Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sao Tome

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,218 in Sao Tome, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,218 in Sao Tome.

Cebu $934
Sao Tome $1,218

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,921 in Sao Tome.

Cebu $1,415
Sao Tome $1,921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,624 in Sao Tome.

Cebu $1,896
Sao Tome $2,624

Living in Cebu costs roughly 23% less than in Sao Tome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Sao Tome 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$8.91 STN 195

-65.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$44.14 STN 965

-46.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$7.85 STN 171

-47.90%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.25 STN 49.12

12.00%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.87 STN 40.78

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$1.28 STN 27.93

-61.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$1.73 STN 37.88

3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.81 STN 39.58

24.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.57 STN 34.32

24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.99 STN 21.63

44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$2.06 STN 45.02

-50.49%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$4.77 STN 104

-56.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$19.45 STN 425

-49.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$19.62 STN 429

-76.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$24.03 STN 525

-67.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$3.85 STN 84.2

-14.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.78 STN 38.80

-18.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$3.68 STN 80.4

-35.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$3.44 STN 75.3

-55.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.95 STN 64.4

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$2.35 STN 51.3

-15.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.54 STN 11.90

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$2.07 STN 45.32

-67.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$2.21 STN 48.28

35.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$8.05 STN 176

-21.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.51 STN 32.99

-13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.64 STN 35.78

5.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$1.39 STN 30.39

-82.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.64 STN 35.75

-54.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$2.56 STN 56.0

-91.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$13.77 STN 301

-68.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.73 STN 37.85

-23.12%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$24.7K STN 539.4K

-11.84%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$31.3K STN 683.8K

-38.02%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$233 STN 5,095

-48.29%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$31.29 STN 684

-53.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$66.0 STN 1,442

-57.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$33.83 STN 739

-3.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$25.54 STN 558

-74.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$20.28 STN 443

-73.08%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$227 STN 4,961

20.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$2,207 STN 48.2K

269.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$76.4 STN 1,669

-67.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$18.71 STN 409

216.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$282 STN 6,165

79.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$198 STN 4,325

56.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$947 STN 20.7K

11.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$441 STN 9,646

40.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,812 STN 39.6K

60.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$1,126 STN 24.6K

65.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$259 STN 5,650

31.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.38

-2.44%

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

Last update for Cebu: 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

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Sao Tome

$198 16.2% 36% $111

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Sao Tome

$411 33.6% 95.3% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Sao Tome

$330 27% 102% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5% 54.8% $52

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sao Tome

$147 12% 65.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Sao Tome

$74 6.1% 70.6% $31

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6% 29.5% $4.6

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 $506 in Cebu and $282 in Sao Tome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $44.00 in Sao Tome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $411 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

11:56 11:56 AM

8 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

53,300 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Sao Tome 12,970 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
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

Cebu vs Sao Tome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Cebu, 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: $506 in Cebu versus $282 in Sao Tome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Sao Tome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $1,218 in Sao Tome – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,218 in Sao Tome, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Sao Tome. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Tome, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Sao Tome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.