Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Tome is 61.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 28% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome is 62.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 44.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.85 STN 419

$2.03 ฿64.2

877.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.94 STN 990

$18.59 ฿588

152.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 STN 202

$7.48 ฿237

28.34%

Cappuccino

$1.72 STN 36.29

$2.00 ฿63.2

-14.00%

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

$1.84 STN 38.87

$0.85 ฿26.81

116.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 STN 24.88

$0.35 ฿11.13

237.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 STN 35.80

$2.21 ฿70.0

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 STN 40.59

$3.76 ฿119

-48.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 STN 27.66

$1.72 ฿54.4

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 STN 21.82

$1.63 ฿51.7

-36.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 STN 47.73

$1.16 ฿36.66

94.83%

Eggs

$4.91 STN 104

$1.98 ฿62.6

147.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.98 STN 421

$15.93 ฿504

25.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.38 STN 430

$3.17 ฿100

542.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.01 STN 527

$10.90 ฿345

129.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 STN 96.5

$2.65 ฿83.7

72.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 STN 23.80

$1.22 ฿38.70

-7.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 STN 87.8

$1.70 ฿53.7

144.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 STN 72.7

$1.59 ฿50.3

116.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 STN 53.4

$1.32 ฿41.90

91.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 STN 42.50

$1.17 ฿36.99

72.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 STN 15.00

$0.68 ฿21.46

4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 STN 40.05

$0.56 ฿17.64

239.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 STN 49.87

$4.51 ฿143

-47.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 STN 175

$19.07 ฿604

-56.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 STN 28.13

$1.77 ฿56.0

-24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 STN 27.16

$3.18 ฿101

-59.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 STN 25.87

$0.96 ฿30.47

28.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿598

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.98

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 STN 302

$8.03 ฿254

78.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 STN 34.80

$1.24 ฿39.34

33.06%

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

$21.2K ฿669.8K

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

$23.2K STN 489.9K

$21.8K ฿688.5K

6.78%

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

$71.2 ฿2,255

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

$34.78 STN 733

$14.09 ฿446

146.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 STN 1,537

$17.47 ฿553

317.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.58 STN 793

$42.07 ฿1,332

-10.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.54 STN 602

$6.88 ฿218

314.83%

Cinema Ticket

$20.51 STN 433

$5.94 ฿188

245.29%

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

$307 ฿9,728

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿468.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ฿1,762

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.79 ฿848

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ฿2,634

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.75 STN 396

$70.1 ฿2,219

-73.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 STN 7,241

$427 ฿13.5K

-19.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 STN 4,946

$237 ฿7,504

-1.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 STN 14.0K

$802 ฿25.4K

-17.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 STN 11.1K

$503 ฿15.9K

4.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,882 STN 39.7K

$2,061 ฿65.2K

-8.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,178 STN 24.9K

$1,533 ฿48.5K

-23.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$269 STN 5,664

$654 ฿20.7K

-58.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

47.60%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: February 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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