Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,214 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe
$1,214
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,405
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Tome and Principe is 16.9% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 49.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Sao Tome and Principe is 11.5% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 42% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.81 STN 192
$17.98 €16.05
-51.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.70 STN 999
$67.4 €60.2
-32.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.62 STN 188
$13.37 €11.93
-35.53%
Cappuccino
$2.42 STN 52.8
$3.34 €2.98
-27.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 STN 38.06
$2.95 €2.64
-41.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 STN 24.57
$1.90 €1.69
-41.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.76 STN 38.46
$3.88 €3.46
-54.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 STN 39.44
$4.57 €4.08
-60.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 STN 34.44
$1.27 €1.13
24.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 STN 33.42
$1.96 €1.75
-21.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.95 STN 42.63
$1.75 €1.56
11.43%
Eggs
$4.50 STN 98.3
$4.89 €4.36
-7.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.41 STN 424
$17.47 €15.59
11.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$19.55 STN 427
$9.06 €8.09
115.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.90 STN 457
$20.18 €18.01
3.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.72 STN 81.2
$3.08 €2.75
20.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 STN 38.50
$2.03 €1.81
-13.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.58 STN 78.3
$2.60 €2.32
37.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.37 STN 73.7
$2.71 €2.42
24.35%
Potato (1kg)
$2.92 STN 63.9
$2.15 €1.92
35.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.37 STN 51.7
$2.21 €1.97
7.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.51 STN 11.06
$1.54 €1.38
-66.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 STN 43.32
$0.93 €0.83
112.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.25 STN 49.25
$7.09 €6.32
-68.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.12 STN 177
$7.63 €6.81
6.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 STN 30.74
$1.49 €1.33
-5.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 STN 37.22
$2.73 €2.43
-37.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.41 STN 30.77
$2.95 €2.63
-52.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$25.91 €23.13
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.73 STN 37.81
$3.13 €2.80
-44.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.64 STN 57.8
$1.45 €1.29
82.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.90 STN 304
$34.17 €30.49
-59.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 STN 37.00
$1.79 €1.60
-5.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.3K STN 531.2K
$34.7K €31.0K
-29.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.1K STN 678.7K
$30.3K €27.0K
2.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$225 STN 4,918
$181 €161
24.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.43 STN 687
$13.56 €12.10
131.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.6 STN 1,477
$35.12 €31.34
92.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.47 STN 731
$53.2 €47.44
-37.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.52 STN 558
$16.05 €14.33
59.00%
Cinema Ticket
$20.45 STN 447
$11.37 €10.14
79.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$228 STN 4,976
$939 €838
-75.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,161 STN 47.2K
$16.5K €14.7K
-86.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$88.2 €78.7
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$75.8 STN 1,656
$39.77 €35.49
90.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$103 €92.3
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$18.52 STN 405
$119 €107
-84.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$283 STN 6,178
$1,695 €1,513
-83.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 STN 4,256
$1,301 €1,161
-85.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$946 STN 20.7K
$2,576 €2,299
-63.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$441 STN 9,627
$1,941 €1,732
-77.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,860 STN 40.6K
$7,470 €6,666
-75.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,129 STN 24.7K
$5,195 €4,636
-78.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Tome and Principe
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$431 STN 9,428
$2,299 €2,052
-81.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.38
3.28
125.00%

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 Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sao Tome and Principe
$402
Barcelona
$325 19.1% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Tome and Principe
$324
Barcelona
$229 29.2% $95
Accommodation & Living
Sao Tome and Principe
$195
Barcelona
$1.3K 568% $1.1K
Eating Out
Sao Tome and Principe
$149
Barcelona
$272 82.3% $123
Sport & Entertainment
Sao Tome and Principe
$74
Barcelona
$76 2% $1.5
Clothing & Footwear
Sao Tome and Principe
$42 *
Barcelona
$158 272% $115
Getting Around
Sao Tome and Principe
$21 *
Barcelona
$48 134% $28

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

Good to know
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
08:04 8:04 AM
10:04 10:04 AM
2 h ahead of Sao Tome and Principe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
204,327
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sao Tome and Principe Barcelona 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Barcelona

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

Sao Tome and Principe vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?