Conakry vs Freetown
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 33. Conakry is stronger on air quality; Freetown on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Guinea's crowded peninsula capital, with island beaches a short boat ride away
Full Conakry profile →Plan a trip to Conakry →Hilly peninsula capital with fine beaches to the south
Full Freetown profile →Plan a trip to Freetown →Where they differ
- Safety. Freetown leads on safety, 60 to 41, against Conakry. Homicides per 100,000: 8.5 vs 2.22.
- Air quality. Conakry leads on air quality, 54 to 44, against Freetown. PM2.5: 25.6 µg/m³ vs 30.3 µg/m³.
- Internet. Conakry leads on internet, 27 to 18, against Freetown. Measured download: 4 Mbps vs 2.1 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on healthcare, visa ease, getting there & around, climate.
Pick Conakry if you want
- faster internet (4 Mbps measured)
- cleaner air
Pick Freetown if you want
- the safer country figures
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Conakry | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 41 | 60 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 36 | 39 ✓ |
| Internet | 27 ✓ | 18 |
| Visa ease | 32 | 34 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 8 ✓ | 7 |
| Climate | 58 | 58 |
| Air quality | 54 ✓ | 44 |
| Quality of life | 11 ✓ | 5 |
Cost
| Metric | Conakry | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Conakry | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 8.5 | 2.22 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.8 | 58.8 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 43 | 48 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 62.6 yrs ✓ | 62.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Conakry | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 4 Mbps ✓ | 2.1 Mbps |
| Upload | 1.2 Mbps | 1.5 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Conakry | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Conakry | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 18 ✓ | 14 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Conakry | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 7 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 25.6 µg/m³ ✓ | 30.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Conakry or Freetown?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Conakry or Freetown safer?
- Freetown scores higher on safety (60 vs 41), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Conakry or Freetown?
- Conakry: a measured median of 4 Mbps versus 2.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.