Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. California Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 28.0% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.3% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 7.8% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 35.6% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 55.8% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.7% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 84.0% less in Sao Tome and Principe
Expenses including clothing, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of California, you would:
pay 12.3% less for restaurants
|
California
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$29.20
STD650,623
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$11.68
STD260,249
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$1.92
STD42,768
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$1.17
STD26,025
|
|
California vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.8% less for groceries
|
California
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$1.08
STD24,088
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$10.22
STD227,718
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$5.97
STD132,995
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$5.09
STD113,503
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$9.27
STD206,583
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.12
STD47,219
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.53
STD11,805
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.85
STD41,316
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.59
STD35,414
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.19
STD26,561
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$0.93
STD20,658
|
|
California vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
pay 35.6% more for transportation
|
California
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$6.40
STD142,518
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
?? | |
California vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
pay 55.8% less for housing
|
California
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$72.42
STD1,613,544
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$350.40
STD7,807,473
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$233.60
STD5,204,982
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
?? | |
California vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
California
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
?? |
California vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
pay 43.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$1.67
STD37,216
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$37.38
STD832,797
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$21.02
STD468,448
|
|
California vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 84.0% less for clothing
|
California
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$19.16
STD426,809
|
|
California vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of clothing
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: December 2025
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