How to send money to Sierra Leone from South Africa with the best ZAR-SLE rate

From the 4 money transfer services available, we found WorldRemit to be the cheapest and PayPal App (P2P Transfer) to be the fastest.You can send ZAR via bank transfer and debit card, and you can receive SLE via bank deposit and cash pickup.

Best companies for ZAR/SLE transfers

4 of 4 providers

Last updated on 28 October 2026

Based on 4,300 ZAR transfer

Best companies for ZAR/SLE transfers

Sort Cheapest
Promoted

WorldRemit

Pay via Debit card
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 1.3411 SLE +2.33% vs mid-market Recipient gets SLE 5 766,69 Minutes - 2 days
Receive to bank account or cash pickup

Ways to receive money in Sierra Leone with WorldRemit when paying by debit card.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Cash pickupMinutes - 2 days
Free1 ZAR = 1.3411 SLE
SLE 5 766,69You payR 4 300,00

Run a live search

Showing top South Africa to Sierra Leone deals for 4,300 ZAR. Do a live search with your exact amount for today's best rates.
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WorldRemit

Pay via Debit card
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 1.3411 SLE +2.33% vs mid-market Recipient gets SLE 5 766,69 Minutes - 2 days
CheapestRecommended
Receive to bank account or cash pickup

Ways to receive money in Sierra Leone with WorldRemit when paying by debit card.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Cash pickupMinutes - 2 days
Free1 ZAR = 1.3411 SLE
SLE 5 766,69You payR 4 300,00
Send Money Between PayPal Accounts

PayPal App (P2P Transfer)

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 172,00 1 ZAR = 1.2903 SLE +6.00% vs mid-market Recipient gets SLE 5 326,43 Minutes
0 reviews
Fastest

Ways to receive money in Sierra Leone with PayPal App (P2P Transfer) when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes
R 172,001 ZAR = 1.2903 SLE
SLE 5 326,43You payR 4 300,00
Send cash via a MoneyGram agent

MoneyGram Agent

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 172,00 1 ZAR = 1.2903 SLE +6.00% vs mid-market Recipient gets SLE 5 326,43 Minutes - 3 days
0 reviews

Ways to receive money in Sierra Leone with MoneyGram Agent when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 3 days
R 172,001 ZAR = 1.2903 SLE
SLE 5 326,43You payR 4 300,00
Send cash via a Western Union agent

Western Union Agent

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 129,00 1 ZAR = 1.2766 SLE +7.00% vs mid-market Recipient gets SLE 5 324,66 Minutes - 5 days
0 reviews

Ways to receive money in Sierra Leone with Western Union Agent when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 5 days
R 129,001 ZAR = 1.2766 SLE
SLE 5 324,66You payR 4 300,00
How Our Results Work
Mid-market rate: 1 ZAR = 1.3727 SLE Updates every 60 minutes.

How to send money from South Africa to Sierra Leone

Pick a company

For a one-off transfer to Sierra Leone, I suggest picking the cheapest option which is WorldRemit.

WorldRemit was the cheapest on 20 of the 20 days it quoted R4,300 transfers to Sierra Leone.

On a 4,300 ZAR transfer, WorldRemit delivers the most SLE.

The best option will change depending on how much you actually send, so I suggest to get the best ZAR/SLE rate.

Fund your transfer

You have 2 ways to pay, including bank transfer and debit card.

PayShap is the quickest way to fund your transfer, though it caps at R50,000 a transaction.

Above that you're on a normal EFT, which is same-day or next-day rather than instant.

Verify and send

First time round you'll need your ID and proof of address.

Anything beyond your yearly allowance needs a tax number and clearance from SARS first, so check which side of that line you're on.

Compare amounts

How much ZAR are you sending to Sierra Leone?

How much ZAR you send to Sierra Leone heavily affects the best ways and the cheapest options. Use the table below to check how the cheapest options change and how much more you'd get by comparing.

Our analysis shows WorldRemit was the cheapest in 63% of all the transfers it quoted over the past month.

