How Much Does a Trip to São Tomé Cost?

As a starting point, allow:

• 650–1,100 dobras (€27–€45) per person per day when staying somewhere simple, eating locally and using shared transport
• 1,500–2,500 dobras (€61–€102) per person per day with a better guesthouse, restaurant meals and taxis
• 3,000–6,000 dobras (€122–€245) per person per day with a comfortable hotel and room for car hire, guided days and more restaurant meals

These figures assume two people sharing a room. They exclude international flights, the €20 arrival fee and travel to Príncipe. They are planning figures rather than fixed prices. Accommodation availability, the vehicle you choose and the number of guided days will make the largest difference.

São Tomé and Príncipe uses the dobra, abbreviated as STN. The official exchange rate is fixed at €1 = 24.50 dobras.

Banks and hotels generally use the official rate. Some hotels, tour operators and car-hire companies accept euros, but the exchange rate is rarely in your favour. Unless you have agreed a clear euro price, change your money into dobras first.

The guys on Rua de Angola normally offer around 26 dobras for €1 and 29 dobras for £1. You will find them at this location on Rua de Angola, on the corner opposite the supermarket and close to Rooftop and Zima.

People elsewhere may offer to change money, but stick with these guys. They are friendly, there is no hassle and we have never had a problem with them. The exchange happens openly on the street. It may feel unusual the first time, but it is completely normal here. If you are nervous about changing money, contact us and we can help.

Our money and currency guide has more information about cash, cards and ATMs.

Do not rely on cards. Some cards work in some hotels and supermarkets. Others do not. A card can work perfectly in one place and be declined in the next without any obvious reason.

ATMs are equally inconsistent. They accept some foreign cards, but they also run out of money. This often happens after an international flight arrives, when a large number of people try to withdraw cash at once.

Bring euros, change enough into dobras and keep a cash margin. Treat a successful card payment or ATM withdrawal as helpful rather than guaranteed.

Keep smaller notes for taxis, motos, roadside food and drinks. Change can be difficult when you try to pay for a 20-dobra journey with a large note.

CKdo is one of the main supermarkets for groceries and household supplies. It has a broad range, although the quality of packaged food can be inconsistent.

Check dry goods before taking them away. We recently bought a sealed sack of rice from CKdo and found more worms than rice. That does not mean every packet is a problem, but sealed packaging is not a reason to stop looking at what you are buying.

If you want European products, there is a shop beside the corner where the Rua de Angola money guys gather, just around from Rooftop. Imported food costs more, but it is useful if you want familiar brands or something that is difficult to find elsewhere.

Stock changes constantly. Arriving with a rigid shopping list is likely to end in disappointment. Buy what is available and looks good.

Some ordinary prices:

• Bread roll: about 5 dobras
• Small bag of peanuts: about 30 dobras
• Bottled water: about 20 dobras

Accommodation will normally be the largest part of your budget. We checked Booking.com in August 2026, comparing one-night stays for two adults. The available rooms fell into these broad ranges:

• Simple private room: approximately €25–€40
• Better guesthouse: approximately €45–€80
• Comfortable hotel: approximately €90–€150
• Omali: around €200
• Pestana São Tomé: around €300 or more

These are prices for the room, not per person. Many properties included taxes, while some added between 75 and 150 dobras. Breakfast was included at several places but not all.

The comparison did not show a convincing island-wide price difference between October and January. Availability and the type of room left for sale made more difference than a simple high-season or low-season label.

Solo travellers should expect to pay more per person because there is nobody sharing the room cost.

See our São Tomé accommodation guide for places to stay around the island.

Eating locally keeps costs down, but it is also part of travelling properly here. Fresh fish from a roadside barbecue is not a budget substitute for a restaurant meal. It is one of the meals you should be looking for.

Typical prices:

• Fresh fish from a street barbecue: about 100 dobras
• Burger from a roulotte: about 100 dobras
• Coffee and a sandwich at Moxinhos: about 200 dobras
• Dinner in a city restaurant: approximately 500–1,200 dobras per person
• Local beer in a bar: about 40–50 dobras
• Caipirinha from a local bar: about 80 dobras
• Gin and tonic in a nightlife venue: around 200 dobras

Sabor Divino, Rooftop and Papa Figo sit towards the top of the city restaurant range. A meal of steak, prawns and a beer at Papa Figo can reach around 1,300 dobras.

Our São Tomé restaurant guide covers places we know. We have not filled it with copied listings for restaurants we have never visited.

