Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Freetown

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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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin 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 Medellin and in Freetown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Medellin $1,639
Freetown $1,778

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

Medellin $2,413
Freetown $1,510

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

Medellin $3,186
Freetown $1,242

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.06 SLL 47.0K

292.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$39.83 SLL 909.5K

18.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$11.04 SLL 252.0K

-13.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.79 SLL 63.6K

7.89%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.81 SLL 41.4K

-0.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.89 SLL 20.3K

58.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.31 SLL 52.6K

37.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.49 SLL 79.6K

64.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$2.38 SLL 54.4K

-36.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.63 SLL 14.4K

277.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.26 SLL 28.8K

40.48%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.85 SLL 42.3K

56.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.19 SLL 164.2K

41.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.97 SLL 227.6K

-1.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$5.35 SLL 122.2K

161.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$6.80 SLL 155.3K

-41.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.92 SLL 66.7K

-46.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

220.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$4.92 SLL 112.2K

-55.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.95 SLL 44.6K

0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.60 SLL 36.4K

-0.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.11 SLL 25.3K

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.03 SLL 69.3K

30.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.02 SLL 183.1K

70.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.54 SLL 35.2K

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.03 SLL 46.4K

11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.42 SLL 9,498

178.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.48 SLL 10.9K

164.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.48 SLL 11.0K

327.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.35 SLL 30.8K

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$11.8K SLL 268.8M

189.39%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$25.1K SLL 572.4M

38.31%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$59.2 SLL 1.4M

186.67%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$10.10 SLL 230.6K

34.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$55.9 SLL 1.3M

-49.75%

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)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$10.09 SLL 230.4K

739.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$20.05 SLL 457.8K

573.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$50.9 SLL 1.2M

92.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$942 SLL 21.5M

28.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,240 SLL 28.3M

-48.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,508 SLL 80.1M

-42.21%

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)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,332 SLL 30.4M

-50.66%

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 Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Freetown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Freetown

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Freetown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Freetown

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Freetown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Freetown

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Freetown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Freetown

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin 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 in Freetown are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

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

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

14:25 2:25 PM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Freetown 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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

Medellin vs Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin 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 $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin 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 $1,639 in Medellin and $1,778 in Freetown. That makes Medellin about 8% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,778 in Freetown, 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.