Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freetown and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,778 in Freetown, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Freetown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,778

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Freetown and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $1,778 per month in Freetown vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Freetown $1,778
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,510 per month in Freetown vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Freetown $1,510
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,242 per month in Freetown vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Freetown $1,242
Medellin $3,186

Freetown costs about 8% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Freetown and Medellin sit above the global median – Freetown by 31%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 SLL 47.0K

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-74.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.83 SLL 909.5K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-15.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 SLL 252.0K

$9.50 COP 30.7K

16.21%

Cappuccino

$2.79 SLL 63.6K

$3.01 COP 9,735

-7.31%

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

$1.81 SLL 41.4K

$1.80 COP 5,809

0.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 SLL 20.3K

$1.41 COP 4,561

-36.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 SLL 52.6K

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-27.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 SLL 79.6K

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-39.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 SLL 54.4K

$1.51 COP 4,876

57.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 SLL 14.4K

$2.38 COP 7,678

-73.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 SLL 28.8K

$1.77 COP 5,720

-28.81%

Eggs

$1.85 SLL 42.3K

$2.89 COP 9,333

-35.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 SLL 164.2K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-29.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 SLL 227.6K

$9.87 COP 31.9K

1.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.35 SLL 122.2K

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-61.76%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 SLL 155.3K

$3.97 COP 12.8K

71.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 SLL 66.7K

$1.55 COP 5,012

88.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

$2.18 COP 7,048

-68.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 SLL 112.2K

$2.18 COP 7,051

125.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 SLL 44.6K

$1.96 COP 6,337

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 SLL 36.4K

$1.59 COP 5,132

0.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 SLL 25.3K

$1.24 COP 4,014

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 SLL 69.3K

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-23.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 SLL 183.1K

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-41.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SLL 35.2K

$1.66 COP 5,359

-7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SLL 46.4K

$2.26 COP 7,291

-10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 SLL 9,498

$1.17 COP 3,771

-64.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 SLL 10.9K

$1.27 COP 4,094

-62.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 SLL 11.0K

$2.05 COP 6,612

-76.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SLL 30.8K

$1.35 COP 4,349

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

$11.8K SLL 268.8M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-65.44%

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

$25.1K SLL 572.4M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-27.70%

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

$59.2 SLL 1.4M

$170 COP 547.8K

-65.12%

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

$10.10 SLL 230.6K

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-25.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 SLL 1.3M

$28.07 COP 90.6K

99.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.09 SLL 230.4K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-88.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.05 SLL 457.8K

$135 COP 435.8K

-85.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.9 SLL 1.2M

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-47.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 SLL 21.5M

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-22.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 SLL 28.3M

$642 COP 2.1M

93.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,508 SLL 80.1M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

73.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,332 SLL 30.4M

$657 COP 2.1M

102.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Freetown: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Freetown

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Freetown

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freetown

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Freetown

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Freetown

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Freetown

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Freetown

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Freetown versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Freetown are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Freetown versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $297 – making Freetown the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇱 Freetown

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

08:47 8:47 AM

5 h behind Freetown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

951,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.92 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean Leone (Le)

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 22,833 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,480 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.92 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to SLL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Freetown Medellin 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Freetown
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,778 in Freetown, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,667 per month in Freetown and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Freetown, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $942 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Freetown and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,778 in Freetown and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 8% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,778 in Freetown and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,778 in Freetown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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