Cost of living comparison

compared to

Sao Tome vs. Dili Cost of Living Summary

Sao Tome is 27.7% more expensive than Dili.

Restaurants
pay 2.3 times more in Sao Tome
Groceries
pay 2.1 times more in Sao Tome
Transportation
pay 19.8% more in Sao Tome
Housing
pay 71.0% less in Sao Tome
Entertainment and Sports
pay 37.3% more in Sao Tome
Clothing
pay 68.1% less in Sao Tome

The cost of restaurants, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Sao Tome are more expensive than in Dili. Expenses including housing and clothing are lower in Sao Tome. Notably, restaurants and groceries are significantly more expensive in Sao Tome.

Sao Tome vs. Dili Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Sao Tome instead of Dili, you would:

pay 2.3 times more for restaurants

 
Dili
Sao Tome
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.00
 
$29.20
STD651K
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.00
 
$11.68
STD260K
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.58
 
$1.92
STD42,768

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pay 2.1 times more for groceries

 
Dili
Sao Tome
Bread
1 loaf
$3.00
 
$1.08
STD24,088
Local cheese (8 oz) $1.00
 
$10.22
STD228K
Milk (1 gallon) $9.27
 
$5.97
STD133K

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pay 19.8% more for transportation

 
Dili
Sao Tome
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.34
 
$6.40
STD143K
Monthly public transit pass ?? ??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? ??

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pay 71.0% less for housing

 
Dili
Sao Tome
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
?? $72.42
STD2M
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,125.00
 
$350.40
STD8M
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $866.67
 
$233.60
STD5M

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pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
Dili
Sao Tome
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly ?? ??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $16,000.00
 
??

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pay 37.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Dili
Sao Tome
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.00
 
$1.67
STD37,216
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.83
 
$2.34
STD52,050
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.75
 
$2.34
STD52,050

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pay 68.1% less for clothing

 
Dili
Sao Tome
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$60.00
 
??
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$30.00
 
??
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$80.00
 
??

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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: June 2026
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See the cost of living in Timor-Leste vs. Sao Tome and Principe. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Timor-Leste and Sao Tome and Principe.

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