Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arecibo and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Arecibo: $1,281 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kuala Belait outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arecibo and in Kuala Belait

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arecibo and in Kuala Belait actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,723 in Kuala Belait.

Arecibo $1,281
Kuala Belait $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Arecibo versus $2,576 in Kuala Belait.

Arecibo $2,005
Kuala Belait $2,576

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,730 in Arecibo versus $3,429 in Kuala Belait.

Arecibo $2,730
Kuala Belait $3,429

Living in Arecibo costs roughly 26% less than in Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arecibo is 5% below, Kuala Belait is 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 $12.13

$7.88 BND 10.08

53.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$46.73 BND 59.8

73.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 $8.55

$7.72 BND 9.87

10.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$4.46 BND 5.70

-23.32%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.94 BND 1.20

102.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$0.53 BND 0.68

183.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.88 BND 2.41

-4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.50 BND 3.20

34.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.27 BND 2.91

-14.54%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$2.60 BND 3.33

72.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$19.10 BND 24.44

-33.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 $9.48

$9.78 BND 12.51

-3.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 $13.47

$24.84 BND 31.79

-45.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.83 BND 6.18

2.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.22 BND 2.83

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$4.92 BND 6.29

-2.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.58 BND 3.30

87.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.67 BND 2.13

120.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.87 BND 3.67

39.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$5.47 BND 7.00

-35.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.92 BND 1.17

73.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.69 BND 14.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 BND 7.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$7.72 BND 9.88

55.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.87 $15.87

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.63 $40.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$4.01 BND 5.13

-36.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.33 BND 4.26

-56.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$11.53 BND 14.75

263.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$0.36 BND 0.46

152.78%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$40.4K $40.4K

$30.7K BND 39.3K

31.43%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K $28.2K

$27.2K BND 34.8K

3.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$324 $324

$39.35 BND 50.4

724.17%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$21.71 BND 27.77

213.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$65.4 BND 83.6

1.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 BND 127

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.92 BND 34.44

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 $10.59

$5.56 BND 7.12

90.47%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$833 $833

$214 BND 274

289.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$9,168 BND 11.7K

37.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$75.8 BND 96.9

-25.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$103 BND 132

-40.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$154 BND 197

-29.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$73.6 BND 94.2

54.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 BND 961

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 BND 998

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 BND 1,518

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 BND 1,520

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,191 $1,191

$3,363 BND 4,302

-64.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.88

68.81%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arecibo

$459 35.8%

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3% 72.4% $332

Groceries & Markets

Arecibo

$395 30.8%

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8% 9.4% $37

Eating Out

Arecibo

$203 15.8%

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4% 28.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Arecibo

$153 12%

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6% 19.4% $30

Getting Around

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9%

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2% 59.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7%

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4% 421% $89

Accommodation & Living

Arecibo

- * 0%

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Kuala Belait pays 182% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Arecibo vs $47.00 in Kuala Belait for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $395 vs $358 per month, with Kuala Belait cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

12 h ahead of Arecibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,634

31,178

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

BND to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arecibo Kuala Belait 17,450 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Arecibo
Kuala Belait

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arecibo vs Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arecibo is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 182% lower in Kuala Belait. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Kuala Belait pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,281 per month in Arecibo versus $1,723 in Kuala Belait – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,723 in Kuala Belait, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arecibo but tight or insufficient in Kuala Belait. The gap between the two cities makes Arecibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arecibo and Kuala Belait are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Arecibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Kuala Belait. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.