How much you'll spend in Sierra Leone and in Italy
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 Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Sierra Leone versus $1,843 in Italy.
Sierra Leone $1,821
Italy $1,843
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,538 in Sierra Leone versus $2,816 in Italy.
Sierra Leone $1,538
Italy $2,816
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,256 in Sierra Leone versus $3,788 in Italy.
Sierra Leone $1,256
Italy $3,788
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $1,778–$1,778 in Sierra Leone. City choice carries more weight in Italy.
🌍
Living in Sierra Leone costs about 1% less than in Italy on average.
📊
Both countries sit above the global median: Sierra Leone 34% above, Italy 35% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01SLL 46.0K
$20.46€18.38
-90.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.44SLL 923.1K
$79.5€71.4
-49.13%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$10.82SLL 247.0K
$11.15€10.02
-2.96%
Cappuccino
$2.58SLL 59.0K
$2.04€1.83
26.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64SLL 37.5K
$3.10€2.79
-47.10%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83SLL 18.9K
$1.40€1.26
-40.71%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.05SLL 46.8K
$5.51€4.95
-62.79%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52SLL 80.3K
$5.74€5.16
-38.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.44SLL 55.8K
$1.57€1.41
55.41%
White Bread(500g)
$0.68SLL 15.5K
$2.38€2.14
-71.43%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.28SLL 29.3K
$2.90€2.60
-55.86%
Eggs
$1.83SLL 41.7K
$4.07€3.66
-55.04%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$7.28SLL 166.2K
$17.44€15.67
-58.26%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$9.85SLL 224.9K
$12.56€11.28
-21.58%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$5.20SLL 118.7K
$20.17€18.12
-74.22%
Apples(1kg)
$7.17SLL 163.7K
$2.58€2.32
177.91%
Banana(1kg)
$2.93SLL 66.8K
$2.19€1.97
33.79%
Oranges(1kg)
$0.74SLL 16.9K
$2.68€2.41
-72.39%
Tomato(1kg)
$5.08SLL 116.0K
$3.27€2.94
55.35%
Potato(1kg)
$1.98SLL 45.2K
$1.90€1.71
4.21%
Onion(1kg)
$1.62SLL 36.9K
$1.82€1.63
-10.99%
Lettuce(1 head)
-
$1.57€1.41
-
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12SLL 25.7K
$0.55€0.49
103.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.06SLL 69.7K
$6.69€6.01
-54.26%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.90SLL 180.2K
$7.99€7.18
-1.13%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.52SLL 34.6K
$1.77€1.59
-14.12%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95SLL 44.4K
$2.35€2.11
-17.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.45SLL 10.2K
$1.91€1.72
-76.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
-
$43.44€39.03
-
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.49SLL 11.1K
$5.62€5.05
-91.28%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.52SLL 11.9K
$1.71€1.54
-69.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
-
$33.64€30.22
-
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.36SLL 31.0K
$2.03€1.82
-33.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.2KSLL 277.8M
$35.3K€31.7K
-65.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2KSLL 574.9M
$36.7K€33.0K
-31.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$60.6SLL 1.4M
$227€204
-73.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.71SLL 404.4K
$11.59€10.41
52.80%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.3SLL 1.2M
$30.38€27.30
72.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
-
$51.8€46.52
-
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$23.70€21.29
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$10.60€9.53
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
-
$568€510
-
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
-
$11.5K€10.4K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$10.02SLL 228.8K
$90.5€81.3
-88.93%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$38.55€34.64
-
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$20.12SLL 459.3K
$103€92.2
-80.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.1SLL 1.1M
$131€118
-61.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$918SLL 21.0M
$826€742
11.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,281SLL 29.2M
$646€581
98.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$3,505SLL 80.0M
$1,400€1,258
150.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
-
$1,054€947
-
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,099SLL 25.1M
$3,662€3,290
-70.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,092SLL 24.9M
$2,301€2,068
-52.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,317SLL 30.1M
$1,886€1,695
-30.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
0
3.56
-
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Sierra Leone: October 26, 2026
Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
$1.3K 70.3%
Italy
$646 35.1% ↓ 49.6%$635
🛒Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
$262 * 14.4%
Italy
$348 18.9% ↑ 32.8%$86
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sierra Leone
$131 7.2%
Italy
$269 14.6% ↑ 106%$138
🍽Eating Out
Sierra Leone
$107 5.9%
Italy
$279 15.1% ↑ 161%$172
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Sierra Leone
$36 * 2%
Italy
$163 8.9% ↑ 352%$127
🚌Getting Around
Sierra Leone
$4.9 * 0.3%
Italy
$65 3.5% ↑ 1235%$60
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Sierra Leone
- * 0%
Italy
$73 4%
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
- * 0%
Italy
-1.1K 27.8%
🛒Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
-617 * 49.1%
Italy
-823 21.7% ↑ 33.4%-206
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sierra Leone
-148 11.8%
Italy
-280 7.4% ↑ 88.9%-132
🍽Eating Out
Sierra Leone
-400 31.8%
Italy
-964 25.5% ↑ 141%-565
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Sierra Leone
-80 * 6.4%
Italy
-363 9.6% ↑ 352%-282
🚌Getting Around
Sierra Leone
-11 * 0.9%
Italy
-134 3.6% ↑ 1158%-124
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Sierra Leone
- * 0%
Italy
-170 4.5%
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, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $942 in Freetown vs $1,297 in Rome.
💰National salary averages: $1,332 in Sierra Leone, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 29% higher in Sierra Leone.
⭐Dining out costs 83% more in Italy.
⭐Salaries are 42% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.
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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Sierra Leone?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,821 in Sierra Leone, there’s a 1% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Does the cost gap hold in every spending category?
Overall, Sierra Leone is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.
Should I move to Italy or to Sierra Leone?
It depends on what you’re after: Sierra Leone wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.
Sierra Leone vs other spots: cost of living compared