Cost of living comparison
Timor-Leste vs. Sao Tome and Principe Cost of Living Summary
Timor-Leste is 36.7% more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.9% less in Timor-Leste
- Groceries
-
pay 34.6% less in Timor-Leste
- Transportation
-
pay 15.1% less in Timor-Leste
- Housing
-
pay 2.6 times more in Timor-Leste
- Childcare
-
pay 6.9 times more in Timor-Leste
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.0% more in Timor-Leste
- Clothing
-
pay 14.3% more in Timor-Leste
The cost of childcare, housing, clothing, and entertainment and sports in Timor-Leste are more expensive than in Sao Tome and Principe. Expenses including groceries, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Timor-Leste. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste vs. Sao Tome and Principe Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
pay 16.9% less for restaurants
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Timor-Leste
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.96
STD200K
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.89
STD176K
|
$8.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.84
STD41,004
|
$1.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.25
STD27,770
|
$2.83
|
|
pay 34.6% less for groceries
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Timor-Leste
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.00
STD22,187
|
$2.48
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.80
STD218K
|
$1.00
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.87
STD131K
|
$8.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.85
STD108K
|
$2.70
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$8.89
STD198K
|
$4.31
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.70
STD37,881
|
$1.51
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
STD17,644
|
$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
STD36,419
|
$1.13
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.57
STD34,958
|
$1.06
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.31
STD29,299
|
$0.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.08
STD23,986
|
$0.53
|
|
pay 15.1% less for transportation
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Timor-Leste
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.46
STD144K
|
$5.34
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,634.18
STD549M
|
$18,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.43
STD500K
|
$32.70
|
|
pay 2.6 times more for housing
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Timor-Leste
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.91
STD1M
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$284.91
STD6M
|
$828.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$195.02
STD4M
|
$753.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$174.83
STD4M
|
$114.71
|
|
pay 6.9 times more for childcare
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Timor-Leste
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$228.62
STD5M
|
$1,500.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,194.77
STD49M
|
$16,000.00
|
|
pay 2.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Timor-Leste
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.70
STD37,799
|
$2.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.26
STD50,442
|
$4.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.26
STD50,420
|
$3.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$33.92
STD756K
|
$50.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$20.16
STD449K
|
$6.00
|
|
pay 14.3% more for clothing
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Timor-Leste
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$75.02
STD2M
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$80.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$18.36
STD409K
|
$60.00
|
|
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
Change currency:
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Timor-Leste
More cost comparisons
Help us improve these prices
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Timor-Leste or Sao Tome and Principe. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.