How much does it cost to build a house in Sierra Leone?

Ranges per m² by finish level and by city, and what they come to on a 120 m² house, from the surveys in the Sierra Leone pack.

Updated August 30, 2026

Economy (self-build): $130 – $220 /m²
Standard: $220 – $380 /m²
Premium: $380 – $560 /m²

Build cost in Sierra Leone is reasoned per square metre of finished floor, because that is the only measure that survives a change of plan. The ranges below are the ones this tool applies to Freetown, the country’s reference city, for a detached house in 2026. They cover the building itself: not the land, the taxes or the connections, which are listed further down.

Finish level	Price per m²	Basis
Economy (self-build)	2,900 NLe – 5,050 NLe ($130 – $220)	derived
Standard	5,050 NLe – 8,750 NLe ($220 – $380)	derived
Premium	8,750 NLe – 13,000 NLe ($380 – $560)	derived
Luxury	13,000 NLe – 23,000 NLe ($560 – $1,000)	derived

What that comes to on a 120 m² house

Finish level	Total for 120 m²
Economy (self-build)	345,000 NLe – 607,000 NLe ($15,000 – $26,500)
Standard	607,000 NLe – 1,049,000 NLe ($26,500 – $45,500)
Premium	1,049,000 NLe – 1,546,000 NLe ($45,500 – $67,000)
Luxury	1,546,000 NLe – 2,760,000 NLe ($67,000 – $120,000)

The town moves the number

The same drawing does not cost the same in two towns: hauling cement and steel, the price of labour and how many contractors are competing all move. Between Kenema and Freetown the spread applied here is 16%. The totals below are for a 120 m² house at standard finish.

City	Price per m² (standard)	Total for 120 m²
Kenema	4,350 NLe – 7,500 NLe ($190 – $330)	522,000 NLe – 902,000 NLe ($22,500 – $39,000)
Bo	4,450 NLe – 7,700 NLe ($190 – $330)	534,000 NLe – 923,000 NLe ($23,000 – $40,000)
Makeni	4,550 NLe – 7,850 NLe ($200 – $340)	546,000 NLe – 944,000 NLe ($24,000 – $41,000)
Freetown	5,050 NLe – 8,750 NLe ($220 – $380)	607,000 NLe – 1,049,000 NLe ($26,500 – $45,500)

What the number leaves out

The land, its title and the transfer fees, which in a city often outweigh the structure.
VAT, 15% in Sierra Leone, where you build through a firm that charges it.
The building permit and design fees, which are counted separately.
Water and power connections, priced by how far the network is from the plot.

Cost your own project

These ranges are averages. The estimator adapts them to your area, your city and your specification.