Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,214 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Sao Tome and Principe despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
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Sao Tome and Principe Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,214

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Tome and Principe is 63.1% more expensive than Bansko without rent, and 25.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome and Principe is 49.8% more expensive than Bansko without rent, and 34.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 STN 192

$8.66 BGN 15.15

1.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.70 STN 999

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-1.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.62 STN 188

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$2.42 STN 52.8

$2.24 BGN 3.92

8.04%

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

$1.74 STN 38.06

$1.50 BGN 2.63

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 STN 24.57

$0.86 BGN 1.51

30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 STN 38.46

$1.76 BGN 3.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 STN 39.44

$2.00 BGN 3.51

-10.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 STN 34.44

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-11.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 STN 33.42

$0.81 BGN 1.42

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 STN 42.63

$1.52 BGN 2.66

28.29%

Eggs

$4.50 STN 98.3

$2.30 BGN 4.02

95.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 STN 424

$9.60 BGN 16.81

102.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.55 STN 427

$6.32 BGN 11.06

209.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.90 STN 457

$8.64 BGN 15.12

141.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 STN 81.2

$1.28 BGN 2.24

190.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.50

$1.68 BGN 2.95

4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.3

$1.70 BGN 2.98

110.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 STN 73.7

$1.89 BGN 3.30

78.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 STN 63.9

$0.93 BGN 1.63

213.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 STN 51.7

$0.76 BGN 1.32

211.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 STN 11.06

$0.54 BGN 0.95

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 STN 43.32

$0.58 BGN 1.02

241.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 STN 49.25

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-34.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 STN 177

$5.14 BGN 9.00

57.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 STN 30.74

$1.11 BGN 1.94

27.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 STN 37.22

$1.70 BGN 2.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 STN 30.77

$0.88 BGN 1.55

60.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 STN 37.81

$1.29 BGN 2.26

34.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 STN 57.8

$0.65 BGN 1.14

306.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 STN 304

$10.18 BGN 17.81

36.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 STN 37.00

$1.50 BGN 2.63

12.67%

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

$24.3K STN 531.2K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-15.61%

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

$31.1K STN 678.7K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

44.79%

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

$225 STN 4,918

$91.4 BGN 160

146.17%

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

$31.43 STN 687

$14.68 BGN 25.68

114.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 STN 1,477

$12.07 BGN 21.12

460.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.47 STN 731

$32.28 BGN 56.5

3.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.52 STN 558

$8.60 BGN 15.05

196.74%

Cinema Ticket

$20.45 STN 447

$5.63 BGN 9.86

263.23%

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

$228 STN 4,976

$228 BGN 400

-0.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,161 STN 47.2K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

-6.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.8 STN 1,656

$19.01 BGN 33.26

298.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.52 STN 405

$48.67 BGN 85.2

-61.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 STN 6,178

$521 BGN 913

-45.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,256

$367 BGN 643

-46.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 STN 20.7K

$634 BGN 1,110

49.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,627

$558 BGN 976

-21.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 STN 40.6K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

54.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,129 STN 24.7K

$971 BGN 1,699

16.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 STN 9,428

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-74.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

2.99

146.82%

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

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

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3%

Bansko

$193 20% 51.9% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$324 26.9%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 63.5% $206

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.1%

Bansko

$367 38% 88.6% $173

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$149 12.4%

Bansko

$145 15% 2.6% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$74 6.2%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 41.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 52.4% $22

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$21 * 1.7%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 69.3% $14

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

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

12:00 12:00 PM

3 h ahead of Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

8,000

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to STN – Sao Tome and Principe Dobra Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe Dobra (Db)

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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

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