Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,214 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,214

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Tome and Principe is 6.6% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 23.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sao Tome and Principe is 5.9% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 20.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 STN 192

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-48.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.70 STN 999

$66.9 BGN 117

-31.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.62 STN 188

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-26.76%

Cappuccino

$2.42 STN 52.8

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-29.24%

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

$1.74 STN 38.06

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-28.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 STN 24.57

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-39.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 STN 38.46

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-47.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 STN 39.44

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-60.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 STN 34.44

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-17.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 STN 33.42

$1.51 BGN 2.64

1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 STN 42.63

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-11.76%

Eggs

$4.50 STN 98.3

$4.40 BGN 7.69

2.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 STN 424

$11.56 BGN 20.22

67.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.55 STN 427

$8.79 BGN 15.38

122.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.90 STN 457

$16.97 BGN 29.71

23.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 STN 81.2

$2.17 BGN 3.79

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.50

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.3

$1.84 BGN 3.22

94.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 STN 73.7

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-21.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 STN 63.9

$1.03 BGN 1.80

183.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 STN 51.7

$0.93 BGN 1.62

154.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 STN 11.06

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-57.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 STN 43.32

$0.92 BGN 1.62

115.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 STN 49.25

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-47.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 STN 177

$7.33 BGN 12.83

10.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 STN 30.74

$1.18 BGN 2.06

19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 STN 37.22

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 STN 30.77

$0.87 BGN 1.52

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 STN 37.81

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-0.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 STN 57.8

$0.96 BGN 1.68

175.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 STN 304

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-10.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 STN 37.00

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-5.59%

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

$24.3K STN 531.2K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-18.92%

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

$31.1K STN 678.7K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

17.80%

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

$225 STN 4,918

$156 BGN 273

44.33%

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

$31.43 STN 687

$21.21 BGN 37.11

48.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 STN 1,477

$15.64 BGN 27.37

332.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.47 STN 731

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-28.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.52 STN 558

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-8.00%

Cinema Ticket

$20.45 STN 447

$10.02 BGN 17.53

104.09%

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

$228 STN 4,976

$766 BGN 1,341

-70.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,161 STN 47.2K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-83.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.8 STN 1,656

$40.88 BGN 71.5

85.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.52 STN 405

$105 BGN 183

-82.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 STN 6,178

$796 BGN 1,393

-64.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,256

$607 BGN 1,063

-67.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 STN 20.7K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-39.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,627

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-58.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 STN 40.6K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-57.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,129 STN 24.7K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-65.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 STN 9,428

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-75.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

2.89

155.36%

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 Sofia: 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%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 28.5% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$324 26.9%

Sofia

$193 12% 40.5% $131

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 212% $413

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$149 12.4%

Sofia

$256 16% 71.6% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$74 6.2%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 10.2% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 262% $111

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$21 * 1.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 85.4% $18

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

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

3 h ahead of Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, 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 = 24.48 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

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