Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Freetown

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Freetown: $1,806 and $1,818 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Freetown
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Freetown Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Freetown

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Freetown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,818 in Freetown.

Athens $1,806
Freetown $1,818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,527 in Freetown.

Athens $2,731
Freetown $1,527

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,235 in Freetown.

Athens $3,656
Freetown $1,235

Living in Athens costs roughly 1% less than in Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Freetown 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$2.05 SLL 46.9K

712.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$40.07 SLL 915.6K

65.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$11.02 SLL 251.7K

0.36%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.82 SLL 64.5K

46.81%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.88 SLL 42.9K

48.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.87 SLL 19.8K

-34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$2.30 SLL 52.5K

145.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.47 SLL 79.3K

57.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.49 SLL 56.9K

-21.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.65 SLL 14.7K

116.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.33 SLL 30.3K

112.78%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$1.80 SLL 41.0K

180.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$6.99 SLL 159.7K

119.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$10.13 SLL 231.4K

2.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$5.34 SLL 122.0K

255.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$7.05 SLL 161.1K

-69.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.95 SLL 67.3K

-35.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.69 SLL 15.8K

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.90 SLL 112.0K

-55.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.05 SLL 46.7K

-46.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.67 SLL 38.1K

-32.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.15 SLL 26.3K

-27.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$3.06 SLL 69.9K

83.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.83 SLL 179.0K

30.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.60 SLL 36.7K

36.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.93 SLL 44.2K

26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.45 SLL 10.3K

206.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.52 SLL 12.0K

740.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.49 SLL 11.2K

112.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.34 SLL 30.7K

72.39%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K €25.0K

$12.1K SLL 276.2M

131.48%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.0K €25.0K

$25.0K SLL 571.5M

12.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$210 €187

$58.9 SLL 1.3M

256.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.70 €23.83

$9.88 SLL 225.8K

170.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$54.4 SLL 1.2M

-44.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$575 €513

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$9.90 SLL 226.2K

841.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$19.77 SLL 451.7K

426.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$49.66 SLL 1.1M

158.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$919 SLL 21.0M

-17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,253 SLL 28.6M

-47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$3,520 SLL 80.4M

-63.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,349 SLL 30.8M

-7.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Freetown: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9% 92.1% $601

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Freetown

$263 * 14.7% 16.6% $52

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Freetown

$113 6.3% 58% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Freetown

$123 6.9% 53.8% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Freetown

$36 * 2% 78.3% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Freetown

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Freetown

$4.8 * 0.3% 89.6% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $919 in Freetown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Freetown pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $40.00 in Freetown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $263 per month, with Freetown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

3 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 22,848 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,603 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.91 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Freetown 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Freetown

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Freetown. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Freetown. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $919 in Freetown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,818 in Freetown – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Freetown pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $1,818 in Freetown, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Freetown. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Freetown are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Freetown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.