Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. Malaysia Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 22.9% more expensive than Malaysia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.3 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 61.6% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 43.3% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 6.0% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Childcare
-
pay 48.0% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.5% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 23.7% less in Sao Tome and Principe
The cost of restaurants, groceries, transportation, entertainment and sports, and housing in Sao Tome and Principe are more expensive than in Malaysia. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Sao Tome and Principe. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. Malaysia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Malaysia, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
Malaysia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.42
MYR13.98
|
$8.96
STD200K
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.64
MYR18.95
|
$7.89
STD176K
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.75
MYR3.07
|
$1.84
STD41,004
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.42
MYR1.72
|
$1.25
STD27,770
|
|
Malaysia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
pay 61.6% more for groceries
|
Malaysia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.10
MYR4.49
|
$1.00
STD22,187
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.94
MYR28.32
|
$9.80
STD218K
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.18
MYR29.31
|
$5.87
STD131K
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.09
MYR8.53
|
$4.85
STD108K
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.90
MYR7.75
|
$8.89
STD198K
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.35
MYR5.53
|
$1.70
STD37,881
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
MYR2.97
|
$0.79
STD17,644
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
MYR4.84
|
$1.63
STD36,419
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.69
MYR2.83
|
$1.57
STD34,958
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.57
MYR2.34
|
$1.31
STD29,299
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.61
MYR2.50
|
$1.08
STD23,986
|
|
Malaysia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
pay 43.3% more for transportation
|
Malaysia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.76
MYR11.29
|
$6.46
STD144K
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.28
MYR62.39
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$40,802.19
MYR167K
|
$24,634.18
STD549M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.46
MYR26.37
|
$22.43
STD500K
|
|
Malaysia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
pay 6.0% more for housing
|
Malaysia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$27.60
MYR112.71
|
$66.91
STD1M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$363.41
MYR1,483.90
|
$284.91
STD6M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$265.07
MYR1,082.35
|
$195.02
STD4M
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$36.69
MYR149.79
|
$174.83
STD4M
|
|
Malaysia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
pay 48.0% less for childcare
|
Malaysia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$231.07
MYR943.51
|
$228.62
STD5M
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,043.53
MYR32,843.35
|
$2,194.77
STD49M
|
|
Malaysia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
pay 7.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Malaysia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.61
MYR14.73
|
$1.70
STD37,799
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.76
MYR11.29
|
$2.26
STD50,442
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.35
MYR17.74
|
$2.26
STD50,420
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.82
MYR158.52
|
$33.92
STD756K
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.73
MYR19.31
|
$20.16
STD449K
|
|
Malaysia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.7% less for clothing
|
Malaysia
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.43
MYR238.60
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.42
MYR124.22
|
$75.02
STD2M
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$77.72
MYR317.35
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.79
MYR317.65
|
$18.36
STD409K
|
|
Malaysia vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of clothing
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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