Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,218 per month in Sao Tome vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sao Tome $1,218
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,921 per month in Sao Tome vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sao Tome $1,921
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,624 per month in Sao Tome vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sao Tome $2,624
Istanbul $3,272

Sao Tome is about 20% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Tome sits 9% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.91 STN 195

$11.88 ₺585

-25.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.14 STN 965

$55.1 ₺2,714

-19.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 STN 171

$9.14 ₺450

-14.11%

Cappuccino

$2.25 STN 49.12

$4.24 ₺209

-46.93%

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

$1.87 STN 40.78

$1.75 ₺86.0

6.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 STN 27.93

$0.54 ₺26.83

137.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 STN 37.88

$4.69 ₺231

-63.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 STN 39.58

$5.97 ₺294

-69.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 STN 34.32

$1.26 ₺62.1

24.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 STN 21.63

$0.95 ₺46.81

4.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 STN 45.02

$2.31 ₺114

-10.82%

Eggs

$4.77 STN 104

$2.47 ₺122

93.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.45 STN 425

$10.55 ₺520

84.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.62 STN 429

$5.60 ₺276

250.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.03 STN 525

$21.21 ₺1,045

13.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 STN 84.2

$1.93 ₺95.1

99.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.80

$2.29 ₺113

-22.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 STN 80.4

$1.28 ₺63.1

187.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 STN 75.3

$1.84 ₺90.8

86.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 STN 64.4

$0.67 ₺32.86

340.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 STN 51.3

$0.59 ₺29.31

298.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.90

$1.33 ₺65.4

-59.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 STN 45.32

$0.59 ₺29.10

250.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 STN 48.28

$2.36 ₺116

-6.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 STN 176

$13.47 ₺664

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 STN 32.99

$2.42 ₺119

-37.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 STN 35.78

$3.54 ₺174

-53.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 STN 30.39

$0.83 ₺40.64

67.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 35.75

$1.35 ₺66.6

21.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 STN 56.0

$0.85 ₺42.05

201.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 STN 301

$10.86 ₺535

26.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 STN 37.85

$1.47 ₺72.3

17.69%

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

$24.7K STN 539.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-52.18%

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

$31.3K STN 683.8K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-29.58%

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

$233 STN 5,095

$89.2 ₺4,395

161.37%

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

$31.29 STN 684

$11.60 ₺572

169.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 STN 1,442

$16.10 ₺793

309.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 STN 739

$77.3 ₺3,805

-56.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.54 STN 558

$22.66 ₺1,116

12.71%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 STN 443

$8.34 ₺411

143.17%

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

$227 STN 4,961

$974 ₺48.0K

-76.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,207 STN 48.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-91.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 STN 1,669

$39.16 ₺1,929

94.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.71 STN 409

$96.6 ₺4,759

-80.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 STN 6,165

$994 ₺49.0K

-71.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 STN 4,325

$629 ₺31.0K

-68.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 STN 20.7K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-53.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,646

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-61.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,812 STN 39.6K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-42.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 STN 24.6K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-38.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 STN 5,650

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-78.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

41.09

-82.04%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$411 33.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 35.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 64.6% $214

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$198 16.2%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 218% $431

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$147 12%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 48.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 26.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 207% $88

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 277% $55

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 $994 in Istanbul. 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 365% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Sao Tome vs $264 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

14:57 2:57 PM

3 h ahead of Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Tome Istanbul 5,050 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 25%, 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 $2,289 in Istanbul. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 56% cheaper in Istanbul – 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 Istanbul at $1,526. In Sao Tome it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul 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, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.