Cost of Living Comparison Between Sierra Leone and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Sierra Leone and South Africa

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Sierra Leone is 12.3% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 82.5% more expensive with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Sierra Leone is 15.9% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 36.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.08 SLLĀ 75.4K
$8.70 RĀ 146
-64.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.72 SLLĀ 799.4K
$38.91 RĀ 651
-15.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.87 SLLĀ 241.1K
$5.17 RĀ 86.6
90.91%
Cappuccino
$1.69 SLLĀ 41.2K
$2.05 RĀ 34.35
-17.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 SLLĀ 23.3K
$1.02 RĀ 17.13
-6.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 SLLĀ 19.0K
$0.76 RĀ 12.70
2.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 SLLĀ 36.0K
$2.26 RĀ 37.79
-34.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 SLLĀ 72.0K
$2.53 RĀ 42.43
16.21%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.35 SLLĀ 57.4K
$1.10 RĀ 18.49
113.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.64 SLLĀ 15.6K
$0.94 RĀ 15.76
-31.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.34 SLLĀ 32.8K
$1.62 RĀ 27.18
-17.28%
Eggs
$1.96 SLLĀ 47.8K
$2.22 RĀ 37.19
-11.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.97 SLLĀ 170.4K
$7.52 RĀ 126
-7.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.30 SLLĀ 178.4K
$4.48 RĀ 75.0
62.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.39 SLLĀ 131.6K
$6.61 RĀ 111
-18.46%
Apples (1kg)
$3.92 SLLĀ 95.8K
$1.50 RĀ 25.13
161.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 SLLĀ 49.5K
$1.42 RĀ 23.78
42.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.68 SLLĀ 16.7K
$1.46 RĀ 24.46
-53.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.96 SLLĀ 121.2K
$1.51 RĀ 25.30
228.48%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 SLLĀ 49.2K
$1.26 RĀ 21.02
59.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.60 SLLĀ 39.1K
$1.29 RĀ 21.68
24.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 SLLĀ 24.2K
$1.03 RĀ 17.22
-3.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 SLLĀ 33.6K
$0.97 RĀ 16.18
41.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.90 SLLĀ 46.4K
$2.87 RĀ 48.04
-33.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.92 SLLĀ 169.2K
$4.90 RĀ 82.0
41.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 SLLĀ 35.1K
$1.31 RĀ 21.99
9.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 SLLĀ 49.6K
$1.73 RĀ 29.04
17.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.47 SLLĀ 11.6K
$1.65 RĀ 27.60
-71.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.20 RĀ 740
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.78 SLLĀ 18.9K
$1.14 RĀ 19.08
-31.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.22 SLLĀ 29.8K
$1.09 RĀ 18.26
11.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.09 SLLĀ 124.3K
$4.70 RĀ 78.8
8.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 SLLĀ 33.3K
$1.30 RĀ 21.69
4.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.1K SLLĀ 294.5M
$20.8K RĀ 348.1K
-42.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K SLLĀ 601.7M
$23.5K RĀ 393.6K
4.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 SLLĀ 3.5M
$111 RĀ 1,864
29.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.27 SLLĀ 421.9K
$32.36 RĀ 542
-46.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.5 SLLĀ 1.8M
$40.49 RĀ 678
81.60%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.41 SLLĀ 1.2M
$31.96 RĀ 535
54.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$9.72 RĀ 163
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$6.80 RĀ 114
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$189 RĀ 3,156
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,400 RĀ 73.7K
-
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$10.20 SLLĀ 249.2K
$50.2 RĀ 840
-79.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$7.76 SLLĀ 189.7K
$30.53 RĀ 511
-74.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$19.68 SLLĀ 480.9K
$94.5 RĀ 1,582
-79.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.3 SLLĀ 1.2M
$81.3 RĀ 1,361
-38.09%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$813 SLLĀ 19.9M
$453 RĀ 7,578
79.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,255 SLLĀ 30.7M
$372 RĀ 6,229
237.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,098 SLLĀ 51.3M
$906 RĀ 15.2K
131.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$101 SLLĀ 2.5M
$703 RĀ 11.8K
-85.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,095 SLLĀ 26.8M
$1,150 RĀ 19.2K
-4.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,075 SLLĀ 26.3M
$836 RĀ 14.0K
28.60%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,353 SLLĀ 33.1M
$1,471 RĀ 24.6K
-8.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.55
-

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

Last update for Sierra Leone: February 28, 2026

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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