Africa · Sao Tome
Cost of living in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe is 43% cheaper than the US, ranking #69 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What drives the cost here
Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.
In Sao Tome and Principe, food & groceries is the priciest category relative to the world (125), while health is the most affordable (40).
Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $57,000 in Sao Tome and Principe.
Quality of life
67/100 · #126 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Sao Tome and Principe
Portugal discovered and colonized the uninhabited Sao Tome and Principe islands in the late 15th century, setting up a sugar-based economy that gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century -- all grown with African slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling among the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and failed, non-violent coup attempts in 1995, 1998, 2003, and 2009.
Read the full background
In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no-confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA, but legislative elections returned him to the office two years later. President Evaristo CARVALHO, of the same political party as TROVOADA, was elected in 2016, marking a rare instance in which the same party held the positions of president and prime minister. TROVOADA resigned in 2018 and was replaced by Jorge BOM JESUS. Carlos Vila NOVA was elected president in 2021. TROVOADA began his fourth stint as prime minister in 2022, after his party's victory in legislative elections.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Sao Tome and Principe expensive to live in?
Sao Tome and Principe is 43% cheaper than the US, ranking #69 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is food & groceries; health costs the least.
How much money do you need to live in Sao Tome and Principe?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $57,000 in Sao Tome and Principe, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Sao Tome and Principe cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 56.8, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Sao Tome and Principe?
Sao Tome and Principe scores 67 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#126 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 70 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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