Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. Dominican Republic Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 46.5% more expensive than Dominican Republic overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.5 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 2.0 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 38.1% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 21.6% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 42.3% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 79.6% less in Sao Tome and Principe
The cost of restaurants, groceries, entertainment and sports, transportation, and housing in Sao Tome and Principe are more expensive than in Dominican Republic. Notably, restaurants and groceries are significantly more expensive in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. Dominican Republic Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
pay 2.5 times more for restaurants
|
Dominican Republic
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.57
DOP411.58
|
$29.20
STD650,623
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.06
DOP442.46
|
$11.68
STD260,249
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.92
DOP57.93
|
$1.92
STD42,768
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.60
DOP37.72
|
$1.17
STD26,025
|
|
Dominican Republic vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
|
Dominican Republic
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.44
DOP90.24
|
$1.08
STD24,088
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.10
DOP193.95
|
$10.22
STD227,718
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.52
DOP283.01
|
$5.97
STD132,995
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.74
DOP109.04
|
$5.09
STD113,503
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.20
DOP137.55
|
$9.27
STD206,583
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.17
DOP73.56
|
$2.12
STD47,219
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.37
DOP23.31
|
$0.53
STD11,805
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.09
DOP68.57
|
$1.85
STD41,316
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
DOP44.03
|
$1.59
STD35,414
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.67
DOP42.11
|
$1.19
STD26,561
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.96
DOP60.20
|
$0.93
STD20,658
|
|
Dominican Republic vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
pay 38.1% more for transportation
|
Dominican Republic
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.63
DOP290.23
|
$6.40
STD142,518
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$31.27
DOP1,959.07
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,585.12
DOP1,728,059.40
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.50
DOP1,284.36
|
?? | |
Dominican Republic vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
pay 21.6% more for housing
|
Dominican Republic
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.80
DOP1,991.85
|
$72.42
STD1,613,544
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$495.90
DOP31,065.74
|
$350.40
STD7,807,473
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$352.53
DOP22,084.37
|
$233.60
STD5,204,982
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$49.81
DOP3,120.20
|
?? | |
Dominican Republic vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Dominican Republic
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$203.07
DOP12,721.53
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,232.64
DOP327,797.10
|
?? |
Dominican Republic vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
pay 42.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Dominican Republic
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.40
DOP150.14
|
$1.67
STD37,216
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.93
DOP120.94
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.53
DOP283.86
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$28.27
DOP1,770.84
|
$37.38
STD832,797
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.24
DOP390.62
|
$21.02
STD468,448
|
|
Dominican Republic vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 79.6% less for clothing
|
Dominican Republic
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.65
DOP2,797.01
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.79
DOP2,743.09
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.83
DOP4,750.57
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.99
DOP5,888.08
|
$19.16
STD426,809
|
|
Dominican Republic 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
Change currency:
Compare by city
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 and Principe or Dominican Republic. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.