Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freetown and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $612 a month against $1,793 in Freetown, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Freetown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Freetown
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Freetown Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index

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Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,793

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Freetown and in Malacca

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

A single person spends $1,793 per month in Freetown vs $612 in Malacca, rent included.

Freetown $1,793
Malacca $612

A couple spends around $1,519 per month in Freetown vs $977 in Malacca, rent included.

Freetown $1,519
Malacca $977

A family of three spends $1,245 per month in Freetown vs $1,343 in Malacca, rent included.

Freetown $1,245
Malacca $1,343

Freetown costs about 193% more than Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Freetown sits 33% above the global median, while Malacca is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 SLL 47.1K

$3.27 MYR 13.36

-37.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.22 SLL 896.4K

$18.71 MYR 76.3

109.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 SLL 250.3K

$4.80 MYR 19.60

128.13%

Cappuccino

$2.73 SLL 62.4K

$2.83 MYR 11.56

-3.53%

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

$1.79 SLL 41.0K

$0.77 MYR 3.15

132.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 SLL 19.0K

$0.54 MYR 2.21

53.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 SLL 49.9K

$1.93 MYR 7.87

12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SLL 79.2K

$2.97 MYR 12.10

16.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.47 SLL 56.3K

$1.72 MYR 7.03

43.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 SLL 14.6K

$1.11 MYR 4.52

-42.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 SLL 29.0K

$1.42 MYR 5.78

-10.56%

Eggs

$1.78 SLL 40.6K

$1.72 MYR 7.02

3.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 SLL 164.7K

$18.49 MYR 75.4

-61.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 SLL 230.3K

$4.59 MYR 18.73

119.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.16 SLL 117.9K

$10.83 MYR 44.18

-52.35%

Apples (1kg)

$7.10 SLL 162.2K

$3.26 MYR 13.29

117.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 SLL 70.0K

$1.76 MYR 7.18

74.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 SLL 16.7K

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-69.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.05 SLL 115.5K

$1.64 MYR 6.69

207.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SLL 45.5K

$1.47 MYR 5.99

35.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 SLL 36.5K

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-8.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.61

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 SLL 25.3K

$0.55 MYR 2.23

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 SLL 66.9K

$4.19 MYR 17.11

-30.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 SLL 184.5K

$13.92 MYR 56.8

-42.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SLL 36.0K

$2.17 MYR 8.84

-27.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SLL 46.3K

$3.11 MYR 12.67

-34.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 SLL 9,405

$0.47 MYR 1.92

-12.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 SLL 11.1K

$1.00 MYR 4.09

-51.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 SLL 11.1K

$0.70 MYR 2.85

-31.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 MYR 49.08

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SLL 29.8K

$0.51 MYR 2.10

154.90%

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

$12.1K SLL 276.8M

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

-70.98%

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

$24.6K SLL 561.1M

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

-29.64%

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

$59.8 SLL 1.4M

$51.7 MYR 211

15.59%

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

$10.02 SLL 229.0K

$11.20 MYR 45.69

-10.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 SLL 1.3M

$28.12 MYR 115

98.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 MYR 90.3

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.76 MYR 47.97

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MYR 20.49

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

$163 MYR 665

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.05 SLL 229.6K

$54.7 MYR 223

-81.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.80 MYR 68.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.11 SLL 459.5K

$82.3 MYR 336

-75.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.40 SLL 1.1M

$97.7 MYR 399

-49.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 SLL 21.0M

$192 MYR 784

378.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 SLL 28.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,434 SLL 78.5M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,861

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$804 MYR 3,280

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,307 SLL 29.9M

$411 MYR 1,677

217.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

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

Last update for Freetown: October 11, 2026

Last update for Malacca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Freetown

$263 * 14.7%

Malacca

$261 42.7% 0.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freetown

$126 7%

Malacca

$91 14.9% 27.5% $35

Eating Out

Freetown

$110 6.2%

Malacca

$95 15.6% 13.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Freetown

$36 * 2%

Malacca

$113 18.5% 216% $77

Getting Around

Freetown

$4.6 * 0.3%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 313% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Freetown

- * 0%

Malacca

$32 5.3%

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 $192 in Malacca. 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 218% higher in Freetown, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Freetown versus $19.00 in Malacca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $261 – making Malacca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇱 Freetown

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

22:12 10:12 PM

8 h ahead of Freetown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

951,000 Capital

579,000

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.89 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean Leone (Le)

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 22,852 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,691 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.89 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to SLL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Freetown Malacca 12,770 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Freetown
Malacca

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 Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,793 in Freetown, $612 in Malacca – roughly 193% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,690 per month in Freetown and $918 in Malacca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, 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 $39.00 in Freetown and $19.00 in Malacca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,793 in Freetown and $612 in Malacca. That's a gap of about 193%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Freetown at $1,793. In Malacca 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 $612 in Malacca to $1,793 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 Malacca. 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.