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

🙂 Solo nomad: Sierra Leone is 21.5% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 76.4% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Sierra Leone is 20.3% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 35.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.95 SLL 67K
$9.05 R 161
-67.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.98 SLL 748.1K
$38.84 R 691
-15.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.1 SLL 229.2K
$4.9 R 87.1
106.12%
Cappuccino
$1.78 SLL 40.3K
$1.98 R 35.28
-10.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 SLL 22.3K
$0.96 R 17.06
2.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 SLL 17.7K
$0.75 R 13.31
4.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.52 SLL 34.5K
$2.18 R 38.72
-30.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 SLL 66.8K
$2.54 R 45.1
16.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.48 SLL 56.3K
$1.1 R 19.58
125.45%
White Bread (500g)
$0.64 SLL 14.5K
$1.03 R 18.32
-37.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.3 SLL 29.5K
$1.56 R 27.71
-16.67%
Eggs
$2.05 SLL 46.4K
$2.25 R 39.93
-8.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.93 SLL 157.3K
$7.67 R 136
-9.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.46 SLL 169.2K
$4.62 R 82.2
61.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.27 SLL 119.5K
$6.86 R 122
-23.18%
Apples (1kg)
$4.04 SLL 91.6K
$1.58 R 28.02
155.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 SLL 44.8K
$1.42 R 25.3
39.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.73 SLL 16.7K
$1.44 R 25.58
-49.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.13 SLL 116.3K
$1.49 R 26.5
244.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 SLL 44.3K
$1.25 R 22.16
56.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 SLL 36K
$1.34 R 23.81
18.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 SLL 22K
$1.09 R 19.31
-11.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 SLL 31.4K
$0.96 R 17.15
43.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.91 SLL 43.3K
$2.9 R 51.6
-34.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.25 SLL 164.4K
$5.07 R 90.3
43.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 SLL 33.5K
$1.38 R 24.49
6.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.1 SLL 47.7K
$1.68 R 29.79
25.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 SLL 10.1K
$1.71 R 30.47
-74.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$45.01 R 801
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.72 SLL 16.2K
$1.1 R 19.61
-34.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.27 SLL 28.8K
$1.09 R 19.41
16.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.86 SLL 110.2K
$4.8 R 85.3
1.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 SLL 30.5K
$1.31 R 23.23
3.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12K SLL 272.9M
$21K R 374.2K
-42.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K SLL 568.8M
$23.7K R 421.3K
5.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$146 SLL 3.3M
$113 R 2,009
29.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.76 SLL 402.8K
$33.11 R 589
-46.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.7 SLL 1.7M
$41.49 R 738
80.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.2 SLL 1.1M
$31.69 R 564
58.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$9.45 R 168
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$6.7 R 119
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$186 R 3,303
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,336 R 77.1K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$9.85 SLL 223.4K
$48.56 R 864
-79.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$7.87 SLL 178.6K
$30.74 R 547
-74.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$20.2 SLL 458.3K
$92 R 1,636
-78.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.05 SLL 1.1M
$79.6 R 1,415
-38.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$822 SLL 18.6M
$442 R 7,860
85.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 SLL 28.5M
$370 R 6,579
239.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,122 SLL 48.1M
$880 R 15.7K
141.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$98.8 SLL 2.2M
$724 R 12.9K
-86.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,082 SLL 24.5M
$1,021 R 18.2K
5.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,102 SLL 25M
$803 R 14.3K
37.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,340 SLL 30.4M
$1,406 R 25K
-4.69%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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