Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,218 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,218

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,218 per month in Sao Tome vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Tome $1,218
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,921 per month in Sao Tome vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Tome $1,921
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,624 per month in Sao Tome vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Sao Tome $2,624
Nosara $3,712

Sao Tome is about 34% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Sao Tome sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.91 STN 195

$12.22 ₡5,509

-27.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.14 STN 965

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-26.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 STN 171

$7.54 ₡3,399

4.11%

Cappuccino

$2.25 STN 49.12

$4.31 ₡1,941

-47.80%

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

$1.87 STN 40.78

$1.72 ₡773

8.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 STN 27.93

$1.35 ₡608

-5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 STN 37.88

$3.24 ₡1,459

-46.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 STN 39.58

$4.48 ₡2,018

-59.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 STN 34.32

$1.57 ₡707

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 STN 21.63

$3.17 ₡1,429

-68.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 STN 45.02

$2.42 ₡1,091

-14.88%

Eggs

$4.77 STN 104

$3.57 ₡1,609

33.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.45 STN 425

$7.43 ₡3,349

161.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.62 STN 429

$10.42 ₡4,697

88.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.03 STN 525

$13.66 ₡6,156

75.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 STN 84.2

$2.32 ₡1,044

65.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.80

$1.61 ₡728

10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 STN 80.4

$4.74 ₡2,138

-22.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 STN 75.3

$1.66 ₡747

107.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 STN 64.4

$3.72 ₡1,679

-20.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 STN 51.3

$3.57 ₡1,611

-34.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.90

$1.10 ₡497

-50.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 STN 45.32

$2.55 ₡1,149

-18.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 STN 48.28

$4.95 ₡2,232

-55.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 STN 176

$20.01 ₡9,020

-59.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 STN 32.99

$2.79 ₡1,256

-45.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 STN 35.78

$3.53 ₡1,589

-53.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 STN 30.39

$1.19 ₡537

16.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 STN 35.75

$2.24 ₡1,011

-26.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 STN 56.0

$1.55 ₡701

65.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 STN 301

$8.86 ₡3,993

55.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 STN 37.85

$1.57 ₡708

10.19%

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

$24.7K STN 539.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

13.23%

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

$31.3K STN 683.8K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-9.64%

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

$233 STN 5,095

$93.5 ₡42.1K

149.53%

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

$31.29 STN 684

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-10.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 STN 1,442

$51.5 ₡23.2K

28.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 STN 739

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-52.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.54 STN 558

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-27.93%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 STN 443

$7.84 ₡3,535

158.67%

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

$227 STN 4,961

$490 ₡220.7K

-53.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,207 STN 48.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-81.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 STN 1,669

$55.8 ₡25.1K

36.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.71 STN 409

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-76.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 STN 6,165

$786 ₡354.3K

-64.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 STN 4,325

$780 ₡351.6K

-74.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 STN 20.7K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-75.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,646

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-68.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,812 STN 39.6K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-74.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 STN 24.6K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-6.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 STN 5,650

$876 ₡395.0K

-70.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

8.62

-14.39%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$411 33.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 14.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 45.5% $150

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$198 16.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 294% $582

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$147 12%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 42.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$43 * 3.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 181% $78

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 334% $67

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 $786 in Nosara. 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 239% higher in Nosara, 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 $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Sao Tome vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

04:35 4:35 AM

6 h behind Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome Nosara 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,218 in Sao Tome, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,827 per month in Sao Tome and $2,756 in Nosara. 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 $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Nosara – 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 Nosara at $1,837. In Sao Tome it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,218 in Sao Tome to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.