Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome And Principe and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome And Principe and South Africa

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Tome And Principe is 22.1% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 2.7% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome And Principe is 50.9% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 15% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.88 STN 416
$8.70 R 140
128.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.69 STN 893
$38.91 R 626
9.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.69 STN 203
$5.17 R 83.3
87.43%
Cappuccino
$2.03 STN 42.49
$2.05 R 33.04
-0.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 STN 39.52
$1.02 R 16.48
85.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 STN 21.57
$0.76 R 12.22
35.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 STN 34.81
$2.26 R 36.34
-26.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 STN 38.91
$2.53 R 40.80
-26.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 STN 28.85
$1.10 R 17.78
25.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 STN 32.70
$0.94 R 15.15
65.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 STN 38.92
$1.62 R 26.14
14.81%
Eggs
$4.57 STN 95.7
$2.22 R 35.77
105.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.77 STN 414
$7.52 R 121
162.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$20.01 STN 419
$4.48 R 72.1
346.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$24.96 STN 522
$6.61 R 106
277.61%
Apples (1kg)
$4.77 STN 99.8
$1.50 R 24.17
218.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.19 STN 24.90
$1.42 R 22.87
-16.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.08 STN 85.5
$1.46 R 23.52
179.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.52 STN 73.6
$1.51 R 24.33
133.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 STN 52.9
$1.26 R 20.22
100.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 STN 41.66
$1.29 R 20.85
54.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 STN 14.74
$1.03 R 16.56
-32.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 STN 40.84
$0.97 R 15.56
101.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.38 STN 49.73
$2.87 R 46.21
-17.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.32 STN 174
$4.90 R 78.9
69.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 STN 25.71
$1.31 R 21.15
-6.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 STN 26.89
$1.73 R 27.93
-26.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.27 STN 26.68
$1.65 R 26.54
-23.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.20 R 712
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.14 R 18.35
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.09 R 17.56
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.02 STN 293
$4.70 R 75.8
198.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 STN 35.30
$1.30 R 20.86
30.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$20.8K R 334.8K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K STN 489.0K
$23.5K R 378.5K
-0.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$111 R 1,793
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.97 STN 585
$32.36 R 521
-13.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.4 STN 1,473
$40.49 R 652
73.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.99 STN 774
$31.96 R 515
15.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.80 STN 603
$9.72 R 156
196.30%
Cinema Ticket
$20.93 STN 438
$6.80 R 109
207.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$189 R 3,035
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,400 R 70.8K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$50.2 R 807
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$30.53 R 492
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$94.5 R 1,522
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$19.13 STN 400
$81.3 R 1,309
-76.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$273 STN 5,719
$453 R 7,289
-39.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$190 STN 3,972
$372 R 5,991
-49.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$673 STN 14.1K
$906 R 14.6K
-25.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$523 STN 10.9K
$703 R 11.3K
-25.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,931 STN 40.4K
$1,150 R 18.5K
67.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,180 STN 24.7K
$836 R 13.5K
41.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$459 STN 9,616
$1,471 R 23.7K
-68.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.38
11.55
-36.10%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Sao Tome And Principe: March 2, 2026

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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