Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 1.2% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.4% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 80.6% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 12.0% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 26.6% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Childcare
-
pay 28.5% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.0% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 31.7% less in Sao Tome and Principe
The cost of groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and transportation in Sao Tome and Principe are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including clothing, childcare, and housing are lower in Sao Tome and Principe. Notably, groceries is significantly more expensive in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 14.4% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.21
ZAR168.45
|
$8.96
STD200K
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.91
ZAR97.49
|
$7.89
STD176K
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.08
ZAR17.88
|
$1.84
STD41,004
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
ZAR13.78
|
$1.25
STD27,770
|
|
South Africa vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
pay 80.6% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
ZAR17.59
|
$1.00
STD22,187
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.08
ZAR67.33
|
$9.80
STD218K
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.58
ZAR75.49
|
$5.87
STD131K
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.56
ZAR42.28
|
$4.85
STD108K
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.31
ZAR38.16
|
$8.89
STD198K
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.81
ZAR13.40
|
$1.70
STD37,881
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
ZAR12.13
|
$0.79
STD17,644
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.79
ZAR12.95
|
$1.63
STD36,419
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
ZAR12.71
|
$1.57
STD34,958
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR10.62
|
$1.31
STD29,299
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.66
ZAR10.85
|
$1.08
STD23,986
|
|
South Africa vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
pay 12.0% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
ZAR90.53
|
$6.46
STD144K
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.15
ZAR1,074.55
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,517.32
ZAR536K
|
$24,634.18
STD549M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.35
ZAR121.20
|
$22.43
STD500K
|
|
South Africa vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
pay 26.6% less for housing
|
South Africa
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$38.93
ZAR642.17
|
$66.91
STD1M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$421.37
ZAR6,950.09
|
$284.91
STD6M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$369.24
ZAR6,090.32
|
$195.02
STD4M
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$105.57
ZAR1,741.24
|
$174.83
STD4M
|
|
South Africa vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
pay 28.5% less for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$199.53
ZAR3,291.11
|
$228.62
STD5M
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,917.78
ZAR81,113.80
|
$2,194.77
STD49M
|
|
South Africa vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
pay 20.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.13
|
$1.70
STD37,799
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.25
ZAR37.18
|
$2.26
STD50,442
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.16
ZAR52.13
|
$2.26
STD50,420
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.59
ZAR521.05
|
$33.92
STD756K
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.32
ZAR120.70
|
$20.16
STD449K
|
|
South Africa vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.7% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.66
ZAR868.55
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.13
ZAR562.92
|
$75.02
STD2M
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.75
ZAR1,645.29
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$86.61
ZAR1,428.49
|
$18.36
STD409K
|
|
South Africa 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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