Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,214 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,214

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Tome and Principe is 59.8% more expensive than Cebu without rent, and 30% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome and Principe is 74.5% more expensive than Cebu without rent, and 39.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 STN 192

$3.03 ₱190

190.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.70 STN 999

$23.48 ₱1,473

94.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.62 STN 188

$4.09 ₱256

110.76%

Cappuccino

$2.42 STN 52.8

$2.52 ₱158

-3.97%

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

$1.74 STN 38.06

$1.54 ₱96.9

12.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 STN 24.57

$0.49 ₱30.98

128.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 STN 38.46

$1.79 ₱112

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 STN 39.44

$2.26 ₱142

-20.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 STN 34.44

$1.95 ₱122

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 STN 33.42

$1.43 ₱89.7

6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 STN 42.63

$1.02 ₱63.8

91.18%

Eggs

$4.50 STN 98.3

$2.06 ₱129

118.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 STN 424

$9.81 ₱615

97.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.55 STN 427

$4.61 ₱289

324.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.90 STN 457

$7.70 ₱483

171.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 STN 81.2

$3.31 ₱207

12.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.50

$1.45 ₱90.9

21.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.3

$2.36 ₱148

51.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 STN 73.7

$1.54 ₱96.4

118.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 STN 63.9

$2.36 ₱148

23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 STN 51.7

$1.99 ₱125

19.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 STN 11.06

$1.15 ₱72.1

-55.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 STN 43.32

$0.67 ₱42.15

195.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 STN 49.25

$3.00 ₱188

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 STN 177

$6.35 ₱398

27.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 STN 30.74

$1.31 ₱81.9

7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 STN 37.22

$1.73 ₱108

-1.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 STN 30.77

$0.25 ₱15.78

464.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 STN 37.81

$0.74 ₱46.32

133.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 STN 57.8

$0.21 ₱13.11

1157.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 STN 304

$4.33 ₱271

221.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 STN 37.00

$1.33 ₱83.5

27.07%

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

$24.3K STN 531.2K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

11.70%

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

$31.1K STN 678.7K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

60.12%

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

$225 STN 4,918

$121 ₱7,563

86.68%

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

$31.43 STN 687

$14.45 ₱907

117.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 STN 1,477

$28.29 ₱1,774

138.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.47 STN 731

$32.68 ₱2,050

2.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.52 STN 558

$6.39 ₱401

299.37%

Cinema Ticket

$20.45 STN 447

$5.46 ₱342

274.54%

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

$228 STN 4,976

$273 ₱17.1K

-16.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,161 STN 47.2K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-73.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.8 STN 1,656

$24.87 ₱1,560

204.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.52 STN 405

$59.3 ₱3,717

-68.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 STN 6,178

$506 ₱31.7K

-44.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,256

$309 ₱19.4K

-37.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 STN 20.7K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-10.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,627

$619 ₱38.8K

-28.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 STN 40.6K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-36.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,129 STN 24.7K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-39.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 STN 9,428

$341 ₱21.4K

26.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

7.2

2.50%

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 Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 47.7% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$324 26.9%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 49.6% $161

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.1%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 58.8% $115

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$149 12.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 40.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$74 6.2%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 41.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 123% $52

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$21 * 1.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 25% $5.1

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

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

17:00 5:00 PM

8 h ahead of Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

964,169

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

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