Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome is 93.8% more expensive than Beijing.
Sao Tome vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 4.3 times more for restaurants
|
Beijing
|
Sao Tome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.21
CN¥29.07
|
$29.20
STD651K
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.91
CN¥33.92
|
$11.68
STD260K
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.48
CN¥3.32
|
$1.92
STD42,768
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.12
|
$1.17
STD26,025
|
|
Beijing vs. Sao Tome - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 2.3 times more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Sao Tome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
CN¥11.80
|
$1.08
STD24,088
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.47
CN¥51.62
|
$10.22
STD228K
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.64
CN¥45.91
|
$5.97
STD133K
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.78
CN¥12.28
|
$5.09
STD114K
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥10.58
|
$9.27
STD207K
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
CN¥6.79
|
$2.12
STD47,219
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.32
|
$0.53
STD11,805
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.80
CN¥5.53
|
$1.85
STD41,316
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
CN¥4.16
|
$1.59
STD35,414
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.35
CN¥2.41
|
$1.19
STD26,561
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.41
CN¥2.85
|
$0.93
STD20,658
|
|
Beijing vs. Sao Tome - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 51.9% more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Sao Tome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.21
CN¥29.11
|
$6.40
STD143K
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$31.54
CN¥218.03
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$18,225.66
CN¥126K
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.63
CN¥31.98
|
?? | |
Beijing vs. Sao Tome - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 2.1 times more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Sao Tome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$12.93
CN¥89.38
|
$72.42
STD2M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$935.23
CN¥6,464.19
|
$350.40
STD8M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$504.41
CN¥3,486.38
|
$233.60
STD5M
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$39.27
CN¥271.40
|
?? | |
Beijing vs. Sao Tome - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Sao Tome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$710.76
CN¥4,912.70
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,242.73
CN¥161K
|
?? |
Beijing vs. Sao Tome - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 19.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Sao Tome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.12
CN¥7.75
|
$1.67
STD37,216
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.90
CN¥20.06
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.21
CN¥29.07
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.84
CN¥399.75
|
$37.38
STD833K
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.41
CN¥58.14
|
$21.02
STD468K
|
|
Beijing vs. Sao Tome - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 81.8% less for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Sao Tome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.30
CN¥430.60
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.37
CN¥251.40
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.74
CN¥564.98
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.53
CN¥729.41
|
$19.16
STD427K
|
|
Beijing vs. Sao Tome - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2026
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in China vs. Sao Tome and Principe.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within China and Sao Tome and Principe.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sao Tome or Beijing. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.