Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sao Tome

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
Learn more

Sao Tome Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,218 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Sao Tome $1,218

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,921 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Sao Tome $1,921

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,624 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Sao Tome $2,624

Istanbul costs about 25% more than Sao Tome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Sao Tome is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$8.91 STN 195

33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$44.14 STN 965

24.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$7.85 STN 171

16.43%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.25 STN 49.12

88.44%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.87 STN 40.78

-6.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.28 STN 27.93

-57.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.73 STN 37.88

171.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$1.81 STN 39.58

229.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.57 STN 34.32

-19.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.99 STN 21.63

-4.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.06 STN 45.02

12.14%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.77 STN 104

-48.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$19.45 STN 425

-45.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$19.62 STN 429

-71.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$24.03 STN 525

-11.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.85 STN 84.2

-49.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.78 STN 38.80

28.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.68 STN 80.4

-65.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.44 STN 75.3

-46.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$2.95 STN 64.4

-77.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.35 STN 51.3

-74.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.54 STN 11.90

146.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$2.07 STN 45.32

-71.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.21 STN 48.28

6.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$8.05 STN 176

67.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.51 STN 32.99

60.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.64 STN 35.78

115.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.39 STN 30.39

-40.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.64 STN 35.75

-17.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$2.56 STN 56.0

-66.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$13.77 STN 301

-21.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.73 STN 37.85

-15.03%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$24.7K STN 539.4K

109.11%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$31.3K STN 683.8K

42.01%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$233 STN 5,095

-61.74%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$31.29 STN 684

-62.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$66.0 STN 1,442

-75.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$33.83 STN 739

128.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$25.54 STN 558

-11.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$20.28 STN 443

-58.88%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$227 STN 4,961

328.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$2,207 STN 48.2K

1068.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$76.4 STN 1,669

-48.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$18.71 STN 409

416.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$282 STN 6,165

252.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$198 STN 4,325

217.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$947 STN 20.7K

113.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$441 STN 9,646

161.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,812 STN 39.6K

74.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,126 STN 24.6K

63.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$259 STN 5,650

365.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

7.38

456.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Sao Tome

$198 16.2% 68.5% $431

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Sao Tome

$411 33.6% 55.7% $147

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Sao Tome

$147 12% 32.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5% 67.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Sao Tome

$330 27% 183% $214

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Sao Tome

$74 6.1% 20.8% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6% 73.5% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul 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 365% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $44.00 in Sao Tome. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Istanbul vs $411 in Sao Tome – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

53,300 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 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 TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sao Tome 5,050 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

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

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $44.00 in Sao Tome. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 56% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Tome, where all-in costs run around $1,218, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Sao Tome it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Tome – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.