Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. Tonga Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 1.0% cheaper than Tonga overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.9% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 16.3% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 96.7% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 40.7% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Childcare
-
pay 3.6 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 39.0% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 63.8% more in Sao Tome and Principe
The cost of childcare, transportation, clothing, and groceries in Sao Tome and Principe are more expensive than in Tonga. Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Sao Tome and Principe. Notably, childcare and transportation are significantly more expensive in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. Tonga Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Tonga, you would:
pay 15.9% less for restaurants
|
Tonga
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.31
TOP20.00
|
$8.96
STD200K
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.38
TOP25.00
|
$7.89
STD176K
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.84
TOP6.83
|
$1.84
STD41,004
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
TOP5.92
|
$1.25
STD27,770
|
|
Tonga vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.3% more for groceries
|
Tonga
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.04
TOP2.50
|
$1.00
STD22,187
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.50
TOP10.83
|
$9.80
STD218K
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.92
TOP14.26
|
$5.87
STD131K
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.09
TOP12.27
|
$4.85
STD108K
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.67
TOP6.43
|
$8.89
STD198K
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.26
TOP3.02
|
$1.70
STD37,881
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.26
TOP3.02
|
$0.79
STD17,644
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.32
TOP3.18
|
$1.63
STD36,419
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
TOP4.08
|
$1.57
STD34,958
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
TOP3.48
|
$1.31
STD29,299
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.19
TOP2.87
|
$1.08
STD23,986
|
|
Tonga vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
pay 96.7% more for transportation
|
Tonga
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.50
TOP13.25
|
$6.46
STD144K
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.53
TOP100.00
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$5,814.53
TOP14,000.00
|
$24,634.18
STD549M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.69
TOP45.00
|
$22.43
STD500K
|
|
Tonga vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
pay 40.7% less for housing
|
Tonga
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$124.60
TOP300.00
|
$66.91
STD1M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$622.99
TOP1,500.00
|
$284.91
STD6M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | ?? |
$195.02
STD4M
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$142.92
TOP344.12
|
$174.83
STD4M
|
|
Tonga vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
pay 3.6 times more for childcare
|
Tonga
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$157.82
TOP380.00
|
$228.62
STD5M
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$249.19
TOP600.00
|
$2,194.77
STD49M
|
|
Tonga vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
pay 39.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Tonga
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.32
TOP8.00
|
$1.70
STD37,799
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.91
TOP7.00
|
$2.26
STD50,442
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.18
TOP24.50
|
$2.26
STD50,420
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.15
TOP75.00
|
$33.92
STD756K
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$41.53
TOP100.00
|
$20.16
STD449K
|
|
Tonga vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 63.8% more for clothing
|
Tonga
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$14.54
TOP35.00
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$17.65
TOP42.50
|
$75.02
STD2M
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$20.77
TOP50.00
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$29.07
TOP70.00
|
$18.36
STD409K
|
|
Tonga 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
Change currency:
Compare further: Tonga vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Sao Tome and Principe?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 18 statistics
Be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed in Sao Tome and Principe
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Tonga is about 1.3 times smaller than Sao Tome and Principe.
→
Moving from Tonga to Sao Tome and Principe · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
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 Tonga. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.