Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freetown and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,818 in Freetown, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Freetown
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Freetown Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,818

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Freetown and in Bansko

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 Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,818 per month in Freetown vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Freetown $1,818
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,527 per month in Freetown vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Freetown $1,527
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $1,235 per month in Freetown vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Freetown $1,235
Bansko $1,957

Freetown costs about 87% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Freetown sits 36% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.05 SLL 46.9K

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-76.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.07 SLL 915.6K

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-14.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 SLL 251.7K

$9.01 BGN 15.77

22.31%

Cappuccino

$2.82 SLL 64.5K

$2.24 BGN 3.92

25.89%

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

$1.88 SLL 42.9K

$1.50 BGN 2.63

25.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 SLL 19.8K

$0.86 BGN 1.51

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 SLL 52.5K

$1.76 BGN 3.07

30.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SLL 79.3K

$2.00 BGN 3.51

73.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 SLL 56.9K

$1.79 BGN 3.14

39.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 SLL 14.7K

$0.81 BGN 1.42

-19.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 SLL 30.3K

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-12.50%

Eggs

$1.80 SLL 41.0K

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.99 SLL 159.7K

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-27.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.13 SLL 231.4K

$6.32 BGN 11.06

60.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.34 SLL 122.0K

$8.64 BGN 15.12

-38.19%

Apples (1kg)

$7.05 SLL 161.1K

$1.28 BGN 2.24

450.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 SLL 67.3K

$1.68 BGN 2.95

75.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 SLL 15.8K

$1.70 BGN 2.98

-59.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 SLL 112.0K

$1.89 BGN 3.30

159.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 SLL 46.7K

$0.93 BGN 1.63

120.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SLL 38.1K

$0.76 BGN 1.32

119.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 SLL 26.3K

$0.58 BGN 1.02

98.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 SLL 69.9K

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-11.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 SLL 179.0K

$5.14 BGN 9.00

52.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SLL 36.7K

$1.11 BGN 1.94

44.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 SLL 44.2K

$1.70 BGN 2.97

13.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 SLL 10.3K

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-48.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 SLL 12.0K

$1.29 BGN 2.26

-59.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 SLL 11.2K

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-24.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 SLL 30.7K

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-10.67%

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

$12.1K SLL 276.2M

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-58.04%

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

$25.0K SLL 571.5M

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

16.59%

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

$58.9 SLL 1.3M

$91.4 BGN 160

-35.58%

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

$9.88 SLL 225.8K

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-32.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 SLL 1.2M

$12.07 BGN 21.12

350.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

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

$228 BGN 400

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.90 SLL 226.2K

$30.48 BGN 53.3

-67.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.77 SLL 451.7K

$45.53 BGN 79.7

-56.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.66 SLL 1.1M

$48.67 BGN 85.2

2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 SLL 21.0M

$521 BGN 913

76.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 SLL 28.6M

$367 BGN 643

241.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 SLL 80.4M

$634 BGN 1,110

455.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,349 SLL 30.8M

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-19.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

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

Last update for Freetown: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9%

Bansko

$367 38% 70.7% $886

Groceries & Markets

Freetown

$263 * 14.7%

Bansko

$193 20% 26.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freetown

$123 6.9%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 4.1% $5

Eating Out

Freetown

$113 6.3%

Bansko

$145 15% 28.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Freetown

$36 * 2%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 81.1% $29

Getting Around

Freetown

$4.8 * 0.3%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 632% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Freetown

- * 0%

Bansko

$44 4.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $919 in Freetown versus $521 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Freetown versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Freetown vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇱 Freetown

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

3 h ahead of Freetown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

951,000 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SLL – Sierra Leonean Leone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean Leone (Le)

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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to SLL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Freetown Bansko 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Freetown
Bansko

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 Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,818 in Freetown, $970 in Bansko – roughly 87% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,728 per month in Freetown and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Freetown and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,818 in Freetown and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 87%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Freetown at $1,818. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Freetown it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Freetown has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,818 in Freetown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Freetown makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.