Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freetown and Bucharest

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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Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,137

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Freetown and in Bucharest

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

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

Freetown $1,137
Bucharest $1,371

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

Freetown $1,039
Bucharest $2,067

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

Freetown $940
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Freetown costs roughly 17% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 SLL 46.6K

$14.51 RON 69.0

-85.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.97 SLL 799.4K

$61.2 RON 291

-42.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 SLL 182.4K

$7.46 RON 35.50

6.97%

Cappuccino

$2.76 SLL 63.0K

$3.64 RON 17.33

-24.18%

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

$1.78 SLL 40.7K

$2.62 RON 12.44

-32.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 SLL 20.2K

$2.36 RON 11.24

-62.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 SLL 55.8K

$3.78 RON 18.00

-35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 SLL 79.6K

$4.11 RON 19.54

-15.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 SLL 65.5K

$1.66 RON 7.90

72.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 SLL 16.3K

$1.40 RON 6.64

-49.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 SLL 32.3K

$1.79 RON 8.54

-21.23%

Eggs

$2.08 SLL 47.5K

$3.63 RON 17.27

-42.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 SLL 164.8K

$8.92 RON 42.43

-19.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.16 SLL 118.0K

$11.99 RON 57.0

-56.96%

Apples (1kg)

$10.18 SLL 232.6K

$1.30 RON 6.17

683.08%

Banana (1kg)

$4.08 SLL 93.2K

$1.63 RON 7.77

150.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

$1.49 RON 7.10

-54.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SLL 29.2K

$0.80 RON 3.79

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 SLL 15.3K

$0.94 RON 4.46

-28.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 SLL 249.7K

$6.33 RON 30.11

72.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 SLL 42.5K

$1.19 RON 5.64

56.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 SLL 45.9K

$1.58 RON 7.54

27.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 SLL 9,597

$0.98 RON 4.64

-57.14%

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)

$1.32 SLL 30.1K

$2.02 RON 9.63

-34.65%

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)

$10.13 SLL 231.6K

$8.60 RON 40.89

17.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 SLL 1.3M

$9.20 RON 43.74

496.85%

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)

$926 SLL 21.2M

$731 RON 3,477

26.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 SLL 17.3M

$470 RON 2,234

61.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,549 SLL 81.1M

$1,110 RON 5,282

219.65%

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)

$1,334 SLL 30.5M

$1,365 RON 6,494

-2.28%

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 Freetown: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Freetown

–

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Eating Out

Freetown

–

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Groceries & Markets

Freetown

–

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freetown

–

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Freetown

–

Bucharest

$137 10%

Sport & Entertainment

Freetown

–

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Getting Around

Freetown

–

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇸🇱 Freetown

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

2 h ahead of Freetown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

951,000 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.37 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean Leone (Le)

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 22,858 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.37 USD). 1 EUR = 25,660 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to SLL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Freetown Bucharest 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Freetown
Bucharest

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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $1,706 in Freetown and $2,056 in Bucharest 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: $926 in Freetown versus $731 in Bucharest. 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 $1,137 per month in Freetown versus $1,371 in Bucharest – 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.