Cost of living comparison

 Sao Tome and Principe
compared to
 Maldives
Maldives vs. Sao Tome and Principe Cost of Living Summary

Maldives is 2.2 times more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe overall.

Restaurants
pay 42.2% less in Maldives
Groceries
pay 14.3% more in Maldives
Transportation
pay 38.0% less in Maldives
Housing
pay 3.6 times more in Maldives
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.4 times more in Maldives
Clothing
pay 4.6 times more in Maldives

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

Maldives vs. Sao Tome and Principe Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Maldives instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:

pay 42.2% less for restaurants

 
Sao Tome and Principe
Maldives
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.76
STD417,914
$5.50
MVR84.72
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.11
STD202,987
$9.71
MVR149.51
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.76
STD39,244
$1.21
MVR18.69

Improve prices ·

pay 14.3% more for groceries

 
Sao Tome and Principe
Maldives
Bread
1 loaf
$0.95
STD21,104
$1.54
MVR23.67
Local cheese (8 oz) $9.38
STD208,957
$5.65
MVR87.05
Milk (1 gallon) $4.73
STD105,465
$6.78
MVR104.47

Improve prices ·

pay 38.0% less for transportation

 
Sao Tome and Principe
Maldives
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.74
STD127,914
$3.56
MVR54.78
Monthly public transit pass ?? $22.65
MVR348.87
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $38,834.95
MVR598,058.25

Improve prices ·

pay 3.6 times more for housing

 
Sao Tome and Principe
Maldives
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
?? $65.94
MVR1,015.45
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $321.53
STD7,164,243
$1,098.53
MVR16,917.30
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $214.35
STD4,776,162
$829.29
MVR12,771.04

Improve prices ·

pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
Sao Tome and Principe
Maldives
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly ?? $172.53
MVR2,657.00
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $3,198.06
MVR49,250.10

Improve prices ·

pay 2.4 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Sao Tome and Principe
Maldives
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.09
STD24,239
$4.69
MVR72.27
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.61
STD35,821
$3.24
MVR49.84
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.14
STD47,762
$7.12
MVR109.64

Improve prices ·

pay 4.6 times more for clothing

 
Sao Tome and Principe
Maldives
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $55.89
MVR860.71
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
?? $58.79
MVR905.39
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
?? $101.13
MVR1,557.44

Improve prices ·
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: March 2025
Share this

Compare by city

Select a city in Sao Tome and Principe
Select a city..
compared to
Select a city in Maldives
Select a city..

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 Maldives or Sao Tome and Principe. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.