Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Tome and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,219 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,219

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Tome and in Ubud, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,219 in Sao Tome versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Sao Tome $1,219
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,924 in Sao Tome versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Sao Tome $1,924
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,629 in Sao Tome versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Sao Tome $2,629
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Sao Tome costs roughly 10% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Tome is 10% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 STN 200

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

184.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.02 STN 981

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

29.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 STN 174

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

40.18%

Cappuccino

$2.33 STN 50.8

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

-11.07%

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

$1.81 STN 39.49

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

5.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 STN 27.64

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

56.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 STN 36.20

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

-37.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 STN 40.98

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

-56.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 STN 33.18

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 STN 22.12

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-53.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 STN 46.40

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

80.51%

Eggs

$4.96 STN 108

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

129.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 STN 423

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

9.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.50 STN 425

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

415.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.70 STN 538

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

106.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 STN 83.3

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 STN 38.75

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

11.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 STN 78.2

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

55.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 STN 75.9

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

82.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 STN 61.6

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

58.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 STN 50.4

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-0.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 STN 11.76

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

-46.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 STN 45.01

$0.53 Rp 9,509

288.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 STN 50.8

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

1.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 STN 174

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-63.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 STN 34.09

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-33.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 STN 36.01

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-44.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 STN 29.17

$0.23 Rp 4,112

482.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 STN 36.13

$0.47 Rp 8,466

253.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 STN 55.6

$0.43 Rp 7,737

493.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.93 STN 304

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

154.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 STN 36.95

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

103.61%

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

$24.3K STN 529.0K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

1.63%

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

$31.6K STN 689.7K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

-3.49%

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

$233 STN 5,083

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

191.51%

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

$30.60 STN 667

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

366.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 STN 1,436

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

254.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.92 STN 739

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-37.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.32 STN 552

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

38.51%

Cinema Ticket

$19.86 STN 433

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

367.29%

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

$226 STN 4,925

$493 Rp 8.9M

-54.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,179 STN 47.5K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

-61.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 STN 1,638

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

114.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.53 STN 404

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

-76.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 STN 6,161

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-75.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 STN 4,184

$673 Rp 12.1M

-71.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 STN 20.3K

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-74.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 STN 9,846

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-73.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 STN 40.3K

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

-31.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 STN 25.3K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-48.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 STN 5,595

$166 Rp 3.0M

54.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

13.78

-46.44%

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

Last update for Sao Tome: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Tome

$412 33.8%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 30.3% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Tome

$330 27%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 68.1% $225

Accommodation & Living

Sao Tome

$192 15.7%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 251% $481

Eating Out

Sao Tome

$150 12.3%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 28.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Tome

$74 6%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 15% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Tome

$42 * 3.5%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 153% $64

Getting Around

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 37.1% $7.3

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 $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Tome pays 54% 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $287 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

16:54 4:54 PM

8 h ahead of Sao Tome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,300 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Tome Ubud, Bali 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Tome
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Tome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Sao Tome, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $283 in Sao Tome versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $226 in Sao Tome versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,219 in Sao Tome versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. 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 Ubud, Bali 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 11% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.