Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freetown and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,818 in Freetown, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,818

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Freetown and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,818 in Freetown versus $934 in Cebu.

Freetown $1,818
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,527 in Freetown versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Freetown $1,527
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,235 in Freetown versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Freetown $1,235
Cebu $1,896

Living in Freetown is roughly 95% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Freetown is 36% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.05 SLL 46.9K

$3.03 ₱190

-32.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.07 SLL 915.6K

$23.48 ₱1,473

70.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 SLL 251.7K

$4.09 ₱256

169.44%

Cappuccino

$2.82 SLL 64.5K

$2.52 ₱158

11.90%

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

$1.88 SLL 42.9K

$1.54 ₱96.9

22.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 SLL 19.8K

$0.49 ₱30.98

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 SLL 52.5K

$1.79 ₱112

28.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SLL 79.3K

$2.26 ₱142

53.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 SLL 56.9K

$1.95 ₱122

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 SLL 14.7K

$1.43 ₱89.7

-54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 SLL 30.3K

$1.02 ₱63.8

30.39%

Eggs

$1.80 SLL 41.0K

$2.06 ₱129

-12.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.99 SLL 159.7K

$9.81 ₱615

-28.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.13 SLL 231.4K

$4.61 ₱289

119.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.34 SLL 122.0K

$7.70 ₱483

-30.65%

Apples (1kg)

$7.05 SLL 161.1K

$3.31 ₱207

112.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 SLL 67.3K

$1.45 ₱90.9

103.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 SLL 15.8K

$2.36 ₱148

-70.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 SLL 112.0K

$1.54 ₱96.4

218.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 SLL 46.7K

$2.36 ₱148

-13.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SLL 38.1K

$1.99 ₱125

-16.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 SLL 26.3K

$0.67 ₱42.15

71.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 SLL 69.9K

$3.00 ₱188

2.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 SLL 179.0K

$6.35 ₱398

23.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SLL 36.7K

$1.31 ₱81.9

22.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 SLL 44.2K

$1.73 ₱108

11.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 SLL 10.3K

$0.25 ₱15.78

80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 SLL 12.0K

$0.74 ₱46.32

-29.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 SLL 11.2K

$0.21 ₱13.11

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 SLL 30.7K

$1.33 ₱83.5

0.75%

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

$12.1K SLL 276.2M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-44.46%

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

$25.0K SLL 571.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

28.94%

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

$58.9 SLL 1.3M

$121 ₱7,563

-51.14%

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

$9.88 SLL 225.8K

$14.45 ₱907

-31.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 SLL 1.2M

$28.29 ₱1,774

92.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

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

$273 ₱17.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.90 SLL 226.2K

$49.57 ₱3,109

-80.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.77 SLL 451.7K

$76.6 ₱4,804

-74.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.66 SLL 1.1M

$59.3 ₱3,717

-16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 SLL 21.0M

$506 ₱31.7K

81.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 SLL 28.6M

$309 ₱19.4K

304.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 SLL 80.4M

$1,052 ₱66.0K

234.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,349 SLL 30.8M

$341 ₱21.4K

295.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Freetown: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 75.3% $943

Groceries & Markets

Freetown

$263 * 14.7%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 19.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freetown

$123 6.9%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 32.6% $40

Eating Out

Freetown

$113 6.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 21.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Freetown

$36 * 2%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 165% $59

Getting Around

Freetown

$4.8 * 0.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 224% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Freetown

- * 0%

Cebu

$44 4.7%

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 $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Freetown pays 296% 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 $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇱 Freetown

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

12:54 12:54 PM

8 h ahead of Freetown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

951,000 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to SLL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Freetown Cebu 14,840 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Freetown
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 296% higher in Freetown, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $919 in Freetown versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Freetown. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $40.00 in Freetown. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,818 in Freetown, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Freetown. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Freetown, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Freetown and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Freetown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.