Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Tome and Principe

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,190 and $1,214 a month, rent and utilities included.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe
$1,214
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 15.8% cheaper than Sao Tome and Principe without rent, and 2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Phuket is 25.2% cheaper than Sao Tome and Principe without rent, and 6.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.35 ฿146
$8.81 STN 192
-50.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.45 ฿1,087
$45.70 STN 999
-28.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.42 ฿282
$8.62 STN 188
-2.32%
Cappuccino
$2.81 ฿94.0
$2.42 STN 52.8
16.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$1.74 STN 38.06
-50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿15.39
$1.12 STN 24.57
-58.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$1.76 STN 38.46
47.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 ฿122
$1.80 STN 39.44
102.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.2
$1.58 STN 34.44
8.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$1.53 STN 33.42
-5.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$1.95 STN 42.63
-20.00%
Eggs
$2.10 ฿70.3
$4.50 STN 98.3
-53.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.53 ฿654
$19.41 STN 424
0.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$19.55 STN 427
-82.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿373
$20.90 STN 457
-46.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 ฿94.8
$3.72 STN 81.2
-23.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ฿54.3
$1.76 STN 38.50
-7.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 ฿74.5
$3.58 STN 78.3
-37.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 ฿71.9
$3.37 STN 73.7
-36.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 ฿49.95
$2.92 STN 63.9
-48.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.40
$2.37 STN 51.7
-43.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.72
$0.51 STN 11.06
109.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.01
$1.98 STN 43.32
-74.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ฿147
$2.25 STN 49.25
94.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.77 ฿629
$8.12 STN 177
131.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$1.41 STN 30.74
23.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿92.9
$1.70 STN 37.22
63.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 ฿72.6
$1.41 STN 30.77
53.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.28 ฿746
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿101
$1.73 STN 37.81
74.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.43
$2.64 STN 57.8
-59.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ฿124
$13.90 STN 304
-73.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ฿47.88
$1.69 STN 37.00
-15.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿882.1K
$24.3K STN 531.2K
8.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K ฿877.3K
$31.1K STN 678.7K
-15.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.7 ฿3,236
$225 STN 4,918
-57.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 ฿382
$31.43 STN 687
-63.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.11 ฿573
$67.6 STN 1,477
-74.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ฿1,768
$33.47 STN 731
57.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.07 ฿371
$25.52 STN 558
-56.62%
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 ฿256
$20.45 STN 447
-62.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$555 ฿18.6K
$228 STN 4,976
143.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿377.7K
$2,161 STN 47.2K
422.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 ฿2,123
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.61 ฿958
$75.8 STN 1,656
-62.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.7 ฿3,238
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 ฿2,967
$18.52 STN 405
378.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 ฿24.6K
$283 STN 6,178
159.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$458 ฿15.3K
$195 STN 4,256
135.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 ฿70.4K
$946 STN 20.7K
122.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 ฿39.7K
$441 STN 9,627
169.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,493 ฿116.9K
$1,860 STN 40.6K
87.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,491 ฿83.4K
$1,129 STN 24.7K
120.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Sao Tome and Principe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.8K
$431 STN 9,428
16.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
7.38
-24.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 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
Phuket
$458
Sao Tome and Principe
$195 57.5% $263
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Sao Tome and Principe
$402 50% $134
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Sao Tome and Principe
$324 159% $199
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$125
Sao Tome and Principe
$42 * 66% $82
Eating Out
Phuket
$119
Sao Tome and Principe
$149 25.1% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Sao Tome and Principe
$74 9.2% $6.3
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Sao Tome and Principe
$21 * 47.6% $19

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

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe
🕒 Local time
15:02 3:02 PM
08:02 8:02 AM
7 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
204,327
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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
  • Phuket Sao Tome and Principe 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • 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

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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