1874% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $282 in Sao Tome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $227 in Sao Tome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Tome – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,218 in Sao Tome versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Tome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Sao Tome are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Tome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.