Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Playa del Carmen

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Sao Tome is 5.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.8% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome is 28.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 15.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.41 STNΒ 431
$11.99 MX$227
70.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.97 STNΒ 970
$42.47 MX$803
8.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.99 STNΒ 211
$10.47 MX$198
-4.58%
Cappuccino
$1.78 STNΒ 37.62
$3.6 MX$68.2
-50.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 STNΒ 40.33
$1.44 MX$27.16
32.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 STNΒ 24.99
$0.89 MX$16.79
32.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.61 STNΒ 33.97
$3.09 MX$58.5
-47.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.9 STNΒ 40.1
$4.58 MX$86.6
-58.52%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 STNΒ 29.26
$1.38 MX$26.04
0.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1 STNΒ 21
$1.85 MX$34.9
-45.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.38 STNΒ 50.2
$1.57 MX$29.68
51.59%
Eggs
$4.98 STNΒ 105
$2.55 MX$48.3
95.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.37 STNΒ 430
$8.61 MX$163
136.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$20.07 STNΒ 423
$8.54 MX$161
135.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$24.84 STNΒ 524
$10.98 MX$208
126.23%
Apples (1kg)
$4.51 STNΒ 95.1
$2.72 MX$51.4
65.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 STNΒ 24.82
$1.51 MX$28.57
-21.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$4 STNΒ 84.3
$1.88 MX$35.63
112.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.43 STNΒ 72.3
$2.19 MX$41.42
56.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.65 STNΒ 55.9
$1.87 MX$35.3
41.71%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 STNΒ 43.8
$2.19 MX$41.37
-5.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 STNΒ 14.19
$1.07 MX$20.23
-37.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 STNΒ 41.73
$1.09 MX$20.64
81.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.26 STNΒ 47.68
$3.96 MX$74.9
-42.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.41 STNΒ 199
$8.86 MX$167
6.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 STNΒ 26.73
$1.72 MX$32.53
-26.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.3 STNΒ 27.37
$2.61 MX$49.37
-50.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.26 STNΒ 26.66
$0.52 MX$9.74
142.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.91 STNΒ 293
$3.11 MX$58.7
347.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.7 STNΒ 35.93
$1.31 MX$24.85
29.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.3K MX$573K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K STNΒ 482.7K
$24K MX$453.6K
-4.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$84.2 MX$1,592
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.49 STNΒ 728
$22.14 MX$419
55.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73 STNΒ 1,541
$30.14 MX$570
142.34%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.95 STNΒ 780
$52 MX$983
-28.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.71 STNΒ 606
$18.72 MX$354
53.37%
Cinema Ticket
$21.2 STNΒ 447
$5.07 MX$95.9
318.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,787
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$35.74 MX$676
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.8 MX$753
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$79 MX$1,493
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$19.09 STNΒ 403
$88.4 MX$1,671
-78.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$344 STNΒ 7,262
$965 MX$18.3K
-64.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$230 STNΒ 4,857
$474 MX$8,968
-51.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$667 STNΒ 14.1K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-59.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$514 STNΒ 10.9K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-57.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$329 STNΒ 6,931
$792 MX$15K
-58.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.38
11.42
-35.38%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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