Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,214 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
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Sao Tome and Principe Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,214

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Tome and Principe is 4% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 20.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome and Principe is 4.5% more expensive than Istanbul without rent, and 19.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 STN 192

$11.88 ₺585

-25.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.70 STN 999

$55.1 ₺2,714

-17.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.62 STN 188

$9.14 ₺450

-5.69%

Cappuccino

$2.42 STN 52.8

$4.24 ₺209

-42.92%

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

$1.74 STN 38.06

$1.75 ₺86.0

-0.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 STN 24.57

$0.54 ₺26.83

107.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 STN 38.46

$4.69 ₺231

-62.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 STN 39.44

$5.97 ₺294

-69.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 STN 34.44

$1.26 ₺62.1

25.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 STN 33.42

$0.95 ₺46.81

61.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 STN 42.63

$2.31 ₺114

-15.58%

Eggs

$4.50 STN 98.3

$2.47 ₺122

82.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 STN 424

$10.55 ₺520

83.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.55 STN 427

$5.60 ₺276

249.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.90 STN 457

$21.21 ₺1,045

-1.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 STN 81.2

$1.93 ₺95.1

92.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.50

$2.29 ₺113

-23.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.3

$1.28 ₺63.1

179.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 STN 73.7

$1.84 ₺90.8

83.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 STN 63.9

$0.67 ₺32.86

335.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 STN 51.7

$0.59 ₺29.31

301.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 STN 11.06

$1.33 ₺65.4

-61.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 STN 43.32

$0.59 ₺29.10

235.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 STN 49.25

$2.36 ₺116

-4.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 STN 177

$13.47 ₺664

-39.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 STN 30.74

$2.42 ₺119

-41.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 STN 37.22

$3.54 ₺174

-51.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 STN 30.77

$0.83 ₺40.64

69.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 STN 37.81

$1.35 ₺66.6

28.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 STN 57.8

$0.85 ₺42.05

210.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 STN 304

$10.86 ₺535

27.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 STN 37.00

$1.47 ₺72.3

14.97%

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

$24.3K STN 531.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-52.91%

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

$31.1K STN 678.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-30.12%

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

$225 STN 4,918

$89.2 ₺4,395

152.30%

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

$31.43 STN 687

$11.60 ₺572

170.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 STN 1,477

$16.10 ₺793

319.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.47 STN 731

$77.3 ₺3,805

-56.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.52 STN 558

$22.66 ₺1,116

12.62%

Cinema Ticket

$20.45 STN 447

$8.34 ₺411

145.20%

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

$228 STN 4,976

$974 ₺48.0K

-76.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,161 STN 47.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-91.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.8 STN 1,656

$39.16 ₺1,929

93.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.52 STN 405

$96.6 ₺4,759

-80.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 STN 6,178

$994 ₺49.0K

-71.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,256

$629 ₺31.0K

-69.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 STN 20.7K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-53.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,627

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-61.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 STN 40.6K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-41.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,129 STN 24.7K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-38.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 STN 9,428

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-64.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

41.09

-82.04%

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 Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 34.3% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$324 26.9%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 63.9% $207

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 223% $435

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$149 12.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 46% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$74 6.2%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 26.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 209% $89

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$21 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 266% $55

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

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

3 h ahead of Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

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