Cost of living comparison

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

South Africa is 52.9% more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe overall.

Restaurants
pay 44.1% less in South Africa
Groceries
pay 36.9% less in South Africa
Transportation
pay 13.1% less in South Africa
Housing
pay 35.6% more in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.3% more in South Africa
Clothing
pay 4.6 times more in South Africa

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

South Africa vs. Sao Tome and Principe Cost Breakdown

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

pay 44.1% less for restaurants

 
Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.76
STD417,914
$8.97
ZAR163.58
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.11
STD202,987
$4.77
ZAR86.98
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.76
STD39,244
$0.95
ZAR17.40

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pay 36.9% less for groceries

 
Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa
Bread
1 loaf
$0.95
STD21,104
$0.99
ZAR18.06
Local cheese (8 oz) $9.38
STD208,957
$3.67
ZAR67.00
Milk (1 gallon) $4.73
STD105,465
$4.20
ZAR76.55

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pay 13.1% less for transportation

 
Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.74
STD127,914
$4.99
ZAR90.96
Monthly public transit pass ?? $52.31
ZAR953.76
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $20,607.77
ZAR375,731.32

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pay 35.6% more for housing

 
Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
?? $41.37
ZAR754.27
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $321.53
STD7,164,243
$382.55
ZAR6,974.91
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $214.35
STD4,776,162
$326.35
ZAR5,950.13

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pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly ?? $174.12
ZAR3,174.58
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $4,033.53
ZAR73,541.33

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pay 13.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.09
STD24,239
$2.11
ZAR38.43
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.61
STD35,821
$1.88
ZAR34.33
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.14
STD47,762
$2.90
ZAR52.95

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pay 4.6 times more for clothing

 
Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $47.72
ZAR869.97
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
?? $32.06
ZAR584.52
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
?? $90.39
ZAR1,648.02

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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
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