Sierra Leone
Profiled in Freetown · West Africa
A hill-backed Atlantic capital founded as a settlement for freed slaves, with white-sand peninsula beaches and forested reserves close to the city.
Cost of living
What a month costs
Freetown is costly relative to incomes, with power, water and imported goods driving expat budgets. Beach areas outside the city are cheaper.
The scores
How it rates for a moving family
See and do
Top 10 in Freetown
- Cotton Tree siteThe historic kapok tree at the centre of Freetown, fallen in 2023.
- Bunce IslandEighteenth-century British slave-trading fort.
- Tacugama Chimpanzee SanctuaryRescue and rewilding centre in the Western Area forest.
- Sierra Leone Peace MuseumCivil war record and special court archive.
- St George's CathedralEarly nineteenth-century Anglican cathedral.
- Lumley BeachLong city beach on the western side of the peninsula.
- Tiwai Island Wildlife SanctuaryDense primate population on a Moa river island.
- Freetown Big MarketCraft and produce market near the waterfront.
Where to go
Weekend escapes
- River No. 2Palm-lined beach village on the peninsula's south coast.
- Tiwai IslandRainforest research island with eleven primate species.
- Bunce IslandRuined slave castle in the Sierra Leone river.
- TacugamaChimpanzee sanctuary in the hills above Freetown.
- Banana IslandsSmall offshore islands with diving and colonial ruins.
Residency
Residence follows work or business permits, and there is no investor programme. Sierra Leone permits dual citizenship, and citizenship is constitutionally restricted to persons of Negro-African descent.
Tax
Personal rates are progressive to 30% and the corporate rate is 25%, with 15% goods and services tax. A minimum turnover tax applies. There is no wealth or inheritance tax.
Curious what you would actually pay? See the Sierra Leone tax profile: income, corporate, VAT and exit rules →
Nearby