Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Tbilisi

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Tome and in Tbilisi: $1,219 and $1,270 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,219

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,219 in Sao Tome versus $1,270 in Tbilisi.

Sao Tome $1,219
Tbilisi $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,924 in Sao Tome versus $2,008 in Tbilisi.

Sao Tome $1,924
Tbilisi $2,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,629 in Sao Tome versus $2,745 in Tbilisi.

Sao Tome $2,629
Tbilisi $2,745

Living in Sao Tome costs roughly 4% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Tome 10% lower, Tbilisi 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 STN 200

$11.51 ₾29.79

-20.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.02 STN 981

$38.27 ₾99.1

17.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 STN 174

$9.80 ₾25.36

-18.47%

Cappuccino

$2.33 STN 50.8

$3.55 ₾9.19

-34.37%

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

$1.81 STN 39.49

$1.06 ₾2.74

70.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 STN 27.64

$0.62 ₾1.60

104.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 STN 36.20

$2.76 ₾7.16

-39.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 STN 40.98

$3.00 ₾7.77

-37.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 STN 33.18

$2.16 ₾5.59

-29.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 STN 22.12

$0.76 ₾1.96

32.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 STN 46.40

$1.74 ₾4.51

22.41%

Eggs

$4.96 STN 108

$2.79 ₾7.21

77.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 STN 423

$9.20 ₾23.83

110.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.50 STN 425

$6.53 ₾16.89

198.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.70 STN 538

$12.81 ₾33.17

92.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 STN 83.3

$1.67 ₾4.31

128.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.75

$1.85 ₾4.79

-3.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 STN 78.2

$1.98 ₾5.13

81.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 STN 75.9

$2.51 ₾6.49

38.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 STN 61.6

$0.87 ₾2.26

225.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 STN 50.4

$0.73 ₾1.89

216.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.76

$1.42 ₾3.67

-61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 STN 45.01

$0.72 ₾1.88

186.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 STN 50.8

$3.38 ₾8.74

-31.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 STN 174

$7.84 ₾20.31

1.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 STN 34.09

$1.62 ₾4.19

-3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 STN 36.01

$2.38 ₾6.15

-30.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 STN 29.17

$0.37 ₾0.96

262.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 STN 36.13

$1.14 ₾2.94

45.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 STN 55.6

$0.79 ₾2.05

222.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.93 STN 304

$11.57 ₾29.96

20.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 STN 36.95

$1.50 ₾3.87

12.67%

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

$24.3K STN 529.0K

$24.6K ₾63.7K

-1.46%

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

$31.6K STN 689.7K

$22.4K ₾57.9K

41.46%

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

$233 STN 5,083

$88.3 ₾228

164.23%

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

$30.60 STN 667

$13.08 ₾33.86

133.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 STN 1,436

$19.53 ₾50.6

237.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.92 STN 739

$64.2 ₾166

-47.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.32 STN 552

$19.18 ₾49.66

32.01%

Cinema Ticket

$19.86 STN 433

$6.99 ₾18.10

184.12%

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

$226 STN 4,925

$373 ₾966

-39.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,179 STN 47.5K

$10.7K ₾27.7K

-79.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 STN 1,638

$40.48 ₾105

85.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.53 STN 404

$122 ₾316

-84.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 STN 6,161

$677 ₾1,753

-58.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 STN 4,184

$454 ₾1,176

-57.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 STN 20.3K

$1,277 ₾3,305

-27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 STN 9,846

$890 ₾2,304

-49.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 STN 40.3K

$2,410 ₾6,238

-23.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 STN 25.3K

$1,418 ₾3,670

-18.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 STN 5,595

$703 ₾1,819

-63.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

12.62

-41.52%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$412 33.8%

Tbilisi

$233 18.3% 43.5% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Tbilisi

$121 9.5% 63.3% $209

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$192 15.7%

Tbilisi

$454 35.8% 137% $262

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$150 12.3%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 27.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 6.2% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$42 * 3.5%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 307% $129

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 11.9% $2.4

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 $677 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 174% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Sao Tome vs $38.00 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $233 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

4 h ahead of Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, 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).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Tome Tbilisi 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Tome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 174% lower in Tbilisi. 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 $677 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $226 in Sao Tome versus $373 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Tome – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,219 in Sao Tome versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Tome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Tome delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,219 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Tome hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sao Tome and Tbilisi 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 Sao Tome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.