It is somewhat exorbitant to live in Sao Tome and Principe and in recent years, it got even more expensive. However, there are still ways to study there and not spend too much money; you can still rent for a few hundred dollars and buy your food from low-cost shops. The costs are fair to most foreigner than compared to the local persective. Apply today and be sure to explore this gem by yourself!
Restaurants
Sao Tome and Principe is braced with luxurious restaurants and gorgeous food, and if you have money, they can be expensive. However, there are also many mainstream restaurants, but they do offer good value for the money. However, you should be ready to pay for your drinks as the price of a beer can reach up to USD 5 or USD 6 at pubs and clubs.
Markets
You can save a lot of money if you decide to make food at home, and with the prices in Sao Tome and Principe, you will probably want to save some money. Practice going to supermarkets and open markets that often pop up in major cities, and if your diet includes a lot of veggies and fruits you can truly save plenty of your dollars. Expect the cost to stagger around USD 300 in a month for markets!
Utilities
Utilities aren’t as costly as you would expect here where expenses keep on increasing and rising. All the basic ones, including electricity, garbage services, heating, cooling and gas, for an apartment of a larger constitution would cost around USD 140 or less. The Internet, however, is a bit more pricey.
Sports and leisure
As in most cities and countries, sports is an expensive pleasure. If you want a membership in a gym or a fitness club, be ready to spill out around whopping USD 70. Since fitness and gym membership is this expensive, you wouldn’t expect cinema tickets to be cheapwould you? One will cost you around USD 10excluding the popcorn.
Clothing and shoes
You can buy clothing and shoes here, just beware of the prices, as they aren’t low. You can buy quality jeans like Levi’s for aboutUSD 70, which is along the lines of the European norm. Quality running sneakers of brands like Nike costs more than USD 100 which is really expensive. Even the light pieces of clothing, like a regular shirt, cost around USD 50.
Transportation
Sao Tome and Principe is a small country. You only need three hours to cut through it. Buses connect Beirut to other major cities, but their consistency is lower in comparison to that of taxis. The bus is the most popular means of transportation here. Taxi services are common more so. They can carry up to five passengers, each of them having to pay one-fifth of the total amount of the journey. It is best to negotiate the fare prior to departure.Transportation is relatively affordable in Sao Tome and Principe. A one way ticket costs a lot more than in some inexpensive countries it’s around USD 1.50 while a monthly ticket costs around USD 50 which is reasonable, considering the standard of the country
Rent per month
Rent is pretty expensive in Sao Tome and Principe if you’re looking to rent an apartment in the city or even close to one. Rent in rural areas and in villages, on the other side, is not much expensive. You can get a good four-room, two-bathroom flat for only USD 200 a month. In turn, a one-bedroom apartment in the city center costs around USD 800.
| Food | Price in $ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 12 eggs dozen, large |
12.50 USD | |||
 1 beer pint in local shops, markets |
7 USD | |||
 1 kg of tomatoes |
8.50 USD | |||
 Full chicken 2kg |
38.75 USD | |||
 1litre 100% fruit juice |
8.50 USD | |||
 1 package of cigarettes imported brands |
25 USD | |||
 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples |
7.50 USD | |||
 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality |
48.95 USD | |||
| 2.5 liters of Coca-Cola |
0.95 USD | |||
 1 Bread loaf standard |
9.50 USD | |||
 Whole fat Yogurt. 500ml |
12 USD | |||
 1x6 pack Dardanelle tuna |
18.50 USD | |||
| Heinz baked beans 1 tin |
8 USD | |||
 1.5 kg Sugar |
10 USD | |||
| 2 liter cooking oil |
20 USD | |||
 Yum-yum noodles per pack |
2.00 USD | |||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes |
5.50 USD | |||
 1 liter milk |
8.50 USD | |||
 Fast food restaurant large serving/ take away |
25 USD | |||
| Housing | ||||
 Utilities per month (water, electricity, gas) for 2 people in flat |
165 USD | |||
 Wi-Fi monthly fee 8 Mbps (1 month) |
145 USD | |||
 Laundry detergent (bleach, sunlight liquid, washing surf… altogether) |
58.50 USD | |||
 House Cleaning fee per day |
105 USD | |||
 Large Gas heater price range upwards. |
200 USD | |||
 Original branded Electric Fans |
200 USD | |||
 Original branded Electric kettle. |
120 USD | |||
 40 inches Beko flat screen HD TV set |
2000 USD | |||
 Single bed Blankets |
120 USD | |||
| Personal Care | ||||
 Avon for women and men cologne |
100 USD | |||
 Ladies hair plaiting. |
60 USD | |||
 Ladies Sanitaryware (Pads and Tampoons) |
18 USD | |||
 Men's haircut |
40 USD | |||
 Ibuprofen, Panadol, Grandpa Pain killers box of 12 dosses |
24.50 USD | |||
 Mobile package local network providers’ talk-time, data and messages |
65 USD | |||
 1 month of gym subscription. |
105 USD | |||
 Earphones original (Samsung. iPhone) |
90 USD | |||
| Unisex Loris perfume |
30 USD | |||
 Gadgets maintenance and repairs (cellphone, laptops, tablets...) starting price. |
100 USD | |||
| Smart phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, HTC, IPhone) price range upwards |
1000 USD | |||
 Laptops (Samsung, Lenovo, Hp, Monster, Dell etc.) price range upwards |
3000 USD | |||
| Entertainment | ||||
 Boat cruise with refreshments and finger snacks |
120 USD | |||
 Go carting 30mins |
120 USD | |||
 Movie House 3d cinema |
30 USD | |||
 Summer Festivals (jet, bumper cars, lucky deep ...(per ticket) |
15 USD | |||
 Photo shoot |
120 USD | |||
 Cappuccino / expresso/ coffee |
12.50 USD | |||
 3 course dinner local restaurant two people |
96.50 USD | |||
 3 course dinner classy, exotic restaurant two people |
150 USD | |||
 Play station 4 console without games. |
2000 USD | |||
 Spalding Basketball |
200 USD | |||
 Original branded Racket and Wilson’s tennis balls |
500 USD | |||
| Transportation | ||||
 Taxi fare on average 5-10km |
45 USD | |||
 Public transport per trip one way maximum fare |
30 USD | |||
 1 liter petrol/diesel |
6.50 USD | |||
| 1 day rent a car cost |
140 USD | |||
 Driver’s license |
2300 USD | |||
| Clothes | ||||
 1 pair of jeans (Denim or similar) |
150 USD | |||
 1 pair of men’s formal shoes |
215 USD | |||
 1 pair original sport/casual shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) |
280 USD | |||
 1 classy summer dress (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) |
135.79 USD | |||
 Ladies formal shoes original and durable |
120 USD | |||
 Back-pack, gym bag (Nike, Adidas, New balance) |
150 USD | |||
