Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freetown and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,818 in Freetown, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Freetown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Freetown
Learn more

Freetown Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,818

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Freetown and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,818 per month in Freetown vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Freetown $1,818
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,527 per month in Freetown vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Freetown $1,527
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,235 per month in Freetown vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Freetown $1,235
Cape Town $3,307

Freetown costs about 16% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Freetown and Cape Town sit above the global median – Freetown by 36%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.05 SLL 46.9K

$11.78 R 194

-82.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.07 SLL 915.6K

$46.55 R 768

-13.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 SLL 251.7K

$5.96 R 98.4

84.90%

Cappuccino

$2.82 SLL 64.5K

$2.47 R 40.80

14.17%

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

$1.88 SLL 42.9K

$1.33 R 21.91

41.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 SLL 19.8K

$1.03 R 16.99

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 SLL 52.5K

$3.01 R 49.72

-23.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SLL 79.3K

$3.66 R 60.4

-5.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 SLL 56.9K

$1.39 R 22.96

79.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 SLL 14.7K

$1.19 R 19.60

-45.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 SLL 30.3K

$2.11 R 34.84

-36.97%

Eggs

$1.80 SLL 41.0K

$3.01 R 49.58

-40.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.99 SLL 159.7K

$8.96 R 148

-21.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.13 SLL 231.4K

$6.65 R 110

52.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.34 SLL 122.0K

$9.29 R 153

-42.52%

Apples (1kg)

$7.05 SLL 161.1K

$1.83 R 30.13

285.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 SLL 67.3K

$1.90 R 31.31

55.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 SLL 15.8K

$1.75 R 28.83

-60.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 SLL 112.0K

$2.09 R 34.41

134.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 SLL 46.7K

$1.55 R 25.64

32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SLL 38.1K

$1.49 R 24.53

12.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 SLL 26.3K

$1.16 R 19.19

-0.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 SLL 69.9K

$3.71 R 61.2

-17.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 SLL 179.0K

$6.06 R 100

29.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SLL 36.7K

$1.39 R 22.85

15.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 SLL 44.2K

$2.20 R 36.32

-12.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 SLL 10.3K

$1.51 R 24.98

-70.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 SLL 12.0K

$0.63 R 10.33

-17.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 SLL 11.2K

$1.53 R 25.29

-67.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 SLL 30.7K

$1.58 R 26.08

-15.19%

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

$12.1K SLL 276.2M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-65.95%

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

$25.0K SLL 571.5M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-21.22%

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

$58.9 SLL 1.3M

$116 R 1,920

-49.38%

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

$9.88 SLL 225.8K

$28.37 R 468

-65.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 SLL 1.2M

$40.69 R 671

33.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.90 SLL 226.2K

$55.4 R 914

-82.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.77 SLL 451.7K

$118 R 1,939

-83.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.66 SLL 1.1M

$107 R 1,766

-53.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 SLL 21.0M

$1,015 R 16.7K

-9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 SLL 28.6M

$715 R 11.8K

75.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 SLL 80.4M

$1,801 R 29.7K

95.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,349 SLL 30.8M

$1,636 R 27.0K

-17.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Freetown: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 42.9% $538

Groceries & Markets

Freetown

$263 * 14.7%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 15.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freetown

$123 6.9%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 50.5% $62

Eating Out

Freetown

$113 6.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 54% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Freetown

$36 * 2%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 294% $105

Getting Around

Freetown

$4.8 * 0.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 1482% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Freetown

- * 0%

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

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 $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 21% higher in Cape Town, 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 Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Freetown vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇱 Freetown

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

2 h ahead of Freetown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

951,000 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to SLL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Freetown Cape Town 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Freetown
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Freetown costs about 16% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,728 per month in Freetown and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,818 in Freetown and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 16%.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Freetown, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Freetown at $1,818. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Freetown it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,818 in Freetown. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. 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.