Cotonou vs Freetown
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Freetown edges it, 33 to 32, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Cotonou is stronger on internet; Freetown on climate, safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Benin's economic capital and motorbike city, between a lagoon, the ocean and Ganvié's stilt village
Full Cotonou profile →Plan a trip to Cotonou →Hilly peninsula capital with fine beaches to the south
Full Freetown profile →Plan a trip to Freetown →Where they differ
- Climate. Freetown leads on climate, 58 to 42, against Cotonou. Comfortable months: 5 vs 7.
- Internet. Cotonou leads on internet, 30 to 18, against Freetown. Measured download: 4.6 Mbps vs 2.1 Mbps.
- Safety. Freetown leads on safety, 60 to 50, against Cotonou. Homicides per 100,000: 5.8 vs 2.22.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, healthcare, visa ease, getting there & around.
Pick Cotonou if you want
- faster internet (4.6 Mbps measured)
Pick Freetown if you want
- the safer country figures
- a longer comfortable season (7 months against 5)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cotonou | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 50 | 60 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 36 | 39 ✓ |
| Internet | 30 ✓ | 18 |
| Visa ease | 32 | 34 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 7 | 7 ✓ |
| Climate | 42 | 58 ✓ |
| Air quality | 40 | 44 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 15 ✓ | 5 |
Cost
| Metric | Cotonou | 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 | Cotonou | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.8 | 2.22 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 58.6 | 58.8 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 38 | 48 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 65 yrs ✓ | 62.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cotonou | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 4.6 Mbps ✓ | 2.1 Mbps |
| Upload | 1.9 Mbps ✓ | 1.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Cotonou | 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 | Cotonou | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 13 | 14 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cotonou | Freetown |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 7 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 31.9 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, Cotonou or Freetown?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Cotonou or Freetown safer?
- Freetown scores higher on safety (60 vs 50), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cotonou or Freetown?
- Cotonou: a measured median of 4.6 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.