Sao Tome and Principe vs. El Salvador Cost of Living Summary

Sao Tome and Principe is 22.3% cheaper than El Salvador overall.

Restaurants
pay 29.3% more in Sao Tome and Principe
Groceries
pay 16.9% more in Sao Tome and Principe
Transportation
pay 10.3% more in Sao Tome and Principe
Housing
pay 55.3% less in Sao Tome and Principe
Childcare
pay 19.2% less in Sao Tome and Principe
Entertainment and Sports
pay 23.9% more in Sao Tome and Principe
Clothing
pay 49.9% less in Sao Tome and Principe

The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation in Sao Tome and Principe are more expensive than in El Salvador. Expenses including housing, clothing, and childcare are lower in Sao Tome and Principe.

Sao Tome and Principe vs. El Salvador Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of El Salvador, you would:

pay 29.3% more for restaurants

 
El Salvador
Sao Tome and Principe
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.75
SVC59.06
$8.96
STD200K
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.00
SVC61.25
$7.89
STD176K
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.14
SVC10.01
$1.84
STD41,004

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pay 16.9% more for groceries

 
El Salvador
Sao Tome and Principe
Bread
1 loaf
$2.53
SVC22.11
$1.00
STD22,187
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.85
SVC33.72
$9.80
STD218K
Milk (1 gallon) $6.71
SVC58.72
$5.87
STD131K

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pay 10.3% more for transportation

 
El Salvador
Sao Tome and Principe
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.75
SVC41.60
$6.46
STD144K
Monthly public transit pass $37.50
SVC328.13
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,000.00
SVC219K
$24,634.18
STD549M

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pay 55.3% less for housing

 
El Salvador
Sao Tome and Principe
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$42.50
SVC371.88
$66.91
STD1M
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $824.50
SVC7,214.43
$284.91
STD6M
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $660.00
SVC5,775.07
$195.02
STD4M

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pay 19.2% less for childcare

 
El Salvador
Sao Tome and Principe
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $162.67
SVC1,423.35
$228.62
STD5M
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $4,720.00
SVC41,300.50
$2,194.77
STD49M

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pay 23.9% more for entertainment and sports

 
El Salvador
Sao Tome and Principe
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.00
SVC17.50
$1.70
STD37,799
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.55
SVC31.02
$2.26
STD50,442
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.00
SVC35.00
$2.26
STD50,420

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pay 49.9% less for clothing

 
El Salvador
Sao Tome and Principe
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$67.15
SVC587.57
??
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$47.00
SVC411.25
$75.02
STD2M
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$118.33
SVC1,035.43
??

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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