Last update: Oct 2026

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

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Tome and Principe and in South Africa: $1,206 and $1,203 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
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Sao Tome and Principe Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and Principe and in South Africa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sao Tome and Principe and in South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,206 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $1,206
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $1,890 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $1,890
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $2,575 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $2,575
South Africa $2,583

Cost ranges are similar: Sao Tome and Principe spans $199–$1,211, South Africa $618–$1,556. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

Both Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Sao Tome and Principe 11% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.86 STN 195

$10.67 R 177

-16.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.95 STN 967

$41.66 R 693

5.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.60 STN 189

$5.80 R 96.5

48.28%

Cappuccino

$2.40 STN 52.7

$2.36 R 39.23

1.69%

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

$1.81 STN 39.89

$1.12 R 18.56

61.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 STN 24.76

$0.90 R 15.00

25.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 STN 38.32

$2.42 R 40.20

-28.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 STN 41.45

$3.06 R 50.9

-38.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 STN 33.69

$1.18 R 19.58

29.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 STN 33.44

$1.13 R 18.83

34.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 STN 41.10

$1.74 R 28.90

7.47%

Eggs

$4.40 STN 96.7

$2.57 R 42.80

71.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.33 STN 425

$8.43 R 140

129.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.32 STN 425

$5.12 R 85.1

277.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.09 STN 464

$7.59 R 126

177.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 STN 83.6

$1.77 R 29.52

114.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.65

$1.74 R 28.90

1.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.8

$1.77 R 29.43

102.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 STN 78.0

$1.76 R 29.26

101.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 STN 63.2

$1.49 R 24.81

92.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 STN 52.4

$1.47 R 24.38

61.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 STN 11.68

$1.23 R 20.52

-56.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 STN 45.40

$1.10 R 18.25

87.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 STN 48.09

$3.24 R 54.0

-32.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 STN 176

$5.00 R 83.2

59.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 STN 32.25

$1.50 R 24.90

-2.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 STN 36.91

$1.94 R 32.26

-13.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 STN 29.52

$1.48 R 24.58

-9.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 36.10

$1.09 R 18.21

50.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 STN 58.6

$0.99 R 16.46

168.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.81 STN 304

$7.46 R 124

85.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 STN 38.37

$1.43 R 23.76

21.68%

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

$24.4K STN 535.9K

$35.3K R 587.4K

-31.00%

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

$31.6K STN 694.4K

$32.4K R 539.7K

-2.69%

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

$224 STN 4,934

$133 R 2,208

68.94%

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

$30.91 STN 680

$34.83 R 580

-11.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 STN 1,447

$39.76 R 662

65.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 STN 750

$33.09 R 551

3.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.43 STN 560

$11.65 R 194

118.28%

Cinema Ticket

$20.50 STN 451

$7.18 R 119

185.52%

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

$228 STN 5,021

$224 R 3,728

1.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,158 STN 47.5K

$5,462 R 90.9K

-60.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.2 STN 1,653

$34.13 R 568

120.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.67 STN 411

$88.5 R 1,472

-78.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 STN 6,339

$492 R 8,189

-41.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,300

$398 R 6,617

-50.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 STN 20.2K

$946 R 15.7K

-2.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 STN 9,606

$827 R 13.8K

-47.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,861 STN 40.9K

$1,099 R 18.3K

69.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,125 STN 24.8K

$769 R 12.8K

46.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 STN 9,709

$1,502 R 25.0K

-70.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

11.23

-34.28%

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

Last update for Sao Tome and Principe: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 51.2% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 35.4% $114

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 104% $202

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 5.1% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2%

South Africa

$47 4% 36.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 197% $83

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 251% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $288 in Sao Tome and Principe vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $288 in Sao Tome and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $259 in Sao Tome and Principe vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 47% higher in South Africa.

Salaries are about 5.7 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

06:39 6:39 AM

2 h ahead of Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 22 STN (100 STN = 4.55 USD). 1 EUR = 24.53 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome and Principe South Africa 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sao Tome and Principe vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Africa is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.