Last update: Oct 2026

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

Name: Sao Tome and Principe
Address: ST

For one person, living costs are similar in South Africa and in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,203 and $1,206 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
58

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

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Sao Tome and Principe

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Africa and in Sao Tome and Principe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Sao Tome and Principe $1,206

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $1,890 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Sao Tome and Principe $1,890

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $2,575 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Sao Tome and Principe $2,575

Cost ranges are similar: South Africa spans $618–$1,556, Sao Tome and Principe $199–$1,211. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

Both South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 12% lower, Sao Tome and Principe 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$8.86 STN 195

20.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$43.95 STN 967

-5.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$8.60 STN 189

-32.56%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$2.40 STN 52.7

-1.67%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.81 STN 39.89

-38.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.13 STN 24.76

-20.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$1.74 STN 38.32

39.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$1.88 STN 41.45

62.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$1.53 STN 33.69

-22.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.52 STN 33.44

-25.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.87 STN 41.10

-6.95%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$4.40 STN 96.7

-41.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$19.33 STN 425

-56.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$19.32 STN 425

-73.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$21.09 STN 464

-64.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$3.80 STN 83.6

-53.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.76 STN 38.65

-1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$3.58 STN 78.8

-50.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$3.54 STN 78.0

-50.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$2.87 STN 63.2

-48.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$2.38 STN 52.4

-38.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$0.53 STN 11.68

132.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$2.06 STN 45.40

-46.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$2.19 STN 48.09

47.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$7.98 STN 176

-37.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.47 STN 32.25

2.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.68 STN 36.91

15.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$1.34 STN 29.52

10.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$1.64 STN 36.10

-33.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$2.66 STN 58.6

-62.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$13.81 STN 304

-45.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.74 STN 38.37

-17.82%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$24.4K STN 535.9K

44.93%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$31.6K STN 694.4K

2.77%

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

$133 R 2,208

$224 STN 4,934

-40.81%

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

$34.83 R 580

$30.91 STN 680

12.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$65.8 STN 1,447

-39.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$34.11 STN 750

-2.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$25.43 STN 560

-54.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$20.50 STN 451

-64.98%

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

$224 R 3,728

$228 STN 5,021

-1.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$2,158 STN 47.5K

153.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$75.2 STN 1,653

-54.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$18.67 STN 411

373.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$288 STN 6,339

70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$195 STN 4,300

103.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$920 STN 20.2K

2.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$437 STN 9,606

89.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$1,861 STN 40.9K

-40.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$1,125 STN 24.8K

-31.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$441 STN 9,709

240.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

7.38

52.17%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome and Principe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2% 50.9% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6% 54.8% $114

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3% 105% $206

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4% 4.8% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5% 66.4% $83

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7% 71.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2% 58.3% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $422 in South Africa vs $288 in Sao Tome and Principe. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $288 in Sao Tome.

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $259 in Sao Tome and Principe. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 47% higher in South Africa.

Salaries are about 5.7 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

10:25 10:25 AM

2 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

204,327

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 22 STN (100 STN = 4.55 USD). 1 EUR = 24.49 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

South Africa Sao Tome and Principe 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Sao Tome and Principe

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

South Africa vs Sao Tome and Principe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Africa is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.