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

🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 8.2% cheaper than Sao Tome without rent, and 15% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Phuket is 16.1% cheaper than Sao Tome without rent, and 28.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.59 ฿147
$20.60 STN 428
-77.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.83 ฿1,497
$46.85 STN 974
-0.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿278
$10.13 STN 211
-14.12%
Cappuccino
$2.92 ฿93.5
$1.72 STN 35.75
69.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ฿21.86
$1.86 STN 38.63
-63.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ฿12.66
$1.17 STN 24.40
-65.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 ฿80.2
$1.60 STN 33.32
56.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 ฿122
$1.89 STN 39.24
101.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ฿69.1
$1.33 STN 27.75
62.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 ฿60.1
$1.05 STN 21.78
79.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 ฿69.0
$2.33 STN 48.48
-7.30%
Eggs
$2.22 ฿71.0
$5.16 STN 107
-56.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.57 ฿626
$20.20 STN 420
-3.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.80 ฿122
$19.98 STN 415
-80.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 ฿429
$25.50 STN 530
-47.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 ฿104
$4.73 STN 98.4
-31.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.5
$1.15 STN 23.81
40.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 ฿73.8
$4.12 STN 85.7
-43.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 ฿65.8
$3.49 STN 72.6
-40.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$2.67 STN 55.4
-39.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.44 ฿46.13
$2.04 STN 42.49
-29.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 ฿32.91
$0.72 STN 14.99
43.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.34
$1.91 STN 39.76
-74.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.50 ฿144
$2.35 STN 48.83
91.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.18 ฿613
$8.42 STN 175
127.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.3
$1.33 STN 27.69
36.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 ฿86.0
$1.28 STN 26.56
110.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.38 ฿44.04
$1.21 STN 25.07
14.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿376
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿99.3
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 ฿32.09
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.74 ฿439
$14.26 STN 296
-3.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 ฿41.49
$1.71 STN 35.60
-23.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿874.5K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K ฿1.1M
$23.1K STN 480.3K
42.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 ฿3,993
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.74 ฿439
$35.07 STN 729
-60.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.61 ฿595
$71.5 STN 1,487
-73.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.6 ฿1,936
$37.49 STN 779
61.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.15 ฿548
$29.03 STN 604
-40.92%
Cinema Ticket
$9.01 ฿288
$20.55 STN 427
-56.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.3K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K ฿515.1K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.2 ฿1,893
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.86 ฿1,115
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ฿3,651
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,743
$19.01 STN 395
351.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 ฿19.8K
$353 STN 7,343
75.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$437 ฿14.0K
$229 STN 4,752
91.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,075 ฿66.3K
$662 STN 13.8K
213.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,509 ฿48.2K
$528 STN 11.0K
185.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,764 ฿120.3K
$1,922 STN 40.0K
95.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,694 ฿86.1K
$1,190 STN 24.7K
126.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Sao Tome
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$528 ฿16.9K
$270 STN 5,614
95.70%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome: April 11, 2026

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

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