Cost of living comparison

compared to

Malabo vs. Sao Tome Cost of Living Summary

Malabo is 60.2% more expensive than Sao Tome.

Restaurants
pay 33.7% less in Malabo
Groceries
pay 17.3% less in Malabo
Housing
pay 48.6% less in Malabo
Entertainment and Sports
pay 35.6% more in Malabo
Clothing
pay 4.6 times more in Malabo

The cost of clothing and entertainment and sports in Malabo are more expensive than in Sao Tome. Expenses including housing, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Malabo. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Malabo.

Malabo vs. Sao Tome Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Malabo instead of Sao Tome, you would:

pay 33.7% less for restaurants

 
Sao Tome
Malabo
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $29.20
STD651K
??
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.68
STD260K
$8.90
FCFA5,007
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.92
STD42,768
$0.89
FCFA501

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pay 17.3% less for groceries

 
Sao Tome
Malabo
Bread
1 loaf
$1.08
STD24,088
??
Local cheese (8 oz) $10.22
STD228K
$3.36
FCFA1,889
Milk (1 gallon) $5.97
STD133K
$10.78
FCFA6,065

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pay (unknown) more for transportation

 
Sao Tome
Malabo
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.40
STD143K
??
Monthly public transit pass ?? $26.33
FCFA14,808
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $32,972.23
FCFA19M

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pay 48.6% less for housing

 
Sao Tome
Malabo
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$72.42
STD2M
$17.81
FCFA10,014
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $350.40
STD8M
$267.09
FCFA150K
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $233.60
STD5M
$124.64
FCFA70,099

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pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
Sao Tome
Malabo
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly ?? ??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $356.12
FCFA200K

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pay 35.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Sao Tome
Malabo
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.67
STD37,216
??
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.34
STD52,050
$5.34
FCFA3,004
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.34
STD52,050
$4.51
FCFA2,536

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pay 4.6 times more for clothing

 
Sao Tome
Malabo
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $26.71
FCFA15,021
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
?? $133.54
FCFA75,106
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
?? ??

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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: June 2026
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See the cost of living in Sao Tome and Principe vs. Equatorial Guinea. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Sao Tome and Principe and Equatorial Guinea.

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