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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 14% more expensive than Sierra Leone without rent, and 45.2% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 18.8% more expensive than Sierra Leone without rent, and 57.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.70 RĀ 146
$3.08 SLLĀ 75.4K
182.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.91 RĀ 651
$32.72 SLLĀ 799.4K
18.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.17 RĀ 86.6
$9.87 SLLĀ 241.1K
-47.62%
Cappuccino
$2.05 RĀ 34.35
$1.69 SLLĀ 41.2K
21.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 RĀ 17.13
$0.95 SLLĀ 23.3K
7.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 RĀ 12.70
$0.78 SLLĀ 19.0K
-2.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 RĀ 37.79
$1.47 SLLĀ 36.0K
53.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 RĀ 42.43
$2.94 SLLĀ 72.0K
-13.95%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 RĀ 18.49
$2.35 SLLĀ 57.4K
-53.19%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 RĀ 15.76
$0.64 SLLĀ 15.6K
46.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 RĀ 27.18
$1.34 SLLĀ 32.8K
20.90%
Eggs
$2.22 RĀ 37.19
$1.96 SLLĀ 47.8K
13.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 RĀ 126
$6.97 SLLĀ 170.4K
7.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.48 RĀ 75.0
$7.30 SLLĀ 178.4K
-38.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.61 RĀ 111
$5.39 SLLĀ 131.6K
22.63%
Apples (1kg)
$1.50 RĀ 25.13
$3.92 SLLĀ 95.8K
-61.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 RĀ 23.78
$2.03 SLLĀ 49.5K
-30.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 RĀ 24.46
$0.68 SLLĀ 16.7K
114.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 RĀ 25.30
$4.96 SLLĀ 121.2K
-69.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 RĀ 21.02
$2.01 SLLĀ 49.2K
-37.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.29 RĀ 21.68
$1.60 SLLĀ 39.1K
-19.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 RĀ 17.22
$0.99 SLLĀ 24.2K
4.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 RĀ 16.18
$1.37 SLLĀ 33.6K
-29.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.87 RĀ 48.04
$1.90 SLLĀ 46.4K
51.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.90 RĀ 82.0
$6.92 SLLĀ 169.2K
-29.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 RĀ 21.99
$1.44 SLLĀ 35.1K
-9.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 RĀ 29.04
$2.03 SLLĀ 49.6K
-14.78%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 RĀ 27.60
$0.47 SLLĀ 11.6K
251.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.20 RĀ 740
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 RĀ 19.08
$0.78 SLLĀ 18.9K
46.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 RĀ 18.26
$1.22 SLLĀ 29.8K
-10.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.70 RĀ 78.8
$5.09 SLLĀ 124.3K
-7.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 RĀ 21.69
$1.36 SLLĀ 33.3K
-4.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K RĀ 348.1K
$12.1K SLLĀ 294.5M
72.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K RĀ 393.6K
$24.6K SLLĀ 601.7M
-4.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$111 RĀ 1,864
$144 SLLĀ 3.5M
-22.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.36 RĀ 542
$17.27 SLLĀ 421.9K
87.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.49 RĀ 678
$73.5 SLLĀ 1.8M
-44.93%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.96 RĀ 535
$49.41 SLLĀ 1.2M
-35.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.72 RĀ 163
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.80 RĀ 114
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Sierra Leone
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
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.2 RĀ 840
$10.20 SLLĀ 249.2K
391.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.53 RĀ 511
$7.76 SLLĀ 189.7K
293.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 RĀ 1,582
$19.68 SLLĀ 480.9K
380.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 RĀ 1,361
$50.3 SLLĀ 1.2M
61.51%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 RĀ 7,578
$813 SLLĀ 19.9M
-44.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 RĀ 6,229
$1,255 SLLĀ 30.7M
-70.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$906 RĀ 15.2K
$2,098 SLLĀ 51.3M
-56.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 RĀ 11.8K
$101 SLLĀ 2.5M
592.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,150 RĀ 19.2K
$1,095 SLLĀ 26.8M
4.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$836 RĀ 14.0K
$1,075 SLLĀ 26.3M
-22.24%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Sierra Leone
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,471 RĀ 24.6K
$1,353 SLLĀ 33.1M
8.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
0
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CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

Last update for Sierra Leone: February 28, 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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