Cost of Living inFreetown, Sierra Leone
Image credit: No machine-readable author provided. Aranae assumed (based on copyright claims).
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Sierra Leone: $3,099/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 40% higher than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
Happiness
3.3 / 10
#138 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
International and private school tuition + curriculum mix for relocating families.
International & private schools
Childcare & Domestic Help
Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Freetown. We publish this section only when we can tie it to local job-board, agency, or country fallback evidence.
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Freetown is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Sierra Leone.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, doctor staffing is lighter, and hospital capacity looks tighter weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedPublic coverage looks thinner, public funding looks lighter, and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.
Private care
MixedA clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
48/100
2023
Physicians
0.13/1k
2022
Hospital beds
0.40/1k
2006
Out of pocket
54%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
62.0 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
354/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
28.3/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedA visible private hospital base and there is visible specialty depth help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Sierra Leone yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2018 annual wages in Freetown, Sierra Leone · Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Freetown compared with the US?
Your money goes about 4.7x further in Freetown than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Sierra Leone here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Freetown cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Freetown is more expensive overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 40% more expensive than the global benchmark (New York City) for Freetown. We are using the country-level cost index for Sierra Leone here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Freetown compare with New York City?
Rent in Freetown is about 27% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Sierra Leone here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Freetown?
Groceries in Freetown are about 9% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 9% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Sierra Leone here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Freetown
Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone, perched on a hilly peninsula on the Atlantic coast of West Africa with a natural deep-water harbor that shaped its founding as a settlement for freed slaves in 1792. Around 803,000 people live in the urban area, with the economy anchored by port activity, government, and informal trade. Relocators face a tropical monsoon climate with a punishing May-to-October wet season, frequent power interruptions, and limited tertiary healthcare. English is the official language, which lowers friction for Anglophone newcomers, but road infrastructure outside the central peninsula degrades quickly. Better suited to mission, NGO, or diaspora-return contexts than general remote-work relocation.
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