Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,214 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,214

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Tome and Principe is 2.7% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 23.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome and Principe is 8.2% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 15.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 STN 192

$8.01 COP 25.5K

9.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.70 STN 999

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-1.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.62 STN 188

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-8.59%

Cappuccino

$2.42 STN 52.8

$2.91 COP 9,277

-16.84%

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

$1.74 STN 38.06

$1.75 COP 5,585

-0.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 STN 24.57

$1.32 COP 4,218

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 STN 38.46

$3.13 COP 9,969

-43.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 STN 39.44

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-67.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 STN 34.44

$1.41 COP 4,495

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 STN 33.42

$2.44 COP 7,777

-37.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 STN 42.63

$1.63 COP 5,191

19.63%

Eggs

$4.50 STN 98.3

$2.82 COP 8,990

59.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 STN 424

$9.69 COP 30.9K

100.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.55 STN 427

$9.32 COP 29.7K

109.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.90 STN 457

$13.46 COP 42.9K

55.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 STN 81.2

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.50

$1.48 COP 4,719

18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.3

$2.12 COP 6,768

68.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 STN 73.7

$2.25 COP 7,178

49.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 STN 63.9

$1.91 COP 6,092

52.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 STN 51.7

$1.62 COP 5,160

46.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 STN 11.06

$1.15 COP 3,658

-55.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 STN 43.32

$1.26 COP 4,021

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 STN 49.25

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-41.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 STN 177

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-38.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 STN 30.74

$1.60 COP 5,083

-11.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 STN 37.22

$2.26 COP 7,188

-24.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 STN 30.77

$1.17 COP 3,731

20.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 STN 37.81

$1.27 COP 4,056

36.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 STN 57.8

$2.05 COP 6,531

28.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 STN 304

$8.20 COP 26.1K

69.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 STN 37.00

$1.27 COP 4,046

33.07%

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

$24.3K STN 531.2K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

-9.20%

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

$31.1K STN 678.7K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-9.72%

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

$225 STN 4,918

$162 COP 516.9K

38.77%

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

$31.43 STN 687

$13.12 COP 41.8K

139.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 STN 1,477

$28.09 COP 89.5K

140.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.47 STN 731

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-24.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.52 STN 558

$16.33 COP 52.0K

56.28%

Cinema Ticket

$20.45 STN 447

$6.09 COP 19.4K

235.80%

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

$228 STN 4,976

$764 COP 2.4M

-70.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,161 STN 47.2K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-75.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.8 STN 1,656

$57.5 COP 183.2K

31.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.52 STN 405

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-80.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 STN 6,178

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-72.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,256

$604 COP 1.9M

-67.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 STN 20.7K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-47.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,627

$993 COP 3.2M

-55.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 STN 40.6K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-52.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,129 STN 24.7K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-31.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 STN 9,428

$626 COP 2.0M

-31.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

10.94

-32.54%

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 Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 28.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$324 26.9%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 37.2% $121

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.1%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 210% $410

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$149 12.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 11.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$74 6.2%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 24% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 292% $124

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$21 * 1.7%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 343% $71

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

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

03:58 3:58 AM

5 h behind Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

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