Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Tome and in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 and $1,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,202

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Sao Tome vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sao Tome $1,202
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,885 per month in Sao Tome vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sao Tome $1,885
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,567 per month in Sao Tome vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sao Tome $2,567
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Sao Tome and Playa del Carmen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Sao Tome and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sao Tome 11% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.79 STN 192

$10.67 MX$200

-17.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 STN 969

$43.80 MX$819

1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.84 STN 171

$11.79 MX$220

-33.50%

Cappuccino

$2.21 STN 48.22

$3.79 MX$70.8

-41.69%

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

$1.87 STN 40.78

$1.30 MX$24.26

43.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 STN 26.44

$0.83 MX$15.59

45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 STN 37.55

$3.15 MX$58.9

-45.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 STN 39.51

$4.93 MX$92.3

-63.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 STN 32.88

$1.41 MX$26.35

7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 STN 26.36

$2.20 MX$41.07

-45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 STN 44.58

$1.47 MX$27.54

38.78%

Eggs

$4.81 STN 105

$2.50 MX$46.70

92.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.11 STN 482

$7.29 MX$136

203.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.62 STN 362

$7.95 MX$149

109.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.21 STN 441

$12.86 MX$241

57.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 STN 83.7

$2.90 MX$54.2

32.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 STN 38.18

$1.38 MX$25.87

26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 STN 83.3

$2.49 MX$46.59

53.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 STN 84.9

$2.03 MX$37.97

92.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 STN 68.5

$2.02 MX$37.88

55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 STN 66.6

$1.90 MX$35.60

60.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 STN 10.83

$1.14 MX$21.41

-56.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 STN 45.33

$1.24 MX$23.17

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 STN 49.25

$4.27 MX$79.9

-47.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 STN 153

$9.81 MX$184

-28.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 STN 32.76

$1.59 MX$29.66

-5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 STN 35.65

$2.75 MX$51.3

-40.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 STN 30.59

$0.51 MX$9.63

174.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 STN 36.33

$4.76 MX$89.1

-64.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 STN 55.0

$3.25 MX$60.8

-22.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.81 STN 301

$5.39 MX$101

156.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 STN 37.68

$1.53 MX$28.58

13.07%

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

$24.4K STN 532.1K

$21.2K MX$396.8K

15.06%

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

$31.5K STN 686.7K

$23.3K MX$435.1K

35.41%

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

$232 STN 5,047

$83.5 MX$1,562

177.30%

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

$31.65 STN 690

$23.19 MX$434

36.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 STN 1,462

$27.61 MX$516

142.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.48 STN 730

$56.4 MX$1,056

-40.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.95 STN 544

$28.19 MX$527

-11.49%

Cinema Ticket

$20.27 STN 442

$5.00 MX$93.5

305.40%

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

$230 STN 5,017

$207 MX$3,873

11.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,182 STN 47.6K

$5,231 MX$97.8K

-58.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.6 STN 1,605

$42.54 MX$796

73.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.53 STN 404

$88.4 MX$1,653

-79.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 STN 6,205

$995 MX$18.6K

-71.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 STN 4,254

$382 MX$7,152

-48.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 STN 20.1K

$1,674 MX$31.3K

-44.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 STN 9,618

$1,081 MX$20.2K

-59.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,839 STN 40.1K

$3,909 MX$73.1K

-52.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 STN 24.9K

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-81.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$256 STN 5,582

$832 MX$15.6K

-69.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

11.45

-35.55%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$396 33%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.1% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27.5%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 59.3% $196

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$195 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 96% $187

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$145 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 38.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 10.3% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$41 * 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 168% $70

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 154% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $285 in Sao Tome versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Sao Tome versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $396 in Sao Tome vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

5 h behind Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.1 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 24.36 STN (100 STN = 4.1 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome Playa del Carmen 10,390 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,803 per month in Sao Tome and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Interestingly, groceries are about 35% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Sao Tome and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Sao Tome and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Sao Tome to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Tome. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.