Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 16.1% cheaper than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.1% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 7.5% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 92.6% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 52.0% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 42.4% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 83.4% less in Sao Tome and Principe
Expenses including clothing, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Sao Tome and Principe. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of New York, you would:
pay 4.1% less for restaurants
|
New York
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$29.20
STD650,623
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$11.68
STD260,249
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$1.92
STD42,768
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$1.17
STD26,025
|
|
New York vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 7.5% less for groceries
|
New York
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$1.08
STD24,088
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$10.22
STD227,718
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$5.97
STD132,995
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$5.09
STD113,503
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$9.27
STD206,583
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$2.12
STD47,219
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$0.53
STD11,805
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$1.85
STD41,316
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.59
STD35,414
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.19
STD26,561
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$0.93
STD20,658
|
|
New York vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 92.6% more for transportation
|
New York
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$6.40
STD142,518
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
?? | |
New York vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 52.0% less for housing
|
New York
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$72.42
STD1,613,544
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$350.40
STD7,807,473
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$233.60
STD5,204,982
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
?? | |
New York vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
New York
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
?? |
New York vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 42.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$1.67
STD37,216
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$37.38
STD832,797
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$21.02
STD468,448
|
|
New York vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 83.4% less for clothing
|
New York
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$19.16
STD426,809
|
|
New York 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 countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Sao Tome and Principe.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Sao Tome and Principe.
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 New York. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.