Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sierra Leone and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,821 in Sierra Leone, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
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Sierra Leone Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,821

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sierra Leone and in South Africa

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 South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,821 per month in Sierra Leone vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Sierra Leone $1,821
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $1,538 per month in Sierra Leone vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Sierra Leone $1,538
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $1,256 per month in Sierra Leone vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Sierra Leone $1,256
South Africa $2,583

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Sierra Leone ($1,778–$1,778), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sierra Leone is about 51% higher than in South Africa on average.

Sierra Leone sits 34% above the global median, while South Africa is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 SLL 46.0K

$10.67 R 177

-81.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 SLL 923.1K

$41.66 R 693

-2.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 SLL 247.0K

$5.80 R 96.5

86.55%

Cappuccino

$2.58 SLL 59.0K

$2.36 R 39.23

9.32%

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

$1.64 SLL 37.5K

$1.12 R 18.56

46.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 SLL 18.9K

$0.90 R 15.00

-7.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SLL 46.8K

$2.42 R 40.20

-15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 SLL 80.3K

$3.06 R 50.9

15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 SLL 55.8K

$1.18 R 19.58

106.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 SLL 15.5K

$1.13 R 18.83

-39.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 SLL 29.3K

$1.74 R 28.90

-26.44%

Eggs

$1.83 SLL 41.7K

$2.57 R 42.80

-28.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 SLL 166.2K

$8.43 R 140

-13.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 SLL 224.9K

$5.12 R 85.1

92.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.20 SLL 118.7K

$7.59 R 126

-31.49%

Apples (1kg)

$7.17 SLL 163.7K

$1.77 R 29.52

305.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 SLL 66.8K

$1.74 R 28.90

68.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 SLL 16.9K

$1.77 R 29.43

-58.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 SLL 116.0K

$1.76 R 29.26

188.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 SLL 45.2K

$1.49 R 24.81

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SLL 36.9K

$1.47 R 24.38

10.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 SLL 25.7K

$1.10 R 18.25

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 SLL 69.7K

$3.24 R 54.0

-5.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 SLL 180.2K

$5.00 R 83.2

58.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SLL 34.6K

$1.50 R 24.90

1.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 SLL 44.4K

$1.94 R 32.26

0.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 SLL 10.2K

$1.48 R 24.58

-69.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 SLL 11.1K

$1.09 R 18.21

-55.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 SLL 11.9K

$0.99 R 16.46

-47.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 SLL 31.0K

$1.43 R 23.76

-4.90%

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

$12.2K SLL 277.8M

$35.3K R 587.4K

-65.52%

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

$25.2K SLL 574.9M

$32.4K R 539.7K

-22.36%

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

$60.6 SLL 1.4M

$133 R 2,208

-54.38%

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

$17.71 SLL 404.4K

$34.83 R 580

-49.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 SLL 1.2M

$39.76 R 662

31.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

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

$224 R 3,728

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.02 SLL 228.8K

$54.2 R 902

-81.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.12 SLL 459.3K

$102 R 1,699

-80.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 SLL 1.1M

$88.5 R 1,472

-43.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 SLL 21.0M

$492 R 8,189

86.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 SLL 29.2M

$398 R 6,617

222.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,505 SLL 80.0M

$946 R 15.7K

270.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 SLL 25.1M

$1,099 R 18.3K

-0.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 SLL 24.9M

$769 R 12.8K

42.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,317 SLL 30.1M

$1,502 R 25.0K

-12.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

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

Last update for Sierra Leone: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sierra Leone

$1.3K 70.3%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 68.9% $883

Groceries & Markets

Sierra Leone

$262 * 14.4%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 25.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sierra Leone

$131 7.2%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 58.8% $77

Eating Out

Sierra Leone

$107 5.9%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 47.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Sierra Leone

$36 * 2%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 248% $89

Getting Around

Sierra Leone

$4.9 * 0.3%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 1357% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Sierra Leone

- * 0%

South Africa

$47 4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $942 in Sierra Leone vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $942 in Freetown and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $1,332 in Sierra Leone vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 123% higher in Sierra Leone.

Salaries are 12% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

01:57 1:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

2 h ahead of Sierra Leone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,557,212

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.93 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean Leone (Le)

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 22,828 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,450 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.93 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to SLL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sierra Leone South Africa 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sierra Leone
South Africa

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 South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 34% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Sierra Leone: a central one-bedroom averages $942 versus $422 in South Africa.

South Africa is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.