Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Sao Tome and Principe

Name: Sao Tome and Principe
Address: ST

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,206 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
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Sao Tome and Principe Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Sao Tome and Principe

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Sao Tome and Principe $1,206

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $1,890 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Sao Tome and Principe $1,890

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $2,575 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Sao Tome and Principe $2,575

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Sao Tome and Principe ($199–$1,211), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 118% higher than in Sao Tome and Principe on average.

Australia sits 93% above the global median, while Sao Tome and Principe is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.07

$8.86 STN 195

99.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$43.95 STN 967

93.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.76

$8.60 STN 189

28.95%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.53

$2.40 STN 52.7

62.50%

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

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.81 STN 39.89

57.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$1.13 STN 24.76

104.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

$1.74 STN 38.32

332.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.20

$1.88 STN 41.45

356.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.53 STN 33.69

15.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$1.52 STN 33.44

84.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.18

$1.87 STN 41.10

19.79%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$4.40 STN 96.7

14.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.02

$19.33 STN 425

-48.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.24

$19.32 STN 425

-51.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.12

$21.09 STN 464

-29.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.42

$3.80 STN 83.6

0.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.15

$1.76 STN 38.65

65.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.45

$3.58 STN 78.8

-12.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.83

$3.54 STN 78.0

35.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$2.87 STN 63.2

-2.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$2.38 STN 52.4

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$0.53 STN 11.68

347.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$2.06 STN 45.40

-19.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$2.19 STN 48.09

1686.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.79

$7.98 STN 176

74.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.04

$1.47 STN 32.25

237.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$1.68 STN 36.91

207.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$1.34 STN 29.52

80.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$1.64 STN 36.10

112.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$2.66 STN 58.6

-39.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.6

$13.81 STN 304

188.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.74 STN 38.37

-20.11%

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

$30.0K A$42.6K

$24.4K STN 535.9K

23.18%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$31.6K STN 694.4K

-18.40%

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

$205 A$291

$224 STN 4,934

-8.57%

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

$28.33 A$40.26

$30.91 STN 680

-8.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.5

$65.8 STN 1,447

-10.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$34.11 STN 750

63.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.81

$25.43 STN 560

-23.04%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.85

$20.50 STN 451

-24.98%

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

$2,145 A$3,048

$228 STN 5,021

839.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$2,158 STN 47.5K

750.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$75.2 STN 1,653

-25.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$18.67 STN 411

559.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,261

$288 STN 6,339

452.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,837

$195 STN 4,300

561.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,587

$920 STN 20.2K

174.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,849

$437 STN 9,606

359.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$1,861 STN 40.9K

370.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,895

$1,125 STN 24.8K

456.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,661

$441 STN 9,709

802.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

7.38

-19.65%

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome and Principe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2% 84.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3% 7.4% $28

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4% 49.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6% 9.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5% 74.8% $126

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7% 82.4% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2% 13.1% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $288 in Sao Tome and Principe. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $288 in Sao Tome.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $259 in Sao Tome and Principe. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 380% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 100% more in Australia.

Salaries are about 15 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

17:00 5:00 PM

11 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

204,327

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 22 STN (100 STN = 4.55 USD). 1 EUR = 24.49 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Australia Sao Tome and Principe 14,510 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Sao Tome and Principe

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

Australia vs Sao Tome and Principe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome and Principe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 54% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $288 in Sao Tome and Principe.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sao Tome and Principe, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Sao Tome and Principe is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.