Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Freetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Freetown: $1,818 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Freetown
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Freetown Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Freetown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,818 in Freetown.

Austin, TX $2,704
Freetown $1,818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,527 in Freetown.

Austin, TX $4,133
Freetown $1,527

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,235 in Freetown.

Austin, TX $5,562
Freetown $1,235

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 49% more expensive than in Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Freetown 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.05 SLL 46.9K

886.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$40.07 SLL 915.6K

112.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.02 SLL 251.7K

12.07%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.82 SLL 64.5K

93.97%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.88 SLL 42.9K

103.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.87 SLL 19.8K

187.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.30 SLL 52.5K

250.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.47 SLL 79.3K

159.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.49 SLL 56.9K

-54.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.65 SLL 14.7K

481.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.33 SLL 30.3K

144.36%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.80 SLL 41.0K

130.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$6.99 SLL 159.7K

87.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.13 SLL 231.4K

41.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$5.34 SLL 122.0K

198.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$7.05 SLL 161.1K

-37.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.95 SLL 67.3K

-50.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$0.69 SLL 15.8K

557.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.90 SLL 112.0K

-14.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.05 SLL 46.7K

28.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.67 SLL 38.1K

41.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.15 SLL 26.3K

87.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.06 SLL 69.9K

220.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.83 SLL 179.0K

87.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.60 SLL 36.7K

73.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.93 SLL 44.2K

80.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.45 SLL 10.3K

231.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.52 SLL 12.0K

413.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.49 SLL 11.2K

222.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.34 SLL 30.7K

-26.12%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$12.1K SLL 276.2M

196.18%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.0K SLL 571.5M

8.65%

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

$219 $219

$58.9 SLL 1.3M

272.21%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$9.88 SLL 225.8K

486.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$54.4 SLL 1.2M

25.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

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

$1,509 $1,509

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$9.90 SLL 226.2K

421.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$19.77 SLL 451.7K

330.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$49.66 SLL 1.1M

112.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$919 SLL 21.0M

110.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,253 SLL 28.6M

1.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$3,520 SLL 80.4M

4.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,349 SLL 30.8M

278.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: 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

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9% 1.5% $19

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Freetown

$263 * 14.7% 34.8% $140

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Freetown

$113 6.3% 67.6% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Freetown

$123 6.9% 64.4% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Freetown

$36 * 2% 72.3% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Freetown

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Freetown

$4.8 * 0.3% 91.7% $52

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $919 in Freetown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 278% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $40.00 in Freetown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $263 per month, with Freetown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

10:29 10:29 AM

5 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean Leone (Le)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

SLL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Freetown 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Freetown wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Freetown the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 278% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $919 in Freetown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,818 in Freetown – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,818 in Freetown versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Freetown but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Freetown the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Freetown gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.