Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sao Tome

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,218 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Sao Tome $1,218

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,921 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Sao Tome $1,921

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,624 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Sao Tome $2,624

Cape Town costs about 29% more than Sao Tome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sao Tome is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$8.91 STN 195

32.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$44.14 STN 965

5.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$7.85 STN 171

-24.08%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.25 STN 49.12

9.78%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.87 STN 40.78

-28.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.28 STN 27.93

-19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.73 STN 37.88

73.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$1.81 STN 39.58

102.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.57 STN 34.32

-11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.99 STN 21.63

20.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.06 STN 45.02

2.43%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$4.77 STN 104

-36.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$19.45 STN 425

-53.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$19.62 STN 429

-66.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$24.03 STN 525

-61.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$3.85 STN 84.2

-52.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.78 STN 38.80

6.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$3.68 STN 80.4

-52.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$3.44 STN 75.3

-39.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$2.95 STN 64.4

-47.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$2.35 STN 51.3

-36.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.54 STN 11.90

140.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$2.07 STN 45.32

-43.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$2.21 STN 48.28

67.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$8.05 STN 176

-24.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.51 STN 32.99

-7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.64 STN 35.78

34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$1.39 STN 30.39

8.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$1.64 STN 35.75

-61.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$2.56 STN 56.0

-40.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$13.77 STN 301

-65.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.73 STN 37.85

-8.67%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$24.7K STN 539.4K

43.79%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$31.3K STN 683.8K

1.45%

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

$116 R 1,920

$233 STN 5,095

-50.09%

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

$28.37 R 468

$31.29 STN 684

-9.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$66.0 STN 1,442

-38.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$33.83 STN 739

44.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$25.54 STN 558

-56.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$20.28 STN 443

-56.46%

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

$261 R 4,314

$227 STN 4,961

15.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$2,207 STN 48.2K

203.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$76.4 STN 1,669

-57.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$18.71 STN 409

472.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$282 STN 6,165

259.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$198 STN 4,325

261.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$947 STN 20.7K

90.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$441 STN 9,646

201.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$1,812 STN 39.6K

28.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,126 STN 24.6K

34.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$259 STN 5,650

532.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

7.38

48.64%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Sao Tome

$198 16.2% 72.3% $517

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Sao Tome

$411 33.6% 84.7% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Sao Tome

$330 27% 78.2% $145

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Sao Tome

$147 12% 15.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5% 69.6% $98

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6% 73.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sao Tome

$74 6.1% 11.8% $7.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $282 in Sao Tome. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 533% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $44.00 in Sao Tome. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $411 in Sao Tome – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

14:16 2:16 PM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

53,300 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Sao Tome 4,000 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Sao Tome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 29% more than Sao Tome, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,827 in Sao Tome. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Tome, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,218 in Sao Tome. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $227 in Sao Tome. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Tome, where all-in costs run around $1,218, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Sao Tome it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Tome costs $1,218 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Tome. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.