Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Freetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Freetown: $1,778 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,778 in Freetown.

Barcelona $2,453
Freetown $1,778

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,510 in Freetown.

Barcelona $3,509
Freetown $1,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,242 in Freetown.

Barcelona $4,564
Freetown $1,242

Living in Barcelona is roughly 38% more expensive than in Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Freetown 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$2.06 SLL 47.0K

753.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$39.83 SLL 909.5K

69.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$11.04 SLL 252.0K

22.55%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.79 SLL 63.6K

14.34%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.81 SLL 41.4K

60.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.89 SLL 20.3K

112.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$2.31 SLL 52.6K

73.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$3.49 SLL 79.6K

29.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$2.38 SLL 54.4K

-44.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.63 SLL 14.4K

220.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.26 SLL 28.8K

46.83%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$1.85 SLL 42.3K

161.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$7.19 SLL 164.2K

132.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$9.97 SLL 227.6K

-8.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$5.35 SLL 122.2K

267.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$6.80 SLL 155.3K

-56.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.92 SLL 66.7K

-30.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

297.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.92 SLL 112.2K

-43.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.95 SLL 44.6K

7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.60 SLL 36.4K

29.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.11 SLL 25.3K

-15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$3.03 SLL 69.3K

126.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$8.02 SLL 183.1K

-1.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.54 SLL 35.2K

-8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.03 SLL 46.4K

25.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$0.42 SLL 9,498

647.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$0.48 SLL 10.9K

522.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.48 SLL 11.0K

210.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.35 SLL 30.8K

33.33%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$11.8K SLL 268.8M

181.95%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$25.1K SLL 572.4M

26.46%

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

$180 €161

$59.2 SLL 1.4M

204.85%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$10.10 SLL 230.6K

37.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$55.9 SLL 1.3M

-39.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

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

$917 €818

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$10.09 SLL 230.4K

762.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$20.05 SLL 457.8K

427.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$50.9 SLL 1.2M

135.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$942 SLL 21.5M

80.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$1,240 SLL 28.3M

9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$3,508 SLL 80.1M

-25.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,332 SLL 30.4M

65.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Freetown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Freetown

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Freetown

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Freetown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Freetown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Freetown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Freetown

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Freetown

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $942 in Freetown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 66% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $40 in Freetown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $259 per month, with Freetown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

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 = 3.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 22,833 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,480 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.92 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Freetown 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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

Barcelona vs Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,778 in Freetown, so Freetown is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $942 in Freetown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Freetown – a meal for two runs $40 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,778 in Freetown – Freetown is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Freetown gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Freetown wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.