Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sao Tome and Principe

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,214 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe
$1,214
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 8.6% more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe without rent, and 28.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 0.4% more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe without rent, and 25.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.12 MX$204
$8.81 STN 192
26.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.99 MX$900
$45.70 STN 999
7.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.23 MX$206
$8.62 STN 188
30.28%
Cappuccino
$3.76 MX$69.0
$2.42 STN 52.8
55.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.34
$1.74 STN 38.06
-5.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.48
$1.12 STN 24.57
14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.26 MX$59.8
$1.76 STN 38.46
85.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.66 MX$104
$1.80 STN 39.44
214.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 MX$33.23
$1.58 STN 34.44
14.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.94 MX$54.0
$1.53 STN 33.42
92.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.05 MX$37.62
$1.95 STN 42.63
5.13%
Eggs
$2.93 MX$53.7
$4.50 STN 98.3
-34.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.95 MX$219
$19.41 STN 424
-38.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.51 MX$175
$19.55 STN 427
-51.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.84 MX$273
$20.90 STN 457
-29.00%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 MX$57.7
$3.72 STN 81.2
-15.59%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 MX$36.99
$1.76 STN 38.50
14.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 MX$38.10
$3.58 STN 78.3
-41.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$40.72
$3.37 STN 73.7
-34.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$37.82
$2.92 STN 63.9
-29.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 MX$34.46
$2.37 STN 51.7
-20.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.18
$0.51 STN 11.06
190.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 MX$24.70
$1.98 STN 43.32
-31.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.41 MX$99.3
$2.25 STN 49.25
140.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.86 MX$310
$8.12 STN 177
107.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.43
$1.41 STN 30.74
40.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.32 MX$79.4
$1.70 STN 37.22
154.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MX$6.33
$1.41 STN 30.77
-75.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.23 MX$371
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.10 MX$38.47
$1.73 STN 37.81
21.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.74
$2.64 STN 57.8
-79.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$99.3
$13.90 STN 304
-61.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$27.91
$1.69 STN 37.00
-10.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K MX$399.0K
$24.3K STN 531.2K
-10.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K MX$455.6K
$31.1K STN 678.7K
-20.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,156
$225 STN 4,918
-72.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.88 MX$530
$31.43 STN 687
-8.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.93 MX$623
$67.6 STN 1,477
-49.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 MX$1,024
$33.47 STN 731
66.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.90 MX$457
$25.52 STN 558
-2.43%
Cinema Ticket
$6.77 MX$124
$20.45 STN 447
-66.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$428 MX$7,854
$228 STN 4,976
87.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K MX$218.0K
$2,161 STN 47.2K
449.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.0 MX$1,286
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 MX$986
$75.8 STN 1,656
-29.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 MX$2,016
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 MX$2,115
$18.52 STN 405
522.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,062 MX$19.5K
$283 STN 6,178
275.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 MX$12.3K
$195 STN 4,256
244.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,379 MX$43.7K
$946 STN 20.7K
151.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,260 MX$23.1K
$441 STN 9,627
186.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,716 MX$68.2K
$1,860 STN 40.6K
99.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,976 MX$36.3K
$1,129 STN 24.7K
75.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$997 MX$18.3K
$431 STN 9,428
131.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
7.38
53.12%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome and Principe: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$671
Sao Tome and Principe
$195 71% $476
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$327
Sao Tome and Principe
$402 23% $75
Eating Out
Mexico City
$207
Sao Tome and Principe
$149 27.9% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$157
Sao Tome and Principe
$42 * 73% $115
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Sao Tome and Principe
$324 158% $198
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$69
Sao Tome and Principe
$74 7.3% $5
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Sao Tome and Principe
$21 * 21.9% $5.8

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

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe
🕒 Local time
02:59 2:59 AM
08:59 8:59 AM
6 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
204,327
Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 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 = 24.51 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Sao Tome and Principe 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • 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

Mexico City vs other spots: cost of living compared

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