Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Tome and in Phuket: $1,219 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,219

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,219 in Sao Tome versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Sao Tome $1,219
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,924 in Sao Tome versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Sao Tome $1,924
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,629 in Sao Tome versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Sao Tome $2,629
Phuket $2,845

Living in Sao Tome is roughly 1% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Tome 10% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 STN 200

$4.40 ฿147

108.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.02 STN 981

$32.26 ฿1,078

39.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 STN 174

$8.76 ฿293

-8.79%

Cappuccino

$2.33 STN 50.8

$2.83 ฿94.5

-17.67%

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

$1.81 STN 39.49

$0.90 ฿30.14

101.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 STN 27.64

$0.47 ฿15.56

170.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 STN 36.20

$2.55 ฿85.2

-34.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 STN 40.98

$3.83 ฿128

-50.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 STN 33.18

$1.73 ฿57.7

-12.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 STN 22.12

$1.47 ฿49.11

-31.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 STN 46.40

$1.51 ฿50.6

41.06%

Eggs

$4.96 STN 108

$2.17 ฿72.7

128.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 STN 423

$19.70 ฿658

-1.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.50 STN 425

$3.34 ฿112

483.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.70 STN 538

$11.16 ฿373

121.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 STN 83.3

$2.85 ฿95.1

34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.75

$1.70 ฿56.9

4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 STN 78.2

$2.19 ฿73.3

63.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 STN 75.9

$2.05 ฿68.4

69.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 STN 61.6

$1.45 ฿48.57

95.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 STN 50.4

$1.38 ฿46.16

67.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.76

$1.07 ฿35.69

-49.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 STN 45.01

$0.51 ฿16.91

303.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 STN 50.8

$4.26 ฿142

-45.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 STN 174

$18.58 ฿621

-57.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 STN 34.09

$1.78 ฿59.7

-12.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 STN 36.01

$2.85 ฿95.2

-42.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 STN 29.17

$2.26 ฿75.6

-40.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 STN 36.13

$3.01 ฿101

-44.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 STN 55.6

$1.06 ฿35.34

140.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.93 STN 304

$3.86 ฿129

260.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 STN 36.95

$1.45 ฿48.45

16.55%

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

$24.3K STN 529.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-7.83%

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

$31.6K STN 689.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

17.43%

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

$233 STN 5,083

$96.4 ฿3,221

141.94%

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

$30.60 STN 667

$11.04 ฿369

177.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 STN 1,436

$17.14 ฿573

284.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.92 STN 739

$52.2 ฿1,744

-34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.32 STN 552

$11.16 ฿373

126.88%

Cinema Ticket

$19.86 STN 433

$7.81 ฿261

154.29%

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

$226 STN 4,925

$556 ฿18.6K

-59.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,179 STN 47.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-81.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 STN 1,638

$28.69 ฿959

161.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.53 STN 404

$88.0 ฿2,940

-78.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 STN 6,161

$737 ฿24.6K

-61.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 STN 4,184

$462 ฿15.5K

-58.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 STN 20.3K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-55.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 STN 9,846

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-62.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 STN 40.3K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-46.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 STN 25.3K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-54.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 STN 5,595

$501 ฿16.7K

-48.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

5.57

32.50%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$412 33.8%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 34.8% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 62.2% $205

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$192 15.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 141% $270

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$150 12.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 19.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 7.9% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$42 * 3.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 195% $82

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 99.7% $20

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 $283 in Sao Tome and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Sao Tome vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

16:44 4:44 PM

7 h ahead of Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.51 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome Phuket 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Phuket. 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: $283 in Sao Tome versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $226 in Sao Tome versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $45.00 in Sao Tome. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,219 in Sao Tome, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sao Tome. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Tome, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sao Tome and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Sao Tome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.