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 37.8% cheaper than Sao Tome And Principe without rent, and 5.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 27.9% 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
$8.71 R 142
$20.63 STN 429
-57.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.43 R 643
$42.44 STN 882
-7.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 84.1
$9.90 STN 206
-47.88%
Cappuccino
$2.03 R 33.09
$1.99 STN 41.47
2.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.83
$1.87 STN 38.85
-44.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 R 12.83
$1.02 STN 21.30
-22.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 R 37.53
$1.67 STN 34.69
37.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 41.59
$1.90 STN 39.52
34.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R 18.16
$1.37 STN 28.58
-18.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 16.92
$1.51 STN 31.42
-31.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.17
$1.95 STN 40.48
-21.03%
Eggs
$2.24 R 36.56
$4.57 STN 95.1
-50.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 R 128
$19.85 STN 413
-60.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 R 77.2
$20.10 STN 418
-76.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.65 R 108
$24.65 STN 512
-73.02%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.66
$4.76 STN 98.9
-68.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 22.93
$1.13 STN 23.46
24.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.31
$4.17 STN 86.7
-64.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.47
$3.51 STN 73.1
-55.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 R 19.47
$2.66 STN 55.4
-55.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 R 21.13
$2.09 STN 43.40
-37.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 16.99
$0.67 STN 13.91
55.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.69
$1.89 STN 39.24
-49.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 R 47.67
$2.28 STN 47.35
28.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.80 R 78.3
$8.12 STN 169
-40.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.75
$1.23 STN 25.52
8.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 R 28.08
$1.27 STN 26.46
35.43%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 27.72
$1.22 STN 25.37
39.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.20 R 737
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R 17.81
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 R 17.13
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.73 R 77.1
$14.31 STN 297
-66.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R 21.10
$1.63 STN 33.84
-20.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K R 343.2K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K R 384.2K
$23.5K STN 488.5K
0.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 R 1,818
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.97 R 521
$27.85 STN 579
14.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.41 R 659
$72.6 STN 1,509
-44.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.85 R 519
$37.28 STN 775
-14.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.68 R 158
$29.45 STN 612
-67.13%
Cinema Ticket
$6.64 R 108
$21.11 STN 439
-68.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$190 R 3,100
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,317 R 70.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.50 R 791
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.47 R 497
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 R 1,536
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.4 R 1,327
$18.72 STN 389
334.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,380
$265 STN 5,503
71.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,047
$192 STN 3,994
93.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$881 R 14.4K
$672 STN 14.0K
31.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 R 11.5K
$522 STN 10.9K
35.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,147 R 18.7K
$1,901 STN 39.5K
-39.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$818 R 13.3K
$1,193 STN 24.8K
-31.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Sao Tome And Principe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 24.1K
$452 STN 9,406
226.31%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome And Principe: April 13, 2026

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

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