Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada 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 $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada 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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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

Canada $2,310
Sao Tome and Principe $1,206

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $1,890 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

Canada $3,356
Sao Tome and Principe $1,890

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $2,575 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

Canada $4,403
Sao Tome and Principe $2,575

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Sao Tome and Principe ($199–$1,211), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 92% higher than in Sao Tome and Principe on average.

Canada sits 70% 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

$18.16 CA$25.49

$8.86 STN 195

104.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$99.9

$43.95 STN 967

62.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 CA$15.18

$8.60 STN 189

25.70%

Cappuccino

$3.78 CA$5.30

$2.40 STN 52.7

57.50%

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

$2.11 CA$2.97

$1.81 STN 39.89

16.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.33

$1.13 STN 24.76

46.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.89

$1.74 STN 38.32

222.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.03

$1.88 STN 41.45

204.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.05

$1.53 STN 33.69

41.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 CA$3.66

$1.52 STN 33.44

71.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.13

$1.87 STN 41.10

95.19%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$4.40 STN 96.7

-17.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.11

$19.33 STN 425

-44.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.70

$19.32 STN 425

-38.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.64

$21.09 STN 464

-26.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.65

$3.80 STN 83.6

6.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.76 STN 38.65

-21.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.44

$3.58 STN 78.8

8.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.73

$3.54 STN 78.0

15.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$2.87 STN 63.2

-10.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$2.38 STN 52.4

4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$0.53 STN 11.68

400.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.41

$2.06 STN 45.40

-16.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.10

$2.19 STN 48.09

553.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.93

$7.98 STN 176

69.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$1.47 STN 32.25

93.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.64

$1.68 STN 36.91

96.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.58

$1.34 STN 29.52

90.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 CA$4.46

$1.64 STN 36.10

93.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$2.66 STN 58.6

-42.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 CA$37.46

$13.81 STN 304

93.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.74 STN 38.37

-28.74%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$24.4K STN 535.9K

14.44%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$31.6K STN 694.4K

-33.25%

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

$147 CA$207

$224 STN 4,934

-34.28%

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

$41.80 CA$58.7

$30.91 STN 680

35.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 CA$84.5

$65.8 STN 1,447

-8.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 CA$54.8

$34.11 STN 750

14.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 CA$26.75

$25.43 STN 560

-25.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.73

$20.50 STN 451

-45.32%

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

$721 CA$1,012

$228 STN 5,021

215.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CA$20.8K

$2,158 STN 47.5K

588.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.6

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 CA$54.7

$75.2 STN 1,653

-48.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$123

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$142

$18.67 STN 411

442.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 CA$1,811

$288 STN 6,339

347.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,586

$195 STN 4,300

478.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,857

$920 STN 20.2K

121.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,429

$437 STN 9,606

296.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,693

$1,861 STN 40.9K

156.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,730 CA$5,234

$1,125 STN 24.8K

231.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,070 CA$4,308

$441 STN 9,709

595.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

7.38

-34.01%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 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

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2% 82.7% $935

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$371 16.1%

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3% 8.4% $31

Eating Out

Canada

$278 12%

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4% 46.1% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.8%

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6% 28.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5% 66.8% $85

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7% 78.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$61 2.7%

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2% 22.3% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $288 in Sao Tome and Principe. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $288 in Sao Tome.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada 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 334% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 52% more in Canada.

Salaries are about 11 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

23:20 11:20 PM

4 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

204,327

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canada Sao Tome and Principe 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
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

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

Sao Tome and Principe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $288 in Sao Tome and Principe.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sao Tome and Principe, but in Canada 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.