Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Freetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Freetown: $1,137 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Bucharest despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $1,137 in Freetown.

Bucharest $1,371
Freetown $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,039 in Freetown.

Bucharest $2,067
Freetown $1,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $940 in Freetown.

Bucharest $2,764
Freetown $940

Living in Bucharest is roughly 21% more expensive than in Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$2.04 SLL 46.6K

611.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$34.97 SLL 799.4K

75.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$7.98 SLL 182.4K

-6.52%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$2.76 SLL 63.0K

31.88%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$1.78 SLL 40.7K

47.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$0.88 SLL 20.2K

168.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$2.44 SLL 55.8K

54.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

$3.48 SLL 79.6K

18.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$2.86 SLL 65.5K

-41.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.71 SLL 16.3K

97.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$1.41 SLL 32.3K

26.95%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$2.08 SLL 47.5K

74.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$7.21 SLL 164.8K

23.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$5.16 SLL 118.0K

132.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$10.18 SLL 232.6K

-87.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$4.08 SLL 93.2K

-60.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

119.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$1.28 SLL 29.2K

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.67 SLL 15.3K

40.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

$10.93 SLL 249.7K

-42.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.86 SLL 42.5K

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$2.01 SLL 45.9K

-21.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.42 SLL 9,597

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$1.32 SLL 30.1K

53.03%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

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

$196 RON 933

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$10.13 SLL 231.6K

-15.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$54.9 SLL 1.3M

-83.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

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

$681 RON 3,237

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$926 SLL 21.2M

-21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$757 SLL 17.3M

-37.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$3,549 SLL 81.1M

-68.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$1,334 SLL 30.5M

2.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Freetown: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Freetown

–

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Freetown

–

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Freetown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Freetown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Freetown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Freetown

–

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Freetown

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $926 in Freetown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $35 in Freetown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $211 per month, with Freetown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100,000 SLL = 4.37 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 22,858 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.37 USD). 1 EUR = 25,660 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Freetown 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
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

Bucharest vs Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $1,137 in Freetown, so Freetown is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,056 in Bucharest and $1,706 in Freetown to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $731 in Bucharest versus $926 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 $35 versus $61 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $1,137 in Freetown – Freetown is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 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.