Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sao Tome and Principe

Name: Sao Tome and Principe
Address: ST

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,214 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome and Principe
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Sao Tome and Principe Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,214

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Sofia is 7% more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe without rent, and 30.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sofia is 6.3% more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe without rent, and 26% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$8.81 STN 192

94.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$45.70 STN 999

46.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$8.62 STN 188

36.54%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.42 STN 52.8

41.32%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.74 STN 38.06

39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.12 STN 24.57

66.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.76 STN 38.46

89.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$1.80 STN 39.44

151.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.58 STN 34.44

21.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.53 STN 33.42

-1.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.95 STN 42.63

13.33%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$4.50 STN 98.3

-2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$19.41 STN 424

-40.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$19.55 STN 427

-55.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$20.90 STN 457

-18.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.72 STN 81.2

-41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.76 STN 38.50

15.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$3.58 STN 78.3

-48.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.37 STN 73.7

27.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$2.92 STN 63.9

-64.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$2.37 STN 51.7

-60.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.51 STN 11.06

135.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$1.98 STN 43.32

-53.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$2.25 STN 49.25

91.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$8.12 STN 177

-9.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.41 STN 30.74

-16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.70 STN 37.22

10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.41 STN 30.77

-38.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.73 STN 37.81

0.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$2.64 STN 57.8

-63.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$13.90 STN 304

11.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.69 STN 37.00

5.92%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$24.3K STN 531.2K

23.33%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$31.1K STN 678.7K

-15.11%

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

$156 BGN 273

$225 STN 4,918

-30.72%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$31.43 STN 687

-32.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$67.6 STN 1,477

-76.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$33.47 STN 731

39.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$25.52 STN 558

8.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$20.45 STN 447

-51.00%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$228 STN 4,976

236.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$2,161 STN 47.2K

491.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$75.8 STN 1,656

-46.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$18.52 STN 405

465.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$283 STN 6,178

181.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$195 STN 4,256

211.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$946 STN 20.7K

65.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$441 STN 9,627

140.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,860 STN 40.6K

134.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,129 STN 24.7K

187.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$431 STN 9,428

303.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

7.38

-60.84%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome and Principe: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.1% 67.9% $413

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3% 39.9% $115

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Sao Tome and Principe

$149 12.4% 41.7% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Sao Tome and Principe

$324 26.9% 68.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5% 72.4% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Sao Tome and Principe

$74 6.2% 11.3% $7.6

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Sao Tome and Principe

$21 * 1.7% 46.1% $18

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

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

12:35 12:35 PM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

204,327

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 STN = 4.58 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.85 STN (100 STN = 4.58 USD). 1 EUR = 24.48 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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