Living in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Freetown is a mid-sized coastal city in Western Area, Sierra Leone (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 26°C over the year with about 3,037 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,015 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency in Sierra Leone is comparatively open.

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Est. cost: €2,015; a month for a couple
Climate: 26°C; 3,037 mm rain a year
Size: Mid-sized; 250,000 to 1 million people
Safety: 59/100; country-level
Residency: Comparatively open; for most foreigners

Limited data for Sierra Leone. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in Sierra Leone are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Sierra Leone, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

What stands out about Freetown

More affordable than 90% of the cities we compare
Wet: about 3,037 mm of rain a year
On or near the sea

Healthcare

Sierra Leone scores 40 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 1% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Sierra Leone: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Climate

Freetown averages 26°C across the year with about 3,037 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 81% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €2,015 a month to live centrally in Freetown, 26% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 90% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Residency and visas

Comparatively open. Residency comes either through an employer-sponsored work permit or a self-set-up business permit (renewed annually), or via the government Go-for-Gold program that grants lifetime permanent residency to investors who buy and lodge gold bullion; there is no passive-income or means-tested self-funded route.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Sierra Leone:

Investment: about $213k (Go-for-Gold permanent residency, single applicant: 1kg of 99.99% Sierra Leonean gold bullion (~USD 142,900 at June 2026 spot) lodged with the government for 5 years, plus USD 65,000 program fees and USD 5,000 due-diligence fee; as of June 2026)

For short visits, 15 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 182 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 1 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Safety and stability

Sierra Leone scores 59 out of 100 on safety, safer than 47% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 5.0 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Sierra Leone: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2020) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Freetown

Is Freetown a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Freetown scores well on affordability. It is weaker on healthcare. Our figures for Sierra Leone are partial: no tax, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a warm, very wet climate (26°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Freetown and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Freetown?

We estimate about €2,015 a month for a couple living centrally, 26% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Sierra Leone, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

Can foreigners live in Sierra Leone long term?

Our assessment: comparatively open. Residency comes either through an employer-sponsored work permit or a self-set-up business permit (renewed annually), or via the government Go-for-Gold program that grants lifetime permanent residency to investors who buy and lodge gold bullion; there is no passive-income or means-tested self-funded route. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $213k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Freetown?

Freetown averages 26°C across the year with about 3,037 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 81% of the cities we track.