Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Sao Tome and Principe

Name: Sao Tome and Principe
Address: ST

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
Learn more

Sao Tome and Principe Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe.

China $791
Sao Tome and Principe $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,890 in Sao Tome and Principe.

China $1,251
Sao Tome and Principe $1,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,575 in Sao Tome and Principe.

China $1,711
Sao Tome and Principe $2,575

Internal cost variation is higher in Sao Tome and Principe: monthly costs span $199 to $1,211, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Sao Tome and Principe.

Living in China costs about 34% less than in Sao Tome and Principe on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Sao Tome and Principe 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$8.86 STN 195

-66.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$43.95 STN 967

-49.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$8.60 STN 189

-39.53%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$2.40 STN 52.7

23.75%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.81 STN 39.89

-73.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$1.13 STN 24.76

-73.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.74 STN 38.32

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$1.88 STN 41.45

21.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$1.53 STN 33.69

17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$1.52 STN 33.44

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.87 STN 41.10

-50.80%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$4.40 STN 96.7

-63.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$19.33 STN 425

-30.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$19.32 STN 425

-82.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$21.09 STN 464

-46.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$3.80 STN 83.6

-52.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.76 STN 38.65

-25.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$3.58 STN 78.8

-58.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$3.54 STN 78.0

-64.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$2.87 STN 63.2

-75.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.38 STN 52.4

-60.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.53 STN 11.68

16.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$2.06 STN 45.40

-72.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$2.19 STN 48.09

72.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$7.98 STN 176

52.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.47 STN 32.25

-43.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.68 STN 36.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.34 STN 29.52

-78.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.64 STN 36.10

-9.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$2.66 STN 58.6

-86.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$13.81 STN 304

-48.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$1.74 STN 38.37

-27.59%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$24.4K STN 535.9K

-20.17%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$31.6K STN 694.4K

-44.44%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$224 STN 4,934

-75.67%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$30.91 STN 680

-71.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$65.8 STN 1,447

-83.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$34.11 STN 750

19.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$25.43 STN 560

-43.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$20.50 STN 451

-66.93%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$228 STN 5,021

126.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$2,158 STN 47.5K

818.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$75.2 STN 1,653

-52.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$18.67 STN 411

329.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$288 STN 6,339

33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$195 STN 4,300

19.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$920 STN 20.2K

-10.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$437 STN 9,606

3.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$1,861 STN 40.9K

152.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,125 STN 24.8K

110.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$441 STN 9,709

147.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

7.38

-53.12%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 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

China

$235 29.6%

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2% 16.7% $39

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3% 91.3% $192

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5% 60.8% $66

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4% 69.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6% 332% $247

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2% 38.2% $21

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7% 9% $2

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $288 in Sao Tome and Principe. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $288 in Sao Tome.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $259 in Sao Tome and Principe. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 91% more in Sao Tome and Principe.

Salaries are about 3.4 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

8 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

204,327

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Sao Tome and Principe 11,650 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

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

At $791 per month in China and $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe, there’s a 52% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Sao Tome and Principe may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.