Cheapest service
R 2 0006.00%R 80,00SLE 2 474,51with bank transfer to bank deposit+SLE 0,27
R 4 300This page2.33%R 0,00SLE 5 766,69with debit card to cash pickup+SLE 330,64
R 4 5002.21%R 0,00SLE 6 034,90with debit card to cash pickup+SLE 350,75
R 5 0002.31%R 0,00SLE 6 703,75with debit card to cash pickup+SLE 385,06
R 50 0000.27%R 0,00SLE 68 435,12with bank transfer to bank deposit+SLE 698,81
R 100 0000.27%R 0,00SLE 136 928,99with bank transfer to bank deposit+SLE 1 426,99
R 130 0000.27%R 0,00SLE 178 020,39with bank transfer to bank deposit+SLE 1 861,45

Mid-market rate: 1 ZAR = 1.3727 SLE

ZAR/SLE Exchange Rate History

Is today a good time to send money from South Africa to Sierra Leone?

The cheapest way to send ZAR to SLE can change every day, or stay with the same company all month.

We've compared the mid-market rate with the cheapest option each day (today it's WorldRemit), across 30 days of comparisons for 4,300 ZAR transfers to Sierra Leone.

SLE received for R 4 300, after fees

Wed, 28 Oct 2026Mid-market rateSLE 5 902,52 WorldRemit SLE 5 766,69WorldRemitSLE 5 766,69PayPal App (P2P Transfer)SLE 5 326,43MoneyGram AgentSLE 5 326,43

