Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Sao Tome and Principe

Name: Sao Tome and Principe
Address: ST

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome and Principe: $1,206 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom 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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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom and in Sao Tome and Principe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,206 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Sao Tome and Principe $1,206

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,890 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Sao Tome and Principe $1,890

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,575 in Sao Tome and Principe, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Sao Tome and Principe $2,575

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Sao Tome and Principe ($199–$1,211), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 104% higher than in Sao Tome and Principe on average.

The United Kingdom sits 81% above the global median, while Sao Tome and Principe is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.17

$8.86 STN 195

142.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.5

$43.95 STN 967

95.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.99

$8.60 STN 189

23.37%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.70

$2.40 STN 52.7

104.58%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$1.81 STN 39.89

46.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.13 STN 24.76

65.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.99

$1.74 STN 38.32

281.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.15

$1.88 STN 41.45

263.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.53 STN 33.69

9.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.52 STN 33.44

13.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.87 STN 41.10

16.04%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$4.40 STN 96.7

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.09

$19.33 STN 425

-51.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.91

$19.32 STN 425

-52.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.11

$21.09 STN 464

-29.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$3.80 STN 83.6

-21.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.76 STN 38.65

-7.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$3.58 STN 78.8

-20.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.65

$3.54 STN 78.0

-0.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.38

$2.87 STN 63.2

-36.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$2.38 STN 52.4

-32.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$0.53 STN 11.68

135.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$2.06 STN 45.40

-19.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.80

$2.19 STN 48.09

979.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.90

$7.98 STN 176

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.25

$1.47 STN 32.25

102.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$1.68 STN 36.91

108.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$1.34 STN 29.52

197.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.90

$1.64 STN 36.10

215.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.77

$2.66 STN 58.6

-11.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.20

$13.81 STN 304

94.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.74 STN 38.37

14.37%

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

$39.4K £29.7K

$24.4K STN 535.9K

61.95%

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

$40.5K £30.5K

$31.6K STN 694.4K

28.27%

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

$327 £246

$224 STN 4,934

45.90%

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

$18.21 £13.71

$30.91 STN 680

-41.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.81

$65.8 STN 1,447

-33.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.88

$34.11 STN 750

24.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.71

$25.43 STN 560

-28.35%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.42

$20.50 STN 451

-32.44%

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

$1,868 £1,406

$228 STN 5,021

718.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$2,158 STN 47.5K

948.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.9

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.56

$75.2 STN 1,653

-38.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £77.0

$18.67 STN 411

447.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,010

$288 STN 6,339

365.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £808

$195 STN 4,300

449.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,679

$920 STN 20.2K

142.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,311

$437 STN 9,606

298.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,216

$1,861 STN 40.9K

200.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,210

$1,125 STN 24.8K

279.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,521

$441 STN 9,709

658.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

7.38

-27.91%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: 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

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Sao Tome and Principe

$195 16.2% 81.8% $878

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Sao Tome and Principe

$321 26.6% 17.5% $68

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Sao Tome and Principe

$150 12.4% 54.3% $178

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Sao Tome and Principe

$402 33.3% 30.8% $95

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Sao Tome and Principe

$42 * 3.5% 72.6% $112

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Sao Tome and Principe

$20 * 1.7% 85.5% $120

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Sao Tome and Principe

$75 6.2% 7.2% $5

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $288 in Sao Tome and Principe. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $288 in Sao Tome.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom 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 347% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 98% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 13 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

Same time as the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

204,327

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 STN = 4.55 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom Sao Tome and Principe 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Sao Tome and Principe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome and Principe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 51% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $288 in Sao Tome and Principe.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sao Tome and Principe, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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