Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Principe and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,206 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
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Sao Tome and Principe Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and Principe and in Spain

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 Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,206 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $1,775 in Spain, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $1,206
Spain $1,775

A couple spends around $1,890 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $2,606 in Spain, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $1,890
Spain $2,606

A family of three spends $2,575 per month in Sao Tome and Principe vs $3,438 in Spain, rent included.

Sao Tome and Principe $2,575
Spain $3,438

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($931–$2,610) than in Sao Tome and Principe ($199–$1,211), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sao Tome and Principe is roughly 32% lower than in Spain on average.

Sao Tome and Principe sits 11% below the global median, while Spain is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.86 STN 195

$16.69 €14.99

-46.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.95 STN 967

$55.7 €50.0

-21.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.60 STN 189

$11.37 €10.21

-24.36%

Cappuccino

$2.40 STN 52.7

$2.42 €2.17

-0.83%

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

$1.81 STN 39.89

$2.68 €2.41

-32.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 STN 24.76

$1.79 €1.61

-36.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 STN 38.32

$3.42 €3.08

-49.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 STN 41.45

$3.88 €3.48

-51.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 STN 33.69

$1.20 €1.08

27.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 STN 33.44

$1.48 €1.33

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 STN 41.10

$1.67 €1.50

11.98%

Eggs

$4.40 STN 96.7

$3.42 €3.07

28.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.33 STN 425

$14.17 €12.73

36.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.32 STN 425

$8.33 €7.48

131.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.09 STN 464

$16.20 €14.56

30.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 STN 83.6

$2.45 €2.20

55.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 STN 38.65

$2.03 €1.82

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 STN 78.8

$2.08 €1.87

72.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 STN 78.0

$2.58 €2.32

37.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 STN 63.2

$1.83 €1.64

56.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 STN 52.4

$2.00 €1.80

19.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 STN 11.68

$1.31 €1.18

-59.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 STN 45.40

$0.77 €0.69

167.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 STN 48.09

$6.36 €5.72

-65.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 STN 176

$5.64 €5.07

41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 STN 32.25

$1.30 €1.17

13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 STN 36.91

$2.09 €1.87

-19.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 STN 29.52

$1.64 €1.48

-18.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 36.10

$4.43 €3.98

-62.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 STN 58.6

$1.47 €1.32

80.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.81 STN 304

$24.98 €22.44

-44.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 STN 38.37

$1.77 €1.59

-1.69%

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

$24.4K STN 535.9K

$35.5K €31.9K

-31.43%

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

$31.6K STN 694.4K

$30.6K €27.5K

3.10%

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

$224 STN 4,934

$149 €134

50.22%

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

$30.91 STN 680

$17.67 €15.88

74.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 STN 1,447

$31.88 €28.64

106.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 STN 750

$44.24 €39.74

-22.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.43 STN 560

$15.29 €13.74

66.32%

Cinema Ticket

$20.50 STN 451

$9.66 €8.68

112.22%

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

$228 STN 5,021

$544 €489

-58.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,158 STN 47.5K

$10.6K €9,527

-79.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.2 STN 1,653

$37.11 €33.34

102.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €80.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.67 STN 411

$106 €95.0

-82.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 STN 6,339

$1,056 €949

-72.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,300

$808 €726

-75.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 STN 20.2K

$1,621 €1,456

-43.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 STN 9,606

$1,246 €1,119

-64.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,861 STN 40.9K

$4,135 €3,715

-54.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,125 STN 24.8K

$2,633 €2,365

-57.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 STN 9,709

$1,999 €1,796

-77.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

3.3

123.64%

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 Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3%

Spain

$272 15.3% 32.4% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6%

Spain

$199 11.2% 38% $122

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2%

Spain

$808 45.5% 313% $612

Eating Out

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4%

Spain

$239 13.5% 59.9% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2%

Spain

$64 3.6% 15.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5%

Spain

$143 8% 238% $100

Getting Around

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7%

Spain

$51 2.9% 152% $31

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 $920 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $288 in Sao Tome and $1,508 in Madrid.

Average salary: $259 in Sao Tome and Principe vs $1,972 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 219% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 36% more in Spain.

Salaries are about 7.6 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

23:30 11:30 PM

1 h ahead of Sao Tome and Principe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,327

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 24.49 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome and Principe Spain 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome and Principe
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome and Principe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 32% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $920 versus $288 in Sao Tome and Principe.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sao Tome and Principe, but in Spain it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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