Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Freetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Freetown: $1,778 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Freetown

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Freetown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,778 in Freetown, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Freetown $1,778

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,510 in Freetown, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Freetown $1,510

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,242 in Freetown, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Freetown $1,242

Lisbon costs about 24% more than Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Freetown sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Freetown by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$2.06 SLL 47.0K

708.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$39.83 SLL 909.3K

55.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.04 SLL 251.9K

2.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.79 SLL 63.6K

6.45%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.81 SLL 41.4K

26.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.89 SLL 20.3K

95.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.31 SLL 52.6K

47.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.49 SLL 79.6K

-5.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.38 SLL 54.4K

-51.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.63 SLL 14.4K

203.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.26 SLL 28.8K

19.84%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.85 SLL 42.2K

117.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.19 SLL 164.1K

79.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$9.97 SLL 227.6K

-22.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$5.35 SLL 122.2K

231.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$6.80 SLL 155.3K

-66.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.92 SLL 66.6K

-40.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

173.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.92 SLL 112.2K

-47.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.95 SLL 44.6K

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.60 SLL 36.4K

23.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.11 SLL 25.3K

-35.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$3.03 SLL 69.2K

117.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.02 SLL 183.0K

-30.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.54 SLL 35.2K

-11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.03 SLL 46.4K

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.42 SLL 9,496

454.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.48 SLL 10.9K

702.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.48 SLL 11.0K

122.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.35 SLL 30.8K

62.96%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$11.8K SLL 268.7M

190.44%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$25.1K SLL 572.2M

54.48%

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

$161 €145

$59.2 SLL 1.4M

172.42%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$10.10 SLL 230.5K

82.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$55.9 SLL 1.3M

-41.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

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

$668 €600

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$10.09 SLL 230.3K

911.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$20.05 SLL 457.7K

391.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$50.9 SLL 1.2M

142.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$942 SLL 21.5M

70.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,240 SLL 28.3M

-4.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$3,508 SLL 80.1M

-19.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,332 SLL 30.4M

18.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Freetown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Freetown

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Freetown

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Freetown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Freetown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Freetown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Freetown

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Freetown

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $942 in Freetown. 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 18% higher in Lisbon, 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $40 in Freetown. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $259 – making Freetown the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 22,828 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,407 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.94 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Freetown 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Freetown

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

Lisbon vs Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,778 in Freetown – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,667 in Freetown. 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 $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $40 in Freetown. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,778 in Freetown. That’s a gap of about 24%.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,778 in Freetown, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,778 in Freetown to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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