Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,206 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
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Sao Tome and Principe Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index

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🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and Principe and in Canada

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sao Tome and Principe and in Canada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,206 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $2,310 in Canada, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $1,206
Canada $2,310

A couple spends around $1,890 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $3,356 in Canada, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $1,890
Canada $3,356

A family of three spends $2,575 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $4,403 in Canada, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $2,575
Canada $4,403

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Sao Tome and Principe ($199–$1,211), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sao Tome and Principe is roughly 48% lower than in Canada on average.

Sao Tome and Principe sits 11% below the global median, while Canada is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.86 STN 195

$18.16 CA$25.49

-51.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.95 STN 967

$71.2 CA$99.9

-38.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.60 STN 189

$10.81 CA$15.18

-20.44%

Cappuccino

$2.40 STN 52.7

$3.78 CA$5.30

-36.51%

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

$1.81 STN 39.89

$2.11 CA$2.97

-14.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 STN 24.76

$1.66 CA$2.33

-31.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 STN 38.32

$5.62 CA$7.89

-69.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 STN 41.45

$5.72 CA$8.03

-67.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 STN 33.69

$2.17 CA$3.05

-29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 STN 33.44

$2.60 CA$3.66

-41.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 STN 41.10

$3.65 CA$5.13

-48.77%

Eggs

$4.40 STN 96.7

$3.63 CA$5.09

21.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.33 STN 425

$10.76 CA$15.11

79.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.32 STN 425

$11.90 CA$16.70

62.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.09 STN 464

$15.42 CA$21.64

36.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 STN 83.6

$4.03 CA$5.65

-5.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.65

$1.38 CA$1.94

27.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.8

$3.88 CA$5.44

-7.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 STN 78.0

$4.08 CA$5.73

-13.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 STN 63.2

$2.57 CA$3.60

11.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 STN 52.4

$2.48 CA$3.48

-4.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 STN 11.68

$2.65 CA$3.71

-80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 STN 45.40

$1.71 CA$2.41

20.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 STN 48.09

$14.32 CA$20.10

-84.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 STN 176

$13.49 CA$18.93

-40.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 STN 32.25

$2.84 CA$3.99

-48.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 STN 36.91

$3.30 CA$4.64

-49.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 STN 29.52

$2.55 CA$3.58

-47.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 36.10

$3.18 CA$4.46

-48.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 STN 58.6

$1.54 CA$2.16

72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.81 STN 304

$26.69 CA$37.46

-48.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 STN 38.37

$1.24 CA$1.75

40.32%

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

$24.4K STN 535.9K

$27.9K CA$39.1K

-12.62%

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

$31.6K STN 694.4K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

49.82%

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

$224 STN 4,934

$147 CA$207

52.16%

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

$30.91 STN 680

$41.80 CA$58.7

-26.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 STN 1,447

$60.2 CA$84.5

9.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 STN 750

$39.01 CA$54.8

-12.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.43 STN 560

$19.06 CA$26.75

33.42%

Cinema Ticket

$20.50 STN 451

$11.21 CA$15.73

82.87%

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

$228 STN 5,021

$721 CA$1,012

-68.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,158 STN 47.5K

$14.8K CA$20.8K

-85.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.6

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.2 STN 1,653

$38.95 CA$54.7

92.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$123

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.67 STN 411

$101 CA$142

-81.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 STN 6,339

$1,290 CA$1,811

-77.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,300

$1,130 CA$1,586

-82.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 STN 20.2K

$2,036 CA$2,857

-54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 STN 9,606

$1,731 CA$2,429

-74.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,861 STN 40.9K

$4,769 CA$6,693

-60.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,125 STN 24.8K

$3,730 CA$5,234

-69.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 STN 9,709

$3,070 CA$4,308

-85.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

4.87

51.54%

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

Last update for Sao Tome and Principe: October 26, 2026

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3%

Canada

$371 16.1% 7.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6%

Canada

$249 10.8% 22.3% $72

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2%

Canada

$1.1K 48.9% 478% $935

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4%

Canada

$278 12% 85.6% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2%

Canada

$61 2.7% 18.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

Canada

$127 5.5% 202% $85

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7%

Canada

$93 4% 358% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $288 in Sao Tome and Principe vs $1,250 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $288 in Sao Tome and $1,434 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $259 in Sao Tome and Principe vs $2,968 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 334% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 52% more in Canada.

Salaries are about 11 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

4 h behind Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

36,991,981

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 22 STN (100 STN = 4.55 USD). 1 EUR = 24.49 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome and Principe Canada 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome and Principe
Canada

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 Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome and Principe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $288 in Sao Tome and Principe.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sao Tome and Principe, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Sao Tome and Principe is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.