Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,218 in Sao Tome versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Sao Tome $1,218
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,921 in Sao Tome versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Sao Tome $1,921
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,624 in Sao Tome versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Sao Tome $2,624
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Sao Tome costs roughly 28% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Tome is 9% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.91 STN 195

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-52.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.14 STN 965

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-31.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 STN 171

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-39.05%

Cappuccino

$2.25 STN 49.12

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-43.47%

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

$1.87 STN 40.78

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-8.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 STN 27.93

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-17.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 STN 37.88

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-54.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 STN 39.58

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-60.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 STN 34.32

$1.44 ARS 2,181

9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 STN 21.63

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-59.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 STN 45.02

$1.63 ARS 2,467

26.38%

Eggs

$4.77 STN 104

$2.89 ARS 4,385

65.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.45 STN 425

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

82.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.62 STN 429

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

96.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.03 STN 525

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

74.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 STN 84.2

$2.75 ARS 4,166

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.80

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-18.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 STN 80.4

$1.45 ARS 2,205

153.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 STN 75.3

$1.99 ARS 3,013

72.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 STN 64.4

$1.24 ARS 1,885

137.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 STN 51.3

$1.27 ARS 1,921

85.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.90

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-68.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 STN 45.32

$1.73 ARS 2,617

19.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 STN 48.28

$4.18 ARS 6,337

-47.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 STN 176

$5.80 ARS 8,790

38.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 STN 32.99

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-27.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 STN 35.78

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-40.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 STN 30.39

$0.75 ARS 1,132

85.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 35.75

$1.62 ARS 2,451

1.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 STN 56.0

$0.98 ARS 1,481

161.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 STN 301

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

78.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 STN 37.85

$1.36 ARS 2,058

27.21%

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

$24.7K STN 539.4K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-11.86%

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

$31.3K STN 683.8K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-9.36%

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

$233 STN 5,095

$216 ARS 326.9K

8.17%

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

$31.29 STN 684

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

22.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 STN 1,442

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

110.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 STN 739

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-32.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.54 STN 558

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

49.71%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 STN 443

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

94.44%

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

$227 STN 4,961

$466 ARS 706.7K

-51.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,207 STN 48.2K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-75.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 STN 1,669

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-21.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.71 STN 409

$140 ARS 211.9K

-86.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 STN 6,165

$763 ARS 1.2M

-63.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 STN 4,325

$505 ARS 766.1K

-60.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 STN 20.7K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-40.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,646

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-62.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,812 STN 39.6K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-32.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 STN 24.6K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-39.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 STN 5,650

$954 ARS 1.4M

-72.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

57.25

-87.11%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$411 33.6%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 30.9% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 17.5% $58

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$198 16.2%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 155% $307

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$147 12%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 90.2% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6.1%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 5% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 401% $172

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 83.2% $17

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 $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 269% 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $411 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

06:43 6:43 AM

3 h behind Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Tome Buenos Aires 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome and Buenos Aires differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,218 vs $1,685 including rent). Sao Tome is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 269% lower in Buenos Aires. 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 $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $227 in Sao Tome versus $466 in Buenos Aires. 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,218 in Sao Tome versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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 Buenos Aires 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 38% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.