5 200
5 400
5 600
5 800
6 000
6 200
6 400
6 600
At the mid-market rateWith the cheapest optionWorldRemitPayPal App (P2P Transfer)MoneyGram Agent
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4981 – SLE 6 441,72
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3977 R 0,00 SLE 6 009,90 −SLE 431,82
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.4082 R 172,00 SLE 5 813,01 −SLE 628,71
MoneyGram Agent 1.4082 R 172,00 SLE 5 813,01 −SLE 628,71
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.5059 – SLE 6 475,56
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3981 R 0,00 SLE 6 011,66 −SLE 463,90
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.4156 R 172,00 SLE 5 843,54 −SLE 632,02
MoneyGram Agent 1.4156 R 172,00 SLE 5 843,54 −SLE 632,02
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4979 – SLE 6 441,03
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3956 R 0,00 SLE 6 001,04 −SLE 439,99
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.4080 R 172,00 SLE 5 812,39 −SLE 628,64
MoneyGram Agent 1.4080 R 172,00 SLE 5 812,39 −SLE 628,64
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4753 – SLE 6 343,73
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3715 R 0,00 SLE 5 897,58 −SLE 446,15
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3868 R 172,00 SLE 5 724,58 −SLE 619,15
MoneyGram Agent 1.3868 R 172,00 SLE 5 724,58 −SLE 619,15
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4772 – SLE 6 352,15
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3752 R 0,00 SLE 5 913,53 −SLE 438,62
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3886 R 172,00 SLE 5 732,18 −SLE 619,97
MoneyGram Agent 1.3886 R 172,00 SLE 5 732,18 −SLE 619,97
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4772 – SLE 6 352,18
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3752 R 0,00 SLE 5 913,53 −SLE 438,65
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3886 R 172,00 SLE 5 732,20 −SLE 619,98
MoneyGram Agent 1.3886 R 172,00 SLE 5 732,20 −SLE 619,98
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4740 – SLE 6 338,16
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3733 R 0,00 SLE 5 905,02 −SLE 433,14
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3856 R 172,00 SLE 5 719,55 −SLE 618,61
MoneyGram Agent 1.3856 R 172,00 SLE 5 719,55 −SLE 618,61
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4799 – SLE 6 363,52
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3728 R 0,00 SLE 5 903,08 −SLE 460,44
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3911 R 172,00 SLE 5 742,44 −SLE 621,08
MoneyGram Agent 1.3911 R 172,00 SLE 5 742,44 −SLE 621,08
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4870 – SLE 6 394,11
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.3978 R 172,00 SLE 5 770,04 −SLE 624,07
MoneyGram Agent 1.3978 R 172,00 SLE 5 770,04 −SLE 624,07
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4816 – SLE 6 371,04
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.3927 R 172,00 SLE 5 749,23 −SLE 621,81
MoneyGram Agent 1.3927 R 172,00 SLE 5 749,23 −SLE 621,81
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4896 – SLE 6 405,07
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.4002 R 172,00 SLE 5 779,93 −SLE 625,14
MoneyGram Agent 1.4002 R 172,00 SLE 5 779,93 −SLE 625,14
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4934 – SLE 6 421,44
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.4038 R 172,00 SLE 5 794,71 −SLE 626,73
MoneyGram Agent 1.4038 R 172,00 SLE 5 794,71 −SLE 626,73
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4934 – SLE 6 421,44
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.4038 R 172,00 SLE 5 794,71 −SLE 626,73
MoneyGram Agent 1.4038 R 172,00 SLE 5 794,71 −SLE 626,73
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4944 – SLE 6 425,95
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.4047 R 172,00 SLE 5 798,78 −SLE 627,17
MoneyGram Agent 1.4047 R 172,00 SLE 5 798,78 −SLE 627,17
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4932 – SLE 6 420,77
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3883 R 0,00 SLE 5 969,56 −SLE 451,21
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.4036 R 172,00 SLE 5 794,10 −SLE 626,67
MoneyGram Agent 1.4036 R 172,00 SLE 5 794,10 −SLE 626,67
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4989 – SLE 6 445,41
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3895 R 0,00 SLE 5 975,02 −SLE 470,39
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.4090 R 172,00 SLE 5 816,34 −SLE 629,07
MoneyGram Agent 1.4090 R 172,00 SLE 5 816,34 −SLE 629,07
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4915 – SLE 6 413,61
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3795 R 0,00 SLE 5 931,64 −SLE 481,97
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.4020 R 172,00 SLE 5 787,64 −SLE 625,97
MoneyGram Agent 1.4020 R 172,00 SLE 5 787,64 −SLE 625,97
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4984 – SLE 6 442,95
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.4085 R 172,00 SLE 5 814,12 −SLE 628,83
MoneyGram Agent 1.4085 R 172,00 SLE 5 814,12 −SLE 628,83
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4963 – SLE 6 434,27
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3916 R 0,00 SLE 5 983,71 −SLE 450,56
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.4066 R 172,00 SLE 5 806,29 −SLE 627,98
MoneyGram Agent 1.4066 R 172,00 SLE 5 806,29 −SLE 627,98
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4963 – SLE 6 434,18
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3916 R 0,00 SLE 5 983,71 −SLE 450,47
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.4065 R 172,00 SLE 5 806,20 −SLE 627,98
MoneyGram Agent 1.4065 R 172,00 SLE 5 806,20 −SLE 627,98
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4990 – SLE 6 445,53
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.4090 R 172,00 SLE 5 816,45 −SLE 629,08
MoneyGram Agent 1.4090 R 172,00 SLE 5 816,45 −SLE 629,08
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.5048 – SLE 6 470,44
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.4145 R 172,00 SLE 5 838,93 −SLE 631,51
MoneyGram Agent 1.4145 R 172,00 SLE 5 838,93 −SLE 631,51
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4575 – SLE 6 267,13
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3960 R 0,00 SLE 6 002,76 −SLE 264,37
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3700 R 172,00 SLE 5 655,46 −SLE 611,67
MoneyGram Agent 1.3700 R 172,00 SLE 5 655,46 −SLE 611,67
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.4573 – SLE 6 266,20
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) Cheapest 1.3698 R 172,00 SLE 5 654,62 −SLE 611,58
MoneyGram Agent 1.3698 R 172,00 SLE 5 654,62 −SLE 611,58
WorldRemit No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.3906 – SLE 5 979,76
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3678 R 0,00 SLE 5 881,67 −SLE 98,09
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3072 R 172,00 SLE 5 396,14 −SLE 583,62
MoneyGram Agent 1.3072 R 172,00 SLE 5 396,14 −SLE 583,62
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.3847 – SLE 5 954,40
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3603 R 0,00 SLE 5 849,38 −SLE 105,02
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3017 R 172,00 SLE 5 373,25 −SLE 581,15
MoneyGram Agent 1.3017 R 172,00 SLE 5 373,25 −SLE 581,15
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.3847 – SLE 5 954,40
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3603 R 0,00 SLE 5 849,38 −SLE 105,02
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.3017 R 172,00 SLE 5 373,25 −SLE 581,15
MoneyGram Agent 1.3017 R 172,00 SLE 5 373,25 −SLE 581,15
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.3806 – SLE 5 936,62
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3590 R 0,00 SLE 5 843,49 −SLE 93,13
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.2978 R 172,00 SLE 5 357,21 −SLE 579,41
MoneyGram Agent 1.2978 R 172,00 SLE 5 357,21 −SLE 579,41
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.3795 – SLE 5 931,65
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3429 R 0,00 SLE 5 774,26 −SLE 157,39
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.2967 R 172,00 SLE 5 352,72 −SLE 578,93
MoneyGram Agent 1.2967 R 172,00 SLE 5 352,72 −SLE 578,93
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 1.3727 – SLE 5 902,52
WorldRemit Cheapest 1.3411 R 0,00 SLE 5 766,69 −SLE 135,83
PayPal App (P2P Transfer) 1.2903 R 172,00 SLE 5 326,43 −SLE 576,09
MoneyGram Agent 1.2903 R 172,00 SLE 5 326,43 −SLE 576,09

Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference

Each line shows what the recipient gets when you send R 4 300, after fees, as quoted by each company. The mid-market line shows what R 4 300 converts to at the real exchange rate, with no fees or markup. Rates are checked once a day. Sponsored placements never affect this data. There are no bank quotes for this period.

The dashed line is what you'd get at the mid-market rate with no fees, and the blue line is the cheapest option that day.

When the blue line goes above the dashed one, you're getting more SLE per ZAR than the mid-market rate can offer.

This could be due to money transfer offers, FX rate adjustments, or market competitiveness.

No company, app or bank beat the mid-market rate over the past month, meaning you lose a bit of SLE on every transfer from South Africa.

Right now, WorldRemit pays 5,766.69 SLE on 4,300 ZAR, which is 135.83 SLE less than the mid-market amount.

Today's payout isn't the best this month though, since the highest receive amount was 6,011.66 SLE.

If you can wait and want to get the most out of your transfer, create a rate alert and we'll let you know when the rate improves.

Cheapest over time

Picking the cheapest money transfer company

Just because a company is the cheapest today doesn't mean it's always the best option for sending money to Sierra Leone.

We've tracked 154 comparisons to check how often today's top companies were the cheapest across 7 amounts over the past month.

  1. WorldRemitAppeared in 96 comparisons

    Cheapest in 63% of them

  2. PayPal App (P2P Transfer)Appeared in 88 comparisons

    Cheapest in 38% of them

  3. MoneyGram AgentAppeared in 88 comparisons

    Never the cheapest

Based on 154 comparisons across 7 amounts over the last 30 days.

Different companies can come out cheapest depending on the day and the amount you send.

To keep things fair, we only count the comparisons each company appeared in, and only analyse companies that appeared in at least 50% of all comparisons (so occasional cheapest options don't skew it).

Today WorldRemit is the cheapest and gets you the most SLE, and it was also the cheapest in 63% of the 96 comparisons it appeared in over the past month.

It's a good pick for both one-off and regular transfers to Sierra Leone.

PayPal App (P2P Transfer) (today's second cheapest) was the cheapest in only 38% of its comparisons, so it's rarely the cheapest option for transfers to Sierra Leone.

Ways to send money from South Africa to Sierra Leone

4 companies send money from South Africa to Sierra Leone.

Frequent transfers from South Africa

Online transfers

Apps and online services are best for recurring transfers to Sierra Leone.

WorldRemit is the cheapest option.

It will get you 5,766.69 SLE on a R4,300 transfer.

For fast transfers, WorldRemit is a good option, it will deliver SLE in minutes - 2 days.

In our comparisons over the past month, it was the cheapest online service on 20 of the 20 days it quoted.

Most companies will let you fund your transfer by EFT, and will ask for your FICA details.

Emigration and large transfers

Currency brokers

Currency brokers are great for large transfers from South Africa to Sierra Leone.

