Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
Learn more

Sao Tome and Principe Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe versus $791 in China.

Sao Tome and Principe $1,206
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,890 in Sao Tome and Principe versus $1,251 in China.

Sao Tome and Principe $1,890
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,575 in Sao Tome and Principe versus $1,711 in China.

Sao Tome and Principe $2,575
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Sao Tome and Principe: monthly costs span $199 to $1,211, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Sao Tome and Principe.

Living in Sao Tome and Principe is roughly 52% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Sao Tome and Principe 11% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.86 STN 195

$2.98 ¥19.81

197.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.95 STN 967

$22.09 ¥147

98.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.60 STN 189

$5.20 ¥34.60

65.38%

Cappuccino

$2.40 STN 52.7

$2.97 ¥19.74

-19.19%

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

$1.81 STN 39.89

$0.48 ¥3.19

277.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 STN 24.76

$0.30 ¥2.01

276.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 STN 38.32

$1.08 ¥7.18

61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 STN 41.45

$2.28 ¥15.15

-17.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 STN 33.69

$1.80 ¥11.96

-15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 STN 33.44

$1.68 ¥11.15

-9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 STN 41.10

$0.92 ¥6.13

103.26%

Eggs

$4.40 STN 96.7

$1.61 ¥10.73

173.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.33 STN 425

$13.38 ¥89.1

44.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.32 STN 425

$3.35 ¥22.28

476.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.09 STN 464

$11.35 ¥75.5

85.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 STN 83.6

$1.82 ¥12.12

108.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.65

$1.31 ¥8.69

34.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.8

$1.49 ¥9.89

140.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 STN 78.0

$1.27 ¥8.47

178.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 STN 63.2

$0.71 ¥4.73

304.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 STN 52.4

$0.93 ¥6.21

155.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 STN 11.68

$0.62 ¥4.12

-14.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 STN 45.40

$0.56 ¥3.74

267.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 STN 48.09

$3.78 ¥25.15

-42.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 STN 176

$12.13 ¥80.7

-34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 STN 32.25

$0.83 ¥5.54

77.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 STN 36.91

$1.68 ¥11.21

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 STN 29.52

$0.29 ¥1.92

362.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 36.10

$1.49 ¥9.89

10.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 STN 58.6

$0.37 ¥2.49

618.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.81 STN 304

$7.10 ¥47.24

94.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 STN 38.37

$1.26 ¥8.37

38.10%

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

$24.4K STN 535.9K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

25.27%

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

$31.6K STN 694.4K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

79.98%

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

$224 STN 4,934

$54.6 ¥363

311.02%

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

$30.91 STN 680

$8.73 ¥58.1

254.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 STN 1,447

$11.07 ¥73.6

494.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 STN 750

$40.77 ¥271

-16.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.43 STN 560

$14.48 ¥96.4

75.62%

Cinema Ticket

$20.50 STN 451

$6.78 ¥45.12

202.36%

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

$228 STN 5,021

$517 ¥3,438

-55.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,158 STN 47.5K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-89.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.2 STN 1,653

$35.66 ¥237

110.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.67 STN 411

$80.3 ¥534

-76.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 STN 6,339

$386 ¥2,567

-25.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,300

$235 ¥1,561

-16.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 STN 20.2K

$822 ¥5,469

11.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 STN 9,606

$453 ¥3,015

-3.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,861 STN 40.9K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-60.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,125 STN 24.8K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-52.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 STN 9,709

$1,093 ¥7,274

-59.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

3.46

113.29%

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 China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3%

China

$210 26.5% 47.7% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6%

China

$74 9.4% 76.8% $247

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2%

China

$235 29.6% 20% $39

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4%

China

$88 11.1% 41.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2%

China

$54 6.9% 27.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

China

$108 13.6% 155% $66

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7%

China

$22 2.8% 9.9% $2

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $288 in Sao Tome and Principe, $298 in China. Capital cities: $288 in Sao Tome vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $259 in Sao Tome and Principe, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 91% more in Sao Tome and Principe.

Salaries are about 3.4 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

8 h ahead of Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome and Principe China 11,650 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome and Principe
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe, there’s a 52% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Sao Tome and Principe may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.