Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Brunei

Name: Brunei
Address: BN

For one person, living is cheaper in Brunei: $1,379 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Brunei
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Brunei Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Brunei

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,379 in Brunei, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Brunei $1,379

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $2,067 in Brunei, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Brunei $2,067

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $2,755 in Brunei, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Brunei $2,755

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Brunei ($567–$1,726), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 90% higher than in Brunei on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.08

$4.82 BND 6.16

266.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$37.32 BND 47.68

128.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.76

$6.40 BND 8.17

73.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 BND 2.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 BND 2.91

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.92 BND 5.01

-0.51%

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

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.17 BND 1.50

143.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.72 BND 0.92

220.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.20

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$2.31 BND 2.95

-23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$1.91 BND 2.44

47.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$2.02 BND 2.58

10.89%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$2.28 BND 2.91

120.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.02

$16.87 BND 21.55

-41.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.24

$7.52 BND 9.60

23.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.13

$17.62 BND 22.51

-15.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.42

$3.98 BND 5.08

-4.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$3.66 BND 4.68

-20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$3.52 BND 4.50

-11.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.83

$4.16 BND 5.32

15.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$2.50 BND 3.19

12.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$2.39 BND 3.05

-0.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$4.50 BND 5.75

-47.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.00 BND 1.28

65.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.85 BND 20.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.18 BND 6.62

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BND 1.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$11.76 BND 15.03

232.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.75 BND 0.96

222.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$24.09 BND 30.77

292.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$3.97 BND 5.07

-12.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$3.28 BND 4.19

-51.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.6

$11.77 BND 15.04

238.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$0.37 BND 0.47

275.68%

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

$30.0K A$42.7K

$42.4K BND 54.1K

-29.17%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$30.2K BND 38.6K

-14.71%

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

$205 A$291

$56.9 BND 72.7

260.35%

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

$28.33 A$40.27

$21.37 BND 27.30

32.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.5

$92.3 BND 118

-36.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$49.74 BND 63.5

11.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.82

$5.51 BND 7.03

255.17%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.86

$5.54 BND 7.08

177.62%

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

$2,145 A$3,049

$181 BND 231

1088.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$11.5K BND 14.7K

59.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$76.4 BND 97.6

2.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$84.4 BND 108

-33.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$111 BND 142

3.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$98.6 BND 126

24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,261

$728 BND 931

118.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,837

$502 BND 641

157.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,588

$1,172 BND 1,497

115.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,850

$785 BND 1,002

155.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$3,082 BND 3,937

183.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,898

$2,263 BND 2,891

176.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,663

$2,217 BND 2,832

79.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

3.88

52.84%

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Brunei: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Brunei

$502 36.4% 61.2% $791

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Brunei

$319 23.2% 14.6% $55

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Brunei

$112 8.2% 62.1% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Brunei

$171 12.4% 41.6% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Brunei

$167 12.1% 0.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Brunei

$47 3.4% 59% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Brunei

$61 4.4% 29.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $728 in Brunei. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $726 in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $2,209 in Brunei. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 90% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 163% more in Australia.

Public transport is 265% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 75% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brunei.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇧🇳 Brunei

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

10:45 10:45 AM

3 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

458,949

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Brunei 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Brunei

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

Australia vs Brunei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brunei is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 47% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $728 in Brunei.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Brunei – part of why living there is about 47% cheaper overall.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Brunei, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Brunei is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.