They have no fees and add a markup on top of ZAR/SLE rate.

I suggest getting a few ZAR/SLE quotes from your bank and Regency FX and picking the best one.

Also, don’t forget about the R2 million limits on transfers from South Africa (more below).

For business payments abroad

Global accounts

Global accounts like Airwallex, Veem or Payoneer help South African businesses make recurring payments to suppliers and contractors in Sierra Leone.

Ways to fund ZAR and receive SLE in Sierra Leone

With WorldRemit, paying by debit card and receiving through cash pickup is the cheapest combination. Sending R4,300 gives your recipient 5,766.69 SLE.

You can fund the transfer with bank transfer and debit card.

To receive SLE in Sierra Leone, your recipient can use bank deposit and cash pickup.

They can collect cash in Sierra Leone

Cash pickup is available through .

To collect SLE as cash, they will need to visit a participating MoneyGram Agent branch in Sierra Leone with valid ID and the transfer reference.

  1. 1
    Debit card Cash pickup

    You pay R4,300.00

    Le5,767

    Cheapest

  2. 2
    Bank transfer Bank deposit

    You pay R4,300.00

    Le5,326

    -Le440

Consider this when sending ZAR to Sierra Leone

South African exchange control dictates how much you can move and which paperwork you need. The exchange-rate margin then decides whether a bank, an online money transfer company or a forex specialist is cheaper.

Compare ZAR/SLE transfer options

For a ZAR 4,300 transfer to Sierra Leone, the current best options are:

The cheapest option is WorldRemit, funded by debit card with cash pickup for the payout. Your recipient gets 5,766.69 SLE, which is 7.63% more than the next best option.

The fastest option is PayPal App (P2P Transfer), funded by bank transfer with bank deposit for the payout. Your recipient gets 5,326.43 SLE in minutes.

R2 million allowance

South African residents aged 18 or older can use the single discretionary allowance to transfer up to R2 million per calendar year for legal purposes abroad without a SARS tax-compliance PIN.

A further foreign capital allowance of up to R10 million is available with an Approval International Transfer PIN from SARS.

Amounts above the allowances need specific approval through an authorised dealer.

The allowances cover more than money transfers.

Foreign card spending and other qualifying use can reduce what remains, so check your year-to-date total before making payments.

The SARB Financial Surveillance guidance explains how the allowances can be used.

Get the purpose code right

Every legal cross-border payment in rand passes through an authorised dealer and carries a balance-of-payments purpose code.

A bank, transfer company or forex specialist may handle the form, but you are still responsible for giving the right reason.

Keep any relevant documents on hand, such as the property sale agreement, emigration documents, tuition invoice, proof of savings, etc.

For an emigration transfer, a specialist service can be useful because the AIT paperwork matters as much as the rate.

A gift can create donations tax

For the 2026/27 tax year, a natural person can make up to R150,000 of donations each year before donations tax applies.

The donor generally pays 20% on taxable donations up to the first R30 million of cumulative taxable gifts.

Payments between spouses and reasonable maintenance payments can be exempt.

A large family transfer should be classified before sending, rather than treated as tax-free because the recipient lives abroad.

Only use authorised companies

Search the company or its FSP number in the FSCA register.

Never move a transfer to crypto or a personal account to bypass exchange control.

Keep the quote, purpose-code confirmation and proof of payment until the recipient has the money.

How we analyse the market

Every rand that leaves South Africa goes through an authorised dealer, and every company here is FSCA-registered.

We track 4 of them on ZAR to Sierra Leone, comparing rates, fees and the pay-in and payout options in real time on live comparisons.

In the past 30 days alone, we analysed 154 comparisons across 7 amounts.

This page covers the cheapest and fastest options for ZAR/SLE transfers. This is how we pick them:

  • Cheapest: the company that gets your recipient the most, after fees and the exchange rate. On a tie, live pricing from the company takes priority over the rates we collect by hand.

  • Fastest: the company with the shortest estimated delivery time once you’ve paid. On a tie, the one that pays out more takes priority.

Nothing appears without passing our review.

Any tax information is for general guidance only and does not constitute tax advice. Speak to a qualified tax adviser about your circumstances.