Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone

Name: Sierra Leone
Address: SL

For one person, living is cheaper in Sierra Leone: $1,787 a month against $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Sierra Leone
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Sierra Leone Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in Sierra Leone actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,478 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,787 in Sierra Leone, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,478
Sierra Leone $1,787

A couple spends around $3,608 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,519 in Sierra Leone, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,608
Sierra Leone $1,519

A family of three spends $4,739 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,251 in Sierra Leone, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,739
Sierra Leone $1,251

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,143–$4,049) than in Sierra Leone ($1,800–$1,800), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 39% higher than in Sierra Leone on average.

Both the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 83%, Sierra Leone by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £16.21

$2.02 SLL 46.1K

969.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$39.67 SLL 906.4K

121.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 £8.12

$10.92 SLL 249.6K

-0.92%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.58

$2.60 SLL 59.3K

83.46%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$1.57 SLL 35.8K

68.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$0.89 SLL 20.2K

111.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 £4.94

$2.04 SLL 46.7K

223.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$3.54 SLL 81.0K

85.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.40 SLL 54.9K

-31.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.23

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

142.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.68

$1.27 SLL 29.1K

75.59%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.05

$1.85 SLL 42.3K

119.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$7.21 SLL 164.7K

33.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 £6.86

$10.12 SLL 231.4K

-9.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$5.15 SLL 117.7K

186.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$6.80 SLL 155.3K

-57.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$3.04 SLL 69.6K

-45.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$0.72 SLL 16.5K

288.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 £2.49

$5.05 SLL 115.5K

-34.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.96 SLL 44.8K

-7.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.61 SLL 36.8K

-3.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.15 SLL 26.4K

44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$3.02 SLL 69.1K

687.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 £7.85

$8.16 SLL 186.6K

28.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$1.60 SLL 36.6K

83.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.96 SLL 44.7K

72.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.63

$0.44 SLL 10.2K

697.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 £4.06

$0.48 SLL 11.0K

1029.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.80

$0.48 SLL 11.0K

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.30 SLL 29.7K

50.77%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$12.0K SLL 274.3M

222.40%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$24.7K SLL 564.9M

66.82%

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

$323 £242

$59.8 SLL 1.4M

440.42%

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

$18.55 £13.92

$17.16 SLL 392.1K

8.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.14 £31.61

$52.7 SLL 1.2M

-20.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 £35.08

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.47

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

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

$1,725 £1,294

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.8 £69.6

$9.92 SLL 226.6K

835.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 £34.94

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

$19.94 SLL 455.8K

411.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.6

$50.8 SLL 1.2M

100.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 £1,011

$940 SLL 21.5M

43.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 £824

$1,246 SLL 28.5M

-11.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,620

$3,457 SLL 79.0M

-37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,309

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 £4,184

$1,069 SLL 24.4M

421.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 £3,315

$1,093 SLL 25.0M

304.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 £2,519

$1,335 SLL 30.5M

151.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sierra Leone: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Sierra Leone

$1.2K 69.8% 13.5% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$384 15.5%

Sierra Leone

$130 7.3% 66.2% $254

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$327 13.2%

Sierra Leone

$107 6% 67.2% $220

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.3%

Sierra Leone

$263 * 14.7% 13.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$155 6.2%

Sierra Leone

$36 * 2% 76.5% $118

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$136 5.5%

Sierra Leone

$4.7 * 0.3% 96.6% $131

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$74 3%

Sierra Leone

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,265 in the United Kingdom vs $916 in Sierra Leone. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,852 in London and $916 in Freetown.

Average salary: $3,250 in the United Kingdom vs $1,325 in Sierra Leone. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 108% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 145% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

00:52 12:52 AM

1 h behind the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

7,557,212

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 22,852 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,691 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.89 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Sierra Leone 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Sierra Leone

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

United Kingdom vs Sierra Leone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sierra Leone is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 39% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,265 versus $916 in Sierra Leone.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Sierra Leone, adding to the overall 39% price gap.

$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.

Sierra Leone is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.