Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,202 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,202

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Sao Tome versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Sao Tome $1,202
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Sao Tome versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Sao Tome $1,885
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,567 in Sao Tome versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Sao Tome $2,567
Mexico City $3,537

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Tome is 11% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.79 STN 192

$10.59 MX$199

-17.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 STN 969

$52.0 MX$976

-14.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.84 STN 171

$10.73 MX$201

-26.93%

Cappuccino

$2.21 STN 48.22

$3.80 MX$71.3

-41.84%

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

$1.87 STN 40.78

$1.61 MX$30.28

16.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 STN 26.44

$1.21 MX$22.76

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 STN 37.55

$3.18 MX$59.7

-45.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 STN 39.51

$5.44 MX$102

-66.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 STN 32.88

$1.72 MX$32.26

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 STN 26.36

$2.97 MX$55.7

-59.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 STN 44.58

$1.93 MX$36.17

5.70%

Eggs

$4.81 STN 105

$2.77 MX$52.1

73.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.11 STN 482

$11.67 MX$219

89.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.62 STN 362

$9.48 MX$178

75.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.21 STN 441

$15.37 MX$289

31.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 STN 83.7

$3.10 MX$58.3

23.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 STN 38.18

$1.96 MX$36.82

-10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 STN 83.3

$1.98 MX$37.22

92.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 STN 84.9

$2.34 MX$43.86

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 STN 68.5

$2.02 MX$38.00

55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 STN 66.6

$1.82 MX$34.26

67.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 STN 10.83

$1.54 MX$29.00

-67.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 STN 45.33

$1.31 MX$24.64

58.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 STN 49.25

$5.35 MX$100

-57.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 STN 153

$16.19 MX$304

-56.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 STN 32.76

$1.96 MX$36.79

-23.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 STN 35.65

$4.35 MX$81.7

-62.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 STN 30.59

$0.30 MX$5.72

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 STN 36.33

$1.92 MX$36.01

-13.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 STN 55.0

$0.47 MX$8.88

436.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.81 STN 301

$5.41 MX$102

155.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 STN 37.68

$1.48 MX$27.86

16.89%

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

$24.4K STN 532.1K

$21.4K MX$401.4K

14.21%

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

$31.5K STN 686.7K

$23.8K MX$446.1K

32.61%

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

$232 STN 5,047

$62.0 MX$1,164

273.48%

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

$31.65 STN 690

$28.47 MX$535

11.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 STN 1,462

$34.11 MX$641

96.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.48 STN 730

$58.4 MX$1,097

-42.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.95 STN 544

$24.50 MX$460

1.84%

Cinema Ticket

$20.27 STN 442

$6.59 MX$124

207.59%

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

$230 STN 5,017

$434 MX$8,155

-47.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,182 STN 47.6K

$14.0K MX$263.6K

-84.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.6 STN 1,605

$54.8 MX$1,029

34.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.53 STN 404

$116 MX$2,178

-84.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 STN 6,205

$1,179 MX$22.1K

-75.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,254

$771 MX$14.5K

-74.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 STN 20.1K

$2,570 MX$48.3K

-64.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,618

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-68.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,839 STN 40.1K

$3,586 MX$67.3K

-48.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 STN 24.9K

$2,064 MX$38.8K

-44.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$256 STN 5,582

$1,003 MX$18.8K

-74.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

11.35

-34.98%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$396 33%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 18.4% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27.5%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 62.3% $206

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$195 16.2%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 295% $576

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$145 12.1%

Mexico City

$201 12% 38.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 3.3% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$41 * 3.5%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 280% $116

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 25.6% $5.1

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 $285 in Sao Tome and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Sao Tome vs $52 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $396 vs $324, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

09:00 9:00 AM

6 h behind Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.48 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Tome Mexico City 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Sao Tome and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Sao Tome is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Sao Tome. 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: $285 in Sao Tome versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $230 in Sao Tome versus $434 in Mexico City. 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 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sao Tome is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Sao Tome wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.