Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Sierra Leone: $1,821 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
$1,821
/mo nomad
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,462
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sierra Leone and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,821 per month in Sierra Leone vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

  • Sierra Leone $1,821
  • United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $1,538 per month in Sierra Leone vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

  • Sierra Leone $1,538
  • United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $1,256 per month in Sierra Leone vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

  • Sierra Leone $1,256
  • United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Sierra Leone ($1,778–$1,778), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sierra Leone is roughly 26% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – Sierra Leone by 34%, the United Kingdom by 81%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01 SLL 46.0K
$21.48 £16.15
-90.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.44 SLL 923.1K
$85.7 £64.4
-52.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.82 SLL 247.0K
$10.61 £7.98
1.98%
Cappuccino
$2.58 SLL 59.0K
$4.91 £3.69
-47.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 SLL 37.5K
$2.66 £2.00
-38.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 SLL 18.9K
$1.87 £1.40
-55.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.05 SLL 46.8K
$6.63 £4.98
-69.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 SLL 80.3K
$6.84 £5.14
-48.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 SLL 55.8K
$1.68 £1.26
45.24%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 SLL 15.5K
$1.72 £1.29
-60.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 SLL 29.3K
$2.17 £1.63
-41.01%
Eggs
$1.83 SLL 41.7K
$4.00 £3.01
-54.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.28 SLL 166.2K
$9.42 £7.08
-22.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.85 SLL 224.9K
$9.19 £6.90
7.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.20 SLL 118.7K
$14.77 £11.10
-64.79%
Apples (1kg)
$7.17 SLL 163.7K
$2.97 £2.23
141.41%
Banana (1kg)
$2.93 SLL 66.8K
$1.62 £1.22
80.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.74 SLL 16.9K
$2.85 £2.15
-74.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.08 SLL 116.0K
$3.52 £2.65
44.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.98 SLL 45.2K
$1.83 £1.38
8.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 SLL 36.9K
$1.61 £1.21
0.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.25 £0.94
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 SLL 25.7K
$1.66 £1.25
-32.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.06 SLL 69.7K
$23.65 £17.77
-87.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.90 SLL 180.2K
$10.50 £7.89
-24.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 SLL 34.6K
$2.98 £2.24
-48.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 SLL 44.4K
$3.51 £2.64
-44.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.45 SLL 10.2K
$3.98 £2.99
-88.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$107 £80.7
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.49 SLL 11.1K
$5.18 £3.89
-90.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 SLL 11.9K
$2.35 £1.76
-77.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$26.84 £20.17
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 SLL 31.0K
$1.99 £1.49
-31.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.2K SLL 277.8M
$39.4K £29.6K
-69.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K SLL 574.9M
$40.5K £30.4K
-37.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$60.6 SLL 1.4M
$327 £246
-81.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.71 SLL 404.4K
$18.21 £13.69
-2.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.3 SLL 1.2M
$43.60 £32.77
19.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$42.36 £31.83
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.22 £13.69
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$13.85 £10.41
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$1,868 £1,404
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$22.6K £17.0K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$10.02 SLL 228.8K
$92.9 £69.8
-89.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$45.92 £34.51
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$20.12 SLL 459.3K
$102 £76.4
-80.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.1 SLL 1.1M
$102 £76.8
-51.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$918 SLL 21.0M
$1,342 £1,009
-31.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,281 SLL 29.2M
$1,073 £807
19.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,505 SLL 80.0M
$2,231 £1,677
57.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,742 £1,309
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,099 SLL 25.1M
$5,601 £4,210
-80.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,092 SLL 24.9M
$4,265 £3,205
-74.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sierra Leone
United Kingdom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,317 SLL 30.1M
$3,349 £2,517
-60.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
5.32
-

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

Last update for Sierra Leone: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sierra Leone
$1.3K
United Kingdom
$1.1K 16.2% $208
Groceries & Markets
Sierra Leone
$262 *
United Kingdom
$307 17.3% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sierra Leone
$131
United Kingdom
$389 198% $258
Eating Out
Sierra Leone
$107
United Kingdom
$328 207% $221
Clothing & Footwear
Sierra Leone
$36 *
United Kingdom
$154 327% $118
Getting Around
Sierra Leone
$4.9 *
United Kingdom
$140 2768% $135
Sport & Entertainment
Sierra Leone
- *
United Kingdom
$70

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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $942 in Freetown and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $1,332 in Sierra Leone vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 37% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 108% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🕒 Local time
11:19 11:19 AM
11:19 11:19 AM
Same time as Sierra Leone
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,557,212
67,326,569
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sierra Leone United Kingdom 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sierra Leone
  • United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sierra Leone more expensive than the United Kingdom?
Sierra Leone is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 26% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $942 in Sierra Leone.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget in Sierra Leone or in the United Kingdom?
$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sierra Leone, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to Sierra Leone or to the United Kingdom?
Sierra Leone is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Sierra Leone vs other spots: cost of living compared

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