Shared transport is extremely affordable. Typical prices:

• Short moto-taxi journey around the city: about 20 dobras
• Taxi within central São Tomé: about 50 dobras
• City centre to Omali by taxi: about 100 dobras
• Airport to the city by taxi: around 150 dobras
• Hiace journey: approximately 20–100 dobras, depending on the distance

Taxis and motos do not use meters. Agree on the fare before getting in or on. Some drivers may quote visitors in euros. If the price sounds ridiculous, walk away and take the next taxi or moto.

Hiaces are the yellow shared minibuses used across the island. In São Tomé city, they gather outside Continental supermarket. You can also flag one down on the road. They have no timetable and leave when full.

Hiaces run to all the major towns and normally continue into the early evening. They are useful for the main journey, but beaches, waterfalls and roças are not always beside the route. A moto can usually cover the final stretch.

Read our full guide to getting around São Tomé before deciding which option suits you.

You do not need a car to visit São Tomé, but hiring one changes what you can comfortably see. A Hiace will take you between the main towns. It will not wait while you stop at a beach, follow an unplanned road or spend longer than expected at a roça.

A car gives you control of the day. That matters on an island where a short distance on a map can involve rough roads, slow driving and several places worth stopping along the way.

Our São Tomé car hire currently ranges from approximately €42.50 to €135 per day, depending on the vehicle. We can also provide a local driver for around €35 per day.

Two people sharing the least expensive car pay roughly €21 each per day before fuel. With four people, the cost per person falls further.

Fuel depends on where you travel. As a practical guide, 1,000 dobras normally gets us through a week of ordinary island driving with plenty left. Regular long journeys into the north or south will naturally use more.

Most beaches, waterfalls and other natural places on São Tomé are free to visit. At some roças, a local guide may ask for a couple of hundred dobras to show you around. Agree on the price before beginning.

Our São Tomé tours generally cost between €35 and €145 per person. Trips to Ilhéu das Rolas commonly fall between €40 and €100 per person, depending on the route, boat and what is included.

A guide adds more than transport. They explain what you are seeing, make introductions and provide context that is difficult to find online or on a signboard. Without that context, a roça can become a collection of old buildings and a waterfall can become a quick photograph before getting back into the car.

You do not need a tour every day. A good trip can combine guided days with independent car hire, time in the city and quiet days when reaching the beach is the only real cost.

Mobile data is normally more useful than relying on hotel and restaurant Wi-Fi. CST's 30-day prepaid bundles include:

• 1GB: 80 dobras
• 2GB: 150 dobras
• 4GB: 220 dobras
• 6GB: 300 dobras
• 12GB: 450 dobras
• 30GB: 990 dobras
• 60GB: 1,490 dobras

Buy a physical CST SIM and take your passport. Online eSIMs advertised for São Tomé are not something we would rely on.

Street sellers can add data credit to your phone, but check the balance before walking away. We have seen somebody pay for 300 dobras of credit and receive only 30. Do not rely on the seller showing you that a transaction was completed. Check the amount on your own phone while you are still standing there.

Tipping is appreciated but not expected. There is no compulsory restaurant percentage. Leave something when the service deserves it and you want to.

We encourage visitors to tip local tour guides. A good guide contributes a great deal to the day, particularly when they have made introductions, answered questions and explained places with very little written information.

These estimates are per person for seven nights, assuming two people share a room.

Staying simply: 4,550–7,700 dobras (€186–€314). This covers a simple private room, food from local cafés, roulottes and street barbecues, with Hiaces and motos for transport. It does not require spending the week eating bread to prove how cheaply São Tomé can be done.

Guesthouse with mixed transport: 10,500–17,500 dobras (€429–€714). This allows for a better guesthouse, a mixture of local meals and city restaurants, taxis and room in the budget for guided experiences.

Hotel with independent exploring: 21,000–42,000 dobras (€857–€1,714). This allows for a comfortable hotel, restaurant meals and the flexibility to combine car hire with guided days.

These are working budgets. The final amount depends mainly on accommodation, the vehicle you choose and how many organised days you want to include.

The estimates above do not include:

• International flights
• The €20 arrival fee
• Travel insurance
• Visas, where required
• Personal shopping
• Travel to Príncipe

This page covers São Tomé island. Príncipe needs a separate budget because both reaching it and staying there cost more.

See our flights to São Tomé guide for routes and practical booking information.