Comparación del coste de vida entre Mexico City y Sao Tome Comparación del coste de vida entre Mexico City y Sao Tome

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,484 in Mexico City versus $1,078 in Sao Tome.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,381 in Mexico City versus $1,840 in Sao Tome.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,278 in Mexico City versus $2,602 in Sao Tome.

Living in Mexico City is roughly 38% more expensive than Sao Tome, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 11% above, Sao Tome is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.98 MX$227

$20.50 STN 429

-36.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 MX$929

$45.50 STN 953

16.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 MX$170

$10.06 STN 211

-3.38%

Cappuccino

$3.75 MX$65.6

$1.75 STN 36.76

114.29%

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

$1.57 MX$27.46

$1.94 STN 40.72

-19.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$19.76

$1.19 STN 24.96

-5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$55.7

$1.66 STN 34.79

91.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 MX$81.6

$1.84 STN 38.54

153.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$28.37

$1.38 STN 28.98

17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$47.36

$1.05 STN 21.93

158.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$32.89

$2.29 STN 47.97

-17.90%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$43.90

$5.06 STN 106

-50.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 MX$176

$20.51 STN 430

-50.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$19.85 STN 416

-58.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.94 MX$209

$24.91 STN 522

-52.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MX$50.1

$4.49 STN 94.2

-36.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 MX$30.62

$1.13 STN 23.71

54.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.48

$3.97 STN 83.2

-47.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$34.46

$3.37 STN 70.5

-41.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.79

$2.61 STN 54.7

-17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.16

$2.09 STN 43.77

4.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$24.34

$0.67 STN 13.97

107.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.69

$1.96 STN 40.97

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 MX$73.5

$2.25 STN 47.14

86.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 MX$249

$8.13 STN 170

75.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$30.85

$1.33 STN 27.91

32.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 MX$64.5

$1.34 STN 28.17

174.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MX$6.74

$1.27 STN 26.60

-69.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.66 MX$327

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 MX$24.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MX$5.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 MX$94.9

$14.40 STN 302

-62.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$23.63

$1.63 STN 34.13

-17.18%

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

$18.9K MX$330.5K

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

$23.2K MX$405.2K

$22.7K STN 476.2K

1.85%

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

$40.82 MX$714

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

$27.50 MX$481

$34.56 STN 724

-20.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 MX$532

$71.6 STN 1,501

-57.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 MX$935

$37.62 STN 788

42.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.30 MX$460

$29.27 STN 613

-10.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 MX$110

$20.54 STN 430

-69.47%

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

$436 MX$7,632

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MX$183.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MX$993

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.79 MX$784

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,799

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 MX$1,888

$18.72 STN 392

476.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 MX$17.5K

$345 STN 7,236

189.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 MX$10.9K

$233 STN 4,889

165.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 MX$37.4K

$673 STN 14.1K

217.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 MX$21.6K

$511 STN 10.7K

141.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,865 MX$67.6K

$1,890 STN 39.6K

104.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 MX$40.8K

$1,219 STN 25.5K

91.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 MX$18.7K

$272 STN 5,700

292.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

7.38

53.66%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Mexico City: April 27, 2026

Última actualización para Sao Tome: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,000 in Mexico City and $345 in Sao Tome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 292% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $53.0 in Mexico City vs $45.00 in Sao Tome. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $415, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Mexico City vs Sao Tome: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Mexico City and Sao Tome differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,484 vs $1,078 including rent). Sao Tome is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Mexico City pays 292% more on average, 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: $1,000 in Mexico City versus $345 in Sao Tome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Tome – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $53.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,484 per month in Mexico City versus $1,078 in Sao Tome – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,078 in Sao Tome versus $1,484 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Tome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Mexico City 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 Sao Tome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.