Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freetown and Athens

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

Freetown
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
$1,818
/mo nomad
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,806
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Freetown and in Athens

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

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

  • Freetown $1,818
  • Athens $1,806

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

  • Freetown $1,527
  • Athens $2,731

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

  • Freetown $1,235
  • Athens $3,656

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Freetown
Athens
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.05 SLL 46.9K
$16.66 €14.87
-87.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.07 SLL 915.6K
$66.2 €59.1
-39.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 SLL 251.7K
$11.06 €9.87
-0.36%
Cappuccino
$2.82 SLL 64.5K
$4.14 €3.69
-31.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 SLL 42.9K
$2.80 €2.50
-32.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 SLL 19.8K
$0.57 €0.51
52.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 SLL 52.5K
$5.64 €5.03
-59.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 SLL 79.3K
$5.46 €4.87
-36.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Freetown
Athens
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.49 SLL 56.9K
$1.96 €1.75
27.04%
White Bread (500g)
$0.65 SLL 14.7K
$1.41 €1.26
-53.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 SLL 30.3K
$2.83 €2.53
-53.00%
Eggs
$1.80 SLL 41.0K
$5.04 €4.50
-64.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.99 SLL 159.7K
$15.35 €13.70
-54.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.13 SLL 231.4K
$10.34 €9.23
-2.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.34 SLL 122.0K
$18.97 €16.93
-71.85%
Apples (1kg)
$7.05 SLL 161.1K
$2.17 €1.93
224.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.95 SLL 67.3K
$1.91 €1.70
54.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.69 SLL 15.8K
$1.38 €1.23
-50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.90 SLL 112.0K
$2.20 €1.96
122.73%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 SLL 46.7K
$1.10 €0.98
86.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 SLL 38.1K
$1.13 €1.00
47.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.10 €0.99
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 SLL 26.3K
$0.83 €0.74
38.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.06 SLL 69.9K
$5.60 €4.99
-45.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 SLL 179.0K
$10.19 €9.09
-23.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 SLL 36.7K
$2.18 €1.95
-26.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 SLL 44.2K
$2.45 €2.19
-21.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Freetown
Athens
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.45 SLL 10.3K
$1.38 €1.23
-67.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$30.87 €27.55
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.52 SLL 12.0K
$4.37 €3.90
-88.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.49 SLL 11.2K
$1.04 €0.93
-52.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$17.11 €15.27
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 SLL 30.7K
$2.31 €2.07
-41.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.1K SLL 276.2M
$28.0K €25.0K
-56.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K SLL 571.5M
$28.0K €25.0K
-10.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Freetown
Athens
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.9 SLL 1.3M
$210 €187
-71.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.88 SLL 225.8K
$26.70 €23.83
-63.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.4 SLL 1.2M
$30.13 €26.89
80.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Freetown
Athens
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$54.6 €48.72
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$26.03 €23.23
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$10.78 €9.62
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Freetown
Athens
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$575 €513
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$13.1K €11.7K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Freetown
Athens
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$9.90 SLL 226.2K
$93.2 €83.1
-89.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$40.68 €36.30
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$19.77 SLL 451.7K
$104 €92.9
-81.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.66 SLL 1.1M
$128 €115
-61.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Freetown
Athens
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$919 SLL 21.0M
$756 €674
21.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,253 SLL 28.6M
$652 €582
92.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,520 SLL 80.4M
$1,294 €1,154
172.10%
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
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Freetown
Athens
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,349 SLL 30.8M
$1,243 €1,110
8.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
4.48
-

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

Last update for Freetown: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Freetown
$1.3K
Athens
$652 47.9% $601
Groceries & Markets
Freetown
$263 *
Athens
$315 19.9% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Freetown
$123
Athens
$267 116% $143
Eating Out
Freetown
$113
Athens
$269 138% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Freetown
$36 *
Athens
$165 362% $129
Getting Around
Freetown
$4.8 *
Athens
$46 865% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Freetown
- *
Athens
$76

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 $919 in Freetown and $756 in Athens. 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: $40.00 in Freetown vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $315 per month, with Freetown cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇸🇱 Freetown
🇬🇷 Athens
🕒 Local time
04:47 4:47 AM
07:47 7:47 AM
3 h ahead of Freetown
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
951,000 Capital
3,090,508 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SLL – Sierra Leonean Leone Converter

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 22,848 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,626 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Freetown Athens 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Freetown
  • Athens

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
Freetown vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Freetown or Athens?
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.
Are salaries higher in Freetown or in Athens?
Average pay runs 9% higher in Freetown, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Freetown compared to Athens?
Rent for a central apartment: $919 in Freetown versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Freetown compared to Athens?
All in, you'll spend $1,818 per month in Freetown versus $1,806 in Athens – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Are groceries more expensive in Freetown or in Athens?
Shoppers in Freetown pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Freetown or in Athens?
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.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Freetown or Athens?
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.
How safe is Freetown compared to Athens?
Safety-wise, Freetown and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
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.

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