Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 25.0% more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.3 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 3.1% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 45.4% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 57.8% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.9% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 81.4% less in Sao Tome and Principe
The cost of restaurants, housing, transportation, and groceries in Sao Tome and Principe are more expensive than in South Korea. Expenses including clothing and entertainment and sports are lower in Sao Tome and Principe. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
South Korea
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.72
₩9,907
|
$29.20
STD650,623
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.50
₩8,102
|
$11.68
STD260,249
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.47
₩2,161
|
$1.92
STD42,768
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.82
₩1,216
|
$1.17
STD26,025
|
|
South Korea vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.1% more for groceries
|
South Korea
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.87
₩4,235
|
$1.08
STD24,088
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.63
₩8,290
|
$10.22
STD227,718
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.67
₩11,311
|
$5.97
STD132,995
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.84
₩4,180
|
$5.09
STD113,503
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.34
₩4,917
|
$9.27
STD206,583
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.24
₩4,768
|
$2.12
STD47,219
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.39
₩2,045
|
$0.53
STD11,805
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.80
₩4,121
|
$1.85
STD41,316
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.40
₩3,543
|
$1.59
STD35,414
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.78
₩2,627
|
$1.19
STD26,561
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.20
₩1,775
|
$0.93
STD20,658
|
|
South Korea vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
pay 45.4% more for transportation
|
South Korea
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.40
₩6,485
|
$6.40
STD142,518
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$47.17
₩69,524
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,440.41
₩38,967,875
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.33
₩12,280
|
?? | |
South Korea vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
pay 57.8% more for housing
|
South Korea
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$21.68
₩31,958
|
$72.42
STD1,613,544
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$473.91
₩698,442
|
$350.40
STD7,807,473
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$357.19
₩526,420
|
$233.60
STD5,204,982
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.53
₩195,326
|
?? | |
South Korea vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
South Korea
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$378.52
₩557,869
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,055.40
₩22,188,655
|
?? |
South Korea vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
pay 4.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Korea
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.12
₩4,595
|
$1.67
STD37,216
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.57
₩5,258
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.18
₩4,693
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.86
₩73,483
|
$37.38
STD832,797
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.12
₩14,912
|
$21.02
STD468,448
|
|
South Korea vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 81.4% less for clothing
|
South Korea
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$66.46
₩97,948
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.68
₩74,697
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$72.74
₩107,204
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.23
₩152,146
|
$19.16
STD426,809
|
|
South Korea vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of clothing
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
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