Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sierra Leone and Italy

For one person, living costs are similar in Sierra Leone and in Italy: $1,821 and $1,843 a month, rent and utilities included.

Sierra Leone
Italy
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
$1,821
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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
🍽 Eating Out
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01 SLL 46.0K
$20.46 €18.38
-90.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.44 SLL 923.1K
$79.5 €71.4
-49.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.82 SLL 247.0K
$11.15 €10.02
-2.96%
Cappuccino
$2.58 SLL 59.0K
$2.04 €1.83
26.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 SLL 37.5K
$3.10 €2.79
-47.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 SLL 18.9K
$1.40 €1.26
-40.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.05 SLL 46.8K
$5.51 €4.95
-62.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 SLL 80.3K
$5.74 €5.16
-38.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 SLL 55.8K
$1.57 €1.41
55.41%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 SLL 15.5K
$2.38 €2.14
-71.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 SLL 29.3K
$2.90 €2.60
-55.86%
Eggs
$1.83 SLL 41.7K
$4.07 €3.66
-55.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.28 SLL 166.2K
$17.44 €15.67
-58.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.85 SLL 224.9K
$12.56 €11.28
-21.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.20 SLL 118.7K
$20.17 €18.12
-74.22%
Apples (1kg)
$7.17 SLL 163.7K
$2.58 €2.32
177.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.93 SLL 66.8K
$2.19 €1.97
33.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.74 SLL 16.9K
$2.68 €2.41
-72.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.08 SLL 116.0K
$3.27 €2.94
55.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.98 SLL 45.2K
$1.90 €1.71
4.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 SLL 36.9K
$1.82 €1.63
-10.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.57 €1.41
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 SLL 25.7K
$0.55 €0.49
103.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.06 SLL 69.7K
$6.69 €6.01
-54.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.90 SLL 180.2K
$7.99 €7.18
-1.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 SLL 34.6K
$1.77 €1.59
-14.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 SLL 44.4K
$2.35 €2.11
-17.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.45 SLL 10.2K
$1.91 €1.72
-76.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$43.44 €39.03
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.49 SLL 11.1K
$5.62 €5.05
-91.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 SLL 11.9K
$1.71 €1.54
-69.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$33.64 €30.22
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 SLL 31.0K
$2.03 €1.82
-33.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.2K SLL 277.8M
$35.3K €31.7K
-65.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K SLL 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)
$60.6 SLL 1.4M
$227 €204
-73.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.71 SLL 404.4K
$11.59 €10.41
52.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.3 SLL 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)
$10.02 SLL 228.8K
$90.5 €81.3
-88.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$38.55 €34.64
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$20.12 SLL 459.3K
$103 €92.2
-80.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.1 SLL 1.1M
$131 €118
-61.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$918 SLL 21.0M
$826 €742
11.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,281 SLL 29.2M
$646 €581
98.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,505 SLL 80.0M
$1,400 €1,258
150.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,054 €947
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,099 SLL 25.1M
$3,662 €3,290
-70.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,092 SLL 24.9M
$2,301 €2,068
-52.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sierra Leone
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,317 SLL 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.
Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
$1.3K
Italy
$646 49.6% $635
Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
$262 *
Italy
$348 32.8% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sierra Leone
$131
Italy
$269 106% $138
Eating Out
Sierra Leone
$107
Italy
$279 161% $172
Clothing & Footwear
Sierra Leone
$36 *
Italy
$163 352% $127
Getting Around
Sierra Leone
$4.9 *
Italy
$65 1235% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Sierra Leone
- *
Italy
$73

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.

Good to know
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
11:19 11:19 AM
12:19 12:19 PM
1 h ahead of Sierra Leone
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,557,212
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SLL – Sierra Leonean Leone Converter

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).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Sierra Leone Italy 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sierra Leone
  • 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

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