Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. Ethiopia Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 58.2% more expensive than Ethiopia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.5 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 91.8% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 32.9% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 52.0% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.1 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 83.4% 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 Ethiopia. Expenses including clothing and housing are lower in Sao Tome and Principe. Notably, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. Ethiopia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Ethiopia, you would:
pay 3.5 times more for restaurants
|
Ethiopia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.26
ETB655.54
|
$29.20
STD650,623
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.50
ETB1,000.24
|
$11.68
STD260,249
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.61
ETB93.51
|
$1.92
STD42,768
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.57
ETB87.20
|
$1.17
STD26,025
|
|
Ethiopia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 91.8% more for groceries
|
Ethiopia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.26
ETB193.73
|
$1.08
STD24,088
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.34
ETB667.36
|
$10.22
STD227,718
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.42
ETB834.53
|
$5.97
STD132,995
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.28
ETB351.02
|
$5.09
STD113,503
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.76
ETB886.79
|
$9.27
STD206,583
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.08
ETB473.48
|
$2.12
STD47,219
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.43
ETB66.40
|
$0.53
STD11,805
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.06
ETB162.78
|
$1.85
STD41,316
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.40
ETB62.30
|
$1.59
STD35,414
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.28
ETB42.45
|
$1.19
STD26,561
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.91
ETB139.43
|
$0.93
STD20,658
|
|
Ethiopia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 32.9% more for transportation
|
Ethiopia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.81
ETB740.52
|
$6.40
STD142,518
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$12.00
ETB1,846.60
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$55,000.00
ETB8,463,587.61
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.62
ETB556.29
|
?? | |
Ethiopia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 52.0% less for housing
|
Ethiopia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$130.20
ETB20,035.62
|
$72.42
STD1,613,544
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$815.99
ETB125,568.08
|
$350.40
STD7,807,473
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$512.43
ETB78,854.26
|
$233.60
STD5,204,982
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$121.97
ETB18,769.25
|
?? | |
Ethiopia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Ethiopia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$94.05
ETB14,472.47
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,187.50
ETB4,645,355.47
|
?? |
Ethiopia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Ethiopia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.90
ETB138.50
|
$1.67
STD37,216
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.09
ETB167.35
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.10
ETB784.81
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.10
ETB9,556.74
|
$37.38
STD832,797
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.75
ETB577.06
|
$21.02
STD468,448
|
|
Ethiopia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 83.4% less for clothing
|
Ethiopia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.03
ETB6,929.81
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$75.17
ETB11,566.90
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.08
ETB14,477.62
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.09
ETB17,709.97
|
$19.16
STD426,809
|
|
Ethiopia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - 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: 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 Ethiopia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.