Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Tome and Principe vs. United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Summary
Sao Tome and Principe is 25.5% more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.3 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Groceries
-
pay 83.7% more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Transportation
-
pay 2.2 times more in Sao Tome and Principe
- Housing
-
pay 60.2% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 38.2% less in Sao Tome and Principe
- Clothing
-
pay 82.0% less in Sao Tome and Principe
The cost of restaurants, transportation, and groceries in Sao Tome and Principe are more expensive than in United Arab Emirates. Expenses including clothing, housing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Sao Tome and Principe. Notably, restaurants, transportation, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome and Principe vs. United Arab Emirates Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.91
AED29.06
|
$29.20
STD650,623
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.65
AED31.75
|
$11.68
STD260,249
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.04
AED3.83
|
$1.92
STD42,768
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
AED1.85
|
$1.17
STD26,025
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of restaurants
pay 83.7% more for groceries
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.47
AED5.39
|
$1.08
STD24,088
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.36
AED19.68
|
$10.22
STD227,718
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.96
AED25.56
|
$5.97
STD132,995
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.81
AED10.34
|
$5.09
STD113,503
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.68
AED13.51
|
$9.27
STD206,583
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
AED3.59
|
$2.12
STD47,219
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
AED2.75
|
$0.53
STD11,805
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.73
AED2.69
|
$1.85
STD41,316
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
AED2.15
|
$1.59
STD35,414
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.48
AED1.76
|
$1.19
STD26,561
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.93
|
$0.93
STD20,658
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of groceries
pay 2.2 times more for transportation
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.91
AED10.69
|
$6.40
STD142,518
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.10
AED195.00
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$40,680.12
AED149,397.75
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.50
AED31.21
|
?? | |
United Arab Emirates vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of transportation
pay 60.2% less for housing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$101.41
AED372.42
|
$72.42
STD1,613,544
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,438.18
AED5,281.71
|
$350.40
STD7,807,473
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$990.79
AED3,638.67
|
$233.60
STD5,204,982
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$122.67
AED450.49
|
?? | |
United Arab Emirates vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.28
AED1,826.25
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,164.49
AED29,984.10
|
?? |
United Arab Emirates vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of childcare
pay 38.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.43
AED38.31
|
$1.67
STD37,216
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
AED18.32
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.23
AED22.88
|
$2.34
STD52,050
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$75.55
AED277.45
|
$37.38
STD832,797
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.19
AED48.44
|
$21.02
STD468,448
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Sao Tome and Principe - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 82.0% less for clothing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.04
AED275.58
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$59.50
AED218.51
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.66
AED388.03
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.53
AED391.23
|
$19.16
STD426,809
|
|
United Arab Emirates 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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