Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Sao Tome And Principe Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Sao Tome And Principe

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 36.2% cheaper than Sao Tome And Principe without rent, and 4.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 39% cheaper than Sao Tome And Principe without rent, and 11.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$20.12 STN 425
-55.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$43.49 STN 918
-10.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$9.61 STN 203
-49.01%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$1.96 STN 41.45
1.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$1.86 STN 39.34
-48.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$1.04 STN 21.95
-27.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$1.69 STN 35.71
28.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$1.82 STN 38.45
39.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$1.37 STN 28.92
-19.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$1.54 STN 32.51
-33.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$1.87 STN 39.47
-16.58%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$4.41 STN 93.1
-48.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$20.17 STN 426
-61.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$20.27 STN 428
-77.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$25.58 STN 540
-73.18%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$4.51 STN 95.1
-64.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$1.17 STN 24.74
21.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$4.03 STN 85
-64.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$3.51 STN 74.1
-57.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$2.53 STN 53.5
-50.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$2.07 STN 43.68
-35.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$0.66 STN 14.01
65.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$1.88 STN 39.75
-48.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$2.28 STN 48.1
27.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$9.35 STN 197
-45.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$1.26 STN 26.59
9.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
$1.29 STN 27.14
30.23%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$1.22 STN 25.81
40.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$14.04 STN 296
-65.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.63 STN 34.39
-19.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$22.7K STN 479.5K
4.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$28.66 STN 605
15.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$70.7 STN 1,492
-41.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$37.31 STN 787
-15.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
$29.1 STN 614
-67.53%
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
$20.43 STN 431
-67.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$18.97 STN 400
319.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$266 STN 5,614
66.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$192 STN 4,057
92.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$666 STN 14K
32.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$524 STN 11.1K
38.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$528 STN 11.1K
166.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
7.38
56.50%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Last update for Sao Tome And Principe: October 28, 2025

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