Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sierra Leone and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,821 in Sierra Leone, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sierra Leone outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Sierra Leone
Learn more

Sierra Leone Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,821

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sierra Leone and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Sierra Leone versus $791 in China.

Sierra Leone $1,821
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,538 in Sierra Leone versus $1,251 in China.

Sierra Leone $1,538
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,256 in Sierra Leone versus $1,711 in China.

Sierra Leone $1,256
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $1,778–$1,778 in Sierra Leone. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Sierra Leone is roughly 130% more expensive than in China on average.

Sierra Leone (34% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 SLL 46.0K

$2.98 ¥19.79

-32.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 SLL 923.0K

$22.09 ¥147

83.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 SLL 246.9K

$5.20 ¥34.56

108.08%

Cappuccino

$2.58 SLL 59.0K

$2.97 ¥19.72

-13.13%

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

$1.64 SLL 37.5K

$0.48 ¥3.19

241.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 SLL 18.9K

$0.30 ¥2.00

176.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SLL 46.8K

$1.08 ¥7.17

89.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 SLL 80.2K

$2.28 ¥15.13

54.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 SLL 55.8K

$1.80 ¥11.95

35.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 SLL 15.5K

$1.68 ¥11.14

-59.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 SLL 29.3K

$0.92 ¥6.13

39.13%

Eggs

$1.83 SLL 41.7K

$1.61 ¥10.72

13.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 SLL 166.2K

$13.38 ¥89.0

-45.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 SLL 224.9K

$3.35 ¥22.25

194.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.20 SLL 118.6K

$11.35 ¥75.5

-54.19%

Apples (1kg)

$7.17 SLL 163.7K

$1.82 ¥12.11

293.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 SLL 66.8K

$1.31 ¥8.68

123.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 SLL 16.9K

$1.49 ¥9.88

-50.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 SLL 116.0K

$1.27 ¥8.46

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 SLL 45.2K

$0.71 ¥4.73

178.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SLL 36.9K

$0.93 ¥6.21

74.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 SLL 25.7K

$0.56 ¥3.74

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 SLL 69.7K

$3.78 ¥25.13

-19.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 SLL 180.2K

$12.13 ¥80.7

-34.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SLL 34.6K

$0.83 ¥5.53

83.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 SLL 44.4K

$1.68 ¥11.20

16.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 SLL 10.2K

$0.29 ¥1.91

55.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 SLL 11.1K

$1.49 ¥9.88

-67.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 SLL 11.9K

$0.37 ¥2.49

40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 SLL 31.0K

$1.26 ¥8.36

7.94%

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

$12.2K SLL 277.8M

$19.4K ¥129.3K

-37.41%

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

$25.2K SLL 574.8M

$17.5K ¥116.6K

43.60%

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

$60.6 SLL 1.4M

$54.6 ¥363

11.00%

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

$17.71 SLL 404.3K

$8.73 ¥58.1

102.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 SLL 1.2M

$11.07 ¥73.6

372.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.3

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.07

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

$517 ¥3,434

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.02 SLL 228.8K

$46.53 ¥309

-78.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.12 SLL 459.3K

$77.0 ¥512

-73.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 SLL 1.1M

$80.3 ¥533

-37.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 SLL 21.0M

$386 ¥2,565

138.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 SLL 29.2M

$235 ¥1,559

446.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,505 SLL 80.0M

$822 ¥5,463

326.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,012

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 SLL 25.1M

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-76.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 SLL 24.9M

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-53.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,317 SLL 30.1M

$1,093 ¥7,267

20.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

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

Last update for Sierra Leone: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sierra Leone

$1.3K 70.3%

China

$235 29.6% 81.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sierra Leone

$262 * 14.4%

China

$210 26.5% 19.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sierra Leone

$131 7.2%

China

$74 9.4% 43% $56

Eating Out

Sierra Leone

$107 5.9%

China

$88 11.1% 17.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Sierra Leone

$36 * 2%

China

$108 13.6% 198% $72

Getting Around

Sierra Leone

$4.9 * 0.3%

China

$22 2.8% 357% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sierra Leone

- * 0%

China

$54 6.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $942 in Sierra Leone, $298 in China. Capital cities: $942 in Freetown vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,332 in Sierra Leone, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 216% higher in Sierra Leone.

Dining out costs 82% more in Sierra Leone.

Salaries are 53% higher in Sierra Leone, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

8 h ahead of Sierra Leone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,557,212

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.91 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean Leone (Le)

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 22,826 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,584 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.91 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to SLL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sierra Leone China 12,560 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sierra Leone
China

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

Sierra Leone vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,821 in Sierra Leone, China comes out about 57% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $942 in Sierra Leone and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.