Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Tome is 32.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 6.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome is 47.2% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 18.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.60 STN 428
$6.14 COP 22.1K
235.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.85 STN 974
$33.05 COP 119.0K
41.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.13 STN 211
$7.32 COP 26.4K
38.39%
Cappuccino
$1.72 STN 35.75
$1.66 COP 5,971
3.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 STN 38.63
$1.10 COP 3,977
69.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 STN 24.40
$0.78 COP 2,815
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.60 STN 33.32
$1.71 COP 6,172
-6.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 STN 39.24
$3.17 COP 11.4K
-40.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 STN 27.75
$1.11 COP 4,002
19.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 STN 21.78
$1.31 COP 4,707
-19.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 STN 48.48
$1.38 COP 4,967
68.84%
Eggs
$5.16 STN 107
$2.22 COP 7,989
132.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.20 STN 420
$4.34 COP 15.6K
365.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$19.98 STN 415
$5.80 COP 20.9K
244.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.50 STN 530
$8.98 COP 32.3K
183.96%
Apples (1kg)
$4.73 STN 98.4
$2.26 COP 8,143
109.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.15 STN 23.81
$1.11 COP 4,013
3.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.12 STN 85.7
$1.46 COP 5,271
182.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.49 STN 72.6
$1.37 COP 4,916
154.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 STN 55.4
$1.11 COP 3,999
140.54%
Onion (1kg)
$2.04 STN 42.49
$1.16 COP 4,188
75.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 STN 14.99
$0.89 COP 3,202
-19.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 STN 39.76
$0.87 COP 3,116
119.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 STN 48.83
$2.35 COP 8,473
-
Wine (Bottle)
$8.42 STN 175
$10.86 COP 39.1K
-22.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 STN 27.69
$1.20 COP 4,319
10.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 STN 26.56
$2.48 COP 8,923
-48.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 STN 25.07
$0.79 COP 2,835
53.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$40.77 COP 146.8K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.42 COP 5,124
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.91 COP 6,882
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.26 STN 296
$7.65 COP 27.5K
86.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 STN 35.60
$0.97 COP 3,481
76.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$18.1K COP 65.2M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.1K STN 480.3K
$26.3K COP 94.7M
-12.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$81.3 COP 292.8K
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.07 STN 729
$9.63 COP 34.7K
264.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.5 STN 1,487
$24.36 COP 87.7K
193.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.49 STN 779
$26.02 COP 93.7K
44.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.03 STN 604
$18.92 COP 68.1K
53.44%
Cinema Ticket
$20.55 STN 427
$3.89 COP 14.0K
428.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$304 COP 1.1M
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,902 COP 21.3M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$58.7 COP 211.3K
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$32.48 COP 116.9K
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$102 COP 366.3K
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$19.01 STN 395
$108 COP 389.4K
-82.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$353 STN 7,343
$474 COP 1.7M
-25.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$229 STN 4,752
$371 COP 1.3M
-38.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$662 STN 13.8K
$848 COP 3.1M
-21.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$528 STN 11.0K
$716 COP 2.6M
-26.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,922 STN 40.0K
$2,871 COP 10.3M
-33.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,190 STN 24.7K
$1,375 COP 5.0M
-13.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Tome
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$270 STN 5,614
$542 COP 1.9M
-50.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.38
13.43
-45.05%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: April 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

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

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