Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Tome Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Tome

🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 23.6% cheaper than Sao Tome without rent, and 15.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Phuket is 15.9% cheaper than Sao Tome without rent, and 27.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿147
$19.85 STN 419
-76.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.11 ฿1,460
$46.94 STN 990
-1.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 ฿277
$9.60 STN 202
-8.96%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ฿96.2
$1.72 STN 36.29
76.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ฿22.80
$1.84 STN 38.87
-60.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.38
$1.18 STN 24.88
-66.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿77.2
$1.70 STN 35.80
43.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿120
$1.92 STN 40.59
97.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿67.9
$1.31 STN 27.66
63.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ฿58.9
$1.03 STN 21.82
80.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ฿69.2
$2.26 STN 47.73
-3.10%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿71.1
$4.91 STN 104
-54.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.73 ฿625
$19.98 STN 421
-1.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ฿120
$20.38 STN 430
-81.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 ฿429
$25.01 STN 527
-45.82%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ฿103
$4.58 STN 96.5
-29.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ฿52.9
$1.13 STN 23.80
47.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿75.7
$4.16 STN 87.8
-42.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.2
$3.45 STN 72.7
-39.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.39
$2.53 STN 53.4
-39.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 ฿47.79
$2.02 STN 42.50
-25.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ฿31.30
$0.71 STN 15.00
39.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.30
$1.90 STN 40.05
-73.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿135
$2.36 STN 49.87
80.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.31 ฿643
$8.29 STN 175
144.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿56.7
$1.33 STN 28.13
34.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿87.6
$1.29 STN 27.16
114.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 ฿44.44
$1.23 STN 25.87
13.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.70 ฿370
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿98.4
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ฿31.48
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.73 ฿435
$14.33 STN 302
-4.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿41.75
$1.65 STN 34.80
-20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ฿862.0K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K ฿1.1M
$23.2K STN 489.9K
46.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ฿3,811
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿441
$34.78 STN 733
-59.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 ฿579
$72.9 STN 1,537
-74.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.9 ฿1,928
$37.58 STN 793
62.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.23 ฿545
$28.54 STN 602
-39.63%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 ฿276
$20.51 STN 433
-57.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.1K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K ฿498.0K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ฿1,824
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.24 ฿1,084
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ฿3,582
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,684
$18.75 STN 396
352.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ฿19.1K
$343 STN 7,241
75.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ฿13.8K
$235 STN 4,946
85.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 ฿65.1K
$664 STN 14.0K
209.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 ฿47.4K
$528 STN 11.1K
183.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,252 ฿134.6K
$1,882 STN 39.7K
125.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 ฿94.6K
$1,178 STN 24.9K
153.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$529 ฿16.7K
$269 STN 5,664
97.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
7.38
-27.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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