Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $1,218 per month in Sao Tome vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Sao Tome $1,218
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,921 per month in Sao Tome vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Sao Tome $1,921
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,624 per month in Sao Tome vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Sao Tome $2,624
Budapest $3,489

Sao Tome is about 25% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Tome sits 9% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.91 STN 195

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-36.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.14 STN 965

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-26.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 STN 171

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-21.18%

Cappuccino

$2.25 STN 49.12

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-33.43%

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

$1.87 STN 40.78

$2.13 Ft 692

-12.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 STN 27.93

$1.87 Ft 608

-31.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 STN 37.88

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-53.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 STN 39.58

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-49.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 STN 34.32

$1.13 Ft 368

38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 STN 21.63

$1.84 Ft 599

-46.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 STN 45.02

$2.39 Ft 777

-13.81%

Eggs

$4.77 STN 104

$3.83 Ft 1,245

24.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.45 STN 425

$11.33 Ft 3,686

71.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.62 STN 429

$6.74 Ft 2,192

191.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.03 STN 525

$14.69 Ft 4,780

63.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 STN 84.2

$1.84 Ft 597

109.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.80

$2.01 Ft 653

-11.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 STN 80.4

$2.36 Ft 767

55.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 STN 75.3

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-8.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 STN 64.4

$0.96 Ft 313

207.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 STN 51.3

$1.03 Ft 334

128.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.90

$1.56 Ft 509

-65.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 STN 45.32

$0.66 Ft 216

213.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 STN 48.28

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-72.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 STN 176

$6.01 Ft 1,954

33.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 STN 32.99

$1.30 Ft 421

16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 STN 35.78

$2.08 Ft 676

-21.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 STN 30.39

$1.50 Ft 489

-7.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 35.75

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-50.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 STN 56.0

$1.30 Ft 424

96.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 STN 301

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-30.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 STN 37.85

$1.81 Ft 591

-4.42%

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

$24.7K STN 539.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-15.82%

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

$31.3K STN 683.8K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-8.24%

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

$233 STN 5,095

$170 Ft 55.3K

37.22%

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

$31.29 STN 684

$23.98 Ft 7,802

30.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 STN 1,442

$23.42 Ft 7,621

181.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 STN 739

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-48.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.54 STN 558

$19.18 Ft 6,239

33.16%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 STN 443

$9.52 Ft 3,098

113.03%

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

$227 STN 4,961

$537 Ft 174.6K

-57.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,207 STN 48.2K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-86.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 STN 1,669

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

77.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.71 STN 409

$119 Ft 38.6K

-84.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 STN 6,165

$805 Ft 262.0K

-64.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 STN 4,325

$629 Ft 204.7K

-68.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 STN 20.7K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-38.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,646

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-62.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,812 STN 39.6K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-67.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 STN 24.6K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-71.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 STN 5,650

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-84.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

6.43

14.77%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$411 33.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 37.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 34.2% $113

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$198 16.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 218% $431

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$147 12%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 52.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6.1%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 14.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 295% $126

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 117% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Sao Tome versus $805 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 529% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Sao Tome versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Sao Tome vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

2 h ahead of Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Tome Budapest 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,827 per month in Sao Tome and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Tome, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Sao Tome and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 59% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Tome, where all-in costs run around $1,218, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Sao Tome it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Tome – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Tome. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.