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

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Tome is 22.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 13.2% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Tome is 11.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 13.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.85 STN 420

$11.85 MX$211

67.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.94 STN 992

$42.16 MX$750

11.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 STN 203

$10.75 MX$191

-10.70%

Cappuccino

$1.72 STN 36.36

$3.47 MX$61.8

-50.43%

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

$1.84 STN 38.95

$1.45 MX$25.85

26.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 STN 24.93

$0.90 MX$16.06

31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 STN 35.87

$3.05 MX$54.3

-44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 STN 40.67

$4.42 MX$78.6

-56.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 STN 27.71

$1.37 MX$24.36

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 STN 21.86

$1.87 MX$33.31

-44.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 STN 47.82

$1.54 MX$27.46

46.75%

Eggs

$4.91 STN 104

$2.50 MX$44.53

96.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.98 STN 422

$8.61 MX$153

132.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.38 STN 431

$8.63 MX$154

136.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.01 STN 528

$11.02 MX$196

126.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 STN 96.7

$2.75 MX$48.91

66.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 STN 23.84

$1.43 MX$25.41

-20.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 STN 88.0

$1.87 MX$33.32

122.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 STN 72.8

$2.17 MX$38.56

58.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 STN 53.5

$1.88 MX$33.50

34.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 STN 42.58

$2.25 MX$39.96

-10.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 STN 15.03

$1.07 MX$18.99

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 STN 40.13

$1.07 MX$19.10

77.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 STN 49.97

$4.15 MX$73.9

-43.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 STN 175

$10.34 MX$184

-19.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 STN 28.18

$1.68 MX$29.87

-20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 STN 27.22

$2.48 MX$44.19

-47.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 STN 25.92

$0.55 MX$9.87

123.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$472

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$57.2

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$44.15

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 STN 303

$3.11 MX$55.3

360.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 STN 34.86

$1.26 MX$22.34

30.95%

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

$30.7K MX$545.4K

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

$23.2K STN 490.9K

$24.0K MX$427.6K

-3.36%

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

$82.5 MX$1,467

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

$34.78 STN 735

$22.29 MX$396

56.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 STN 1,539

$30.02 MX$534

142.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.58 STN 794

$51.4 MX$915

-26.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.54 STN 603

$18.29 MX$325

56.04%

Cinema Ticket

$20.51 STN 433

$4.98 MX$88.7

311.85%

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

$200 MX$3,558

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$94.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$635

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$704

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,433

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.75 STN 396

$88.3 MX$1,571

-78.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 STN 7,255

$969 MX$17.2K

-64.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 STN 4,956

$482 MX$8,579

-51.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 STN 14.0K

$1,595 MX$28.4K

-58.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 STN 11.2K

$1,184 MX$21.1K

-55.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,882 STN 39.8K

$4,050 MX$72.1K

-53.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,178 STN 24.9K

$6,522 MX$116.0K

-81.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$269 STN 5,674

$756 MX$13.5K

-64.50%

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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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