Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sao Tome

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires and in Sao Tome actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,218 in Sao Tome.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Sao Tome $1,218

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,921 in Sao Tome.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Sao Tome $1,921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,624 in Sao Tome.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Sao Tome $2,624

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 38% more expensive than in Sao Tome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Sao Tome is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$8.91 STN 195

110.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$44.14 STN 965

46.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.85 STN 171

64.08%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.25 STN 49.12

76.89%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.87 STN 40.78

9.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.28 STN 27.93

21.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.73 STN 37.88

121.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$1.81 STN 39.58

154.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.57 STN 34.32

-8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.99 STN 21.63

148.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.06 STN 45.02

-20.87%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$4.77 STN 104

-39.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$19.45 STN 425

-45.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$19.62 STN 429

-49.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$24.03 STN 525

-42.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$3.85 STN 84.2

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.78 STN 38.80

22.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$3.68 STN 80.4

-60.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$3.44 STN 75.3

-42.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.95 STN 64.4

-57.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.35 STN 51.3

-45.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.54 STN 11.90

214.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$2.07 STN 45.32

-16.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.21 STN 48.28

89.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$8.05 STN 176

-27.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.51 STN 32.99

38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.64 STN 35.78

68.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.39 STN 30.39

-46.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.64 STN 35.75

-1.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.56 STN 56.0

-61.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$13.77 STN 301

-43.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.73 STN 37.85

-21.39%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$24.7K STN 539.4K

13.46%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$31.3K STN 683.8K

10.33%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$233 STN 5,095

-7.56%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$31.29 STN 684

-18.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$66.0 STN 1,442

-52.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$33.83 STN 739

47.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$25.54 STN 558

-33.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$20.28 STN 443

-48.57%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$227 STN 4,961

105.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$2,207 STN 48.2K

310.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$76.4 STN 1,669

27.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$18.71 STN 409

646.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$282 STN 6,165

170.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$198 STN 4,325

155.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$947 STN 20.7K

68.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$441 STN 9,646

168.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,812 STN 39.6K

47.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,126 STN 24.6K

64.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$259 STN 5,650

269.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

7.38

675.75%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Sao Tome

$198 16.2% 60.8% $307

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Sao Tome

$411 33.6% 44.6% $127

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Sao Tome

$147 12% 47.4% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Sao Tome

$330 27% 21.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5% 80% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Sao Tome

$74 6.1% 5.2% $3.7

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6% 45.4% $17

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $282 in Sao Tome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 269% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $44.00 in Sao Tome. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $411, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

3 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

53,300 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Sao Tome 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Sao Tome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sao Tome differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,218 including rent). Sao Tome is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 269% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $282 in Sao Tome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,218 in Sao Tome versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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, Buenos Aires 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 38% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.