Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,218 in Sao Tome, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,218 in Sao Tome versus $934 in Cebu.

Sao Tome $1,218
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,921 in Sao Tome versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Sao Tome $1,921
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,624 in Sao Tome versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Sao Tome $2,624
Cebu $1,896

Living in Sao Tome is roughly 30% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Tome 9% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.91 STN 195

$3.03 ₱190

194.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.14 STN 965

$23.48 ₱1,473

87.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 STN 171

$4.09 ₱256

91.93%

Cappuccino

$2.25 STN 49.12

$2.52 ₱158

-10.71%

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

$1.87 STN 40.78

$1.54 ₱96.9

21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 STN 27.93

$0.49 ₱30.98

161.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 STN 37.88

$1.79 ₱112

-3.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 STN 39.58

$2.26 ₱142

-19.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 STN 34.32

$1.95 ₱122

-19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 STN 21.63

$1.43 ₱89.7

-30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 STN 45.02

$1.02 ₱63.8

101.96%

Eggs

$4.77 STN 104

$2.06 ₱129

131.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.45 STN 425

$9.81 ₱615

98.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.62 STN 429

$4.61 ₱289

325.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.03 STN 525

$7.70 ₱483

212.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 STN 84.2

$3.31 ₱207

16.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.80

$1.45 ₱90.9

22.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 STN 80.4

$2.36 ₱148

55.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 STN 75.3

$1.54 ₱96.4

123.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 STN 64.4

$2.36 ₱148

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 STN 51.3

$1.99 ₱125

18.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.90

$1.15 ₱72.1

-53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 STN 45.32

$0.67 ₱42.15

208.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 STN 48.28

$3.00 ₱188

-26.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 STN 176

$6.35 ₱398

26.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 STN 32.99

$1.31 ₱81.9

15.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 STN 35.78

$1.73 ₱108

-5.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 STN 30.39

$0.25 ₱15.78

456.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 35.75

$0.74 ₱46.32

121.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 STN 56.0

$0.21 ₱13.11

1119.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 STN 301

$4.33 ₱271

218.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 STN 37.85

$1.33 ₱83.5

30.08%

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

$24.7K STN 539.4K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

13.43%

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

$31.3K STN 683.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

61.34%

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

$233 STN 5,095

$121 ₱7,563

93.39%

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

$31.29 STN 684

$14.45 ₱907

116.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 STN 1,442

$28.29 ₱1,774

133.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 STN 739

$32.68 ₱2,050

3.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.54 STN 558

$6.39 ₱401

299.69%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 STN 443

$5.46 ₱342

271.43%

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

$227 STN 4,961

$273 ₱17.1K

-16.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,207 STN 48.2K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-72.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 STN 1,669

$24.87 ₱1,560

207.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.71 STN 409

$59.3 ₱3,717

-68.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 STN 6,165

$506 ₱31.7K

-44.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 STN 4,325

$309 ₱19.4K

-36.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 STN 20.7K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-9.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,646

$619 ₱38.8K

-28.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,812 STN 39.6K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-37.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 STN 24.6K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-39.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 STN 5,650

$341 ₱21.4K

-24.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

7.2

2.50%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$411 33.6%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 48.8% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 50.6% $167

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$198 16.2%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 56.3% $111

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$147 12%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 39.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6.1%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 41.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 121% $52

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 22.8% $4.6

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 $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Sao Tome vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

18:14 6:14 PM

8 h ahead of Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome Cebu 12,970 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Cebu. 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 $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Sao Tome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,218 per month in Sao Tome versus $934 in Cebu – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,218 in Sao Tome, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Sao Tome. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Tome, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sao Tome and Cebu 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Sao Tome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.