Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and in Austin, TX

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 in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,218 in Sao Tome versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Sao Tome $1,218
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,921 in Sao Tome versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Sao Tome $1,921
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,624 in Sao Tome versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Sao Tome $2,624
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Sao Tome costs roughly 55% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Tome is 9% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.91 STN 195

$20.22 $20.22

-55.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.14 STN 965

$85.0 $85.0

-48.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 STN 171

$12.35 $12.35

-36.44%

Cappuccino

$2.25 STN 49.12

$5.47 $5.47

-58.87%

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

$1.87 STN 40.78

$3.82 $3.82

-51.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 STN 27.93

$2.50 $2.50

-48.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 STN 37.88

$8.06 $8.06

-78.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 STN 39.58

$8.99 $8.99

-79.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 STN 34.32

$1.13 $1.13

38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 STN 21.63

$3.78 $3.78

-73.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 STN 45.02

$3.25 $3.25

-36.62%

Eggs

$4.77 STN 104

$4.14 $4.14

15.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.45 STN 425

$13.08 $13.08

48.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.62 STN 429

$14.31 $14.31

37.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.03 STN 525

$15.96 $15.96

50.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 STN 84.2

$4.38 $4.38

-12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.80

$1.45 $1.45

22.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 STN 80.4

$4.54 $4.54

-18.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 STN 75.3

$4.19 $4.19

-17.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 STN 64.4

$2.63 $2.63

12.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 STN 51.3

$2.36 $2.36

-0.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.90

$1.76 $1.76

-69.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 STN 45.32

$2.16 $2.16

-4.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 STN 48.28

$9.81 $9.81

-77.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 STN 176

$14.72 $14.72

-45.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 STN 32.99

$2.78 $2.78

-45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 STN 35.78

$3.48 $3.48

-52.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 STN 30.39

$1.49 $1.49

-6.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 35.75

$2.67 $2.67

-38.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 STN 56.0

$1.58 $1.58

62.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 STN 301

$35.29 $35.29

-60.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 STN 37.85

$0.99 $0.99

74.75%

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

$24.7K STN 539.4K

$35.8K $35.8K

-31.05%

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

$31.3K STN 683.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

15.16%

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

$233 STN 5,095

$219 $219

6.35%

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

$31.29 STN 684

$58.0 $58.0

-46.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 STN 1,442

$68.4 $68.4

-3.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 STN 739

$57.9 $57.9

-41.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.54 STN 558

$14.82 $14.82

72.33%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 STN 443

$14.13 $14.13

43.52%

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

$227 STN 4,961

$1,509 $1,509

-84.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,207 STN 48.2K

$21.5K $21.5K

-89.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 STN 1,669

$44.05 $44.05

73.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.71 STN 409

$105 $105

-82.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 STN 6,165

$1,932 $1,932

-85.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 STN 4,325

$1,272 $1,272

-84.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 STN 20.7K

$3,670 $3,670

-74.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,646

$2,525 $2,525

-82.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,812 STN 39.6K

$7,617 $7,617

-76.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 STN 24.6K

$3,199 $3,199

-64.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 STN 5,650

$5,105 $5,105

-94.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

6.79

8.69%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$411 33.6%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 2% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 4.6% $15

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$198 16.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 543% $1.1K

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$147 12%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 137% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 15.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 201% $86

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 185% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Sao Tome and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1874% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Sao Tome vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $411 vs $403, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

09:17 9:17 AM

5 h behind Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome Austin, TX 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Austin, TX

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 vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome wins on cost – living expenses run 122% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Tome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1874% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $282 in Sao Tome versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $227 in Sao Tome versus $1,509 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Tome – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,218 in Sao Tome versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Tome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sao Tome and Austin, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Tome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.