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 56.7% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 4.1% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome And Principe is 63.8% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 13.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.12 STN 425
$9.05 R 161
122.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.49 STN 918
$38.84 R 691
11.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.61 STN 203
$4.9 R 87.1
96.12%
Cappuccino
$1.96 STN 41.45
$1.98 R 35.28
-1.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 STN 39.34
$0.96 R 17.06
93.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 STN 21.95
$0.75 R 13.31
38.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 STN 35.71
$2.18 R 38.72
-22.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 STN 38.45
$2.54 R 45.1
-28.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 STN 28.92
$1.1 R 19.58
24.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 STN 32.51
$1.03 R 18.32
49.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.87 STN 39.47
$1.56 R 27.71
19.87%
Eggs
$4.41 STN 93.1
$2.25 R 39.93
96.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.17 STN 426
$7.67 R 136
162.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$20.27 STN 428
$4.62 R 82.2
338.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.58 STN 540
$6.86 R 122
272.89%
Apples (1kg)
$4.51 STN 95.1
$1.58 R 28.02
185.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 STN 24.74
$1.42 R 25.3
-17.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.03 STN 85
$1.44 R 25.58
179.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.51 STN 74.1
$1.49 R 26.5
135.57%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 STN 53.5
$1.25 R 22.16
102.40%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 STN 43.68
$1.34 R 23.81
54.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.66 STN 14.01
$1.09 R 19.31
-39.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 STN 39.75
$0.96 R 17.15
95.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 STN 48.1
$2.9 R 51.6
-21.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.35 STN 197
$5.07 R 90.3
84.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 STN 26.59
$1.38 R 24.49
-8.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 STN 27.14
$1.68 R 29.79
-23.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.22 STN 25.81
$1.71 R 30.47
-28.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$45.01 R 801
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.1 R 19.61
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.09 R 19.41
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.04 STN 296
$4.8 R 85.3
192.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.63 STN 34.39
$1.31 R 23.23
24.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$21K R 374.2K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K STN 479.5K
$23.7K R 421.3K
-4.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$113 R 2,009
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.66 STN 605
$33.11 R 589
-13.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.7 STN 1,492
$41.49 R 738
70.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 STN 787
$31.69 R 564
17.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.1 STN 614
$9.45 R 168
207.94%
Cinema Ticket
$20.43 STN 431
$6.7 R 119
204.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$186 R 3,303
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,336 R 77.1K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$48.56 R 864
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$30.74 R 547
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$92 R 1,636
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$18.97 STN 400
$79.6 R 1,415
-76.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$266 STN 5,614
$442 R 7,860
-39.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$192 STN 4,057
$370 R 6,579
-48.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$666 STN 14K
$880 R 15.7K
-24.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$524 STN 11.1K
$724 R 12.9K
-27.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,021 R 18.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$803 R 14.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Tome And Principe
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$528 STN 11.1K
$1,406 R 25K
-62.45%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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