Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan: $1,193 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
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Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,193

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,193
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,725 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,725
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,257 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,257
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Bandar Seri Begawan costs roughly 56% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bandar Seri Begawan is 11% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 BND 4.91

$20.22 $20.22

-81.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.17 BND 34.78

$85.0 $85.0

-68.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 BND 7.84

$12.35 $12.35

-50.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 BND 2.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$3.88 BND 4.97

$5.47 $5.47

-29.07%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$3.82 $3.82

-75.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$2.50 $2.50

-78.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BND 2.36

$1.13 $1.13

62.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 BND 2.18

$3.78 $3.78

-55.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 BND 1.58

$3.25 $3.25

-61.85%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.58

$4.14 $4.14

-51.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 BND 11.85

$13.08 $13.08

-29.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 BND 5.63

$14.31 $14.31

-69.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 BND 13.61

$15.96 $15.96

-33.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 BND 4.09

$4.38 $4.38

-27.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 BND 2.79

$1.45 $1.45

50.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 BND 3.66

$4.54 $4.54

-37.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 BND 3.31

$4.19 $4.19

-38.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 BND 2.24

$2.63 $2.63

-33.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 BND 2.67

$2.36 $2.36

-11.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.61 BND 4.62

$1.76 $1.76

105.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 BND 1.19

$2.16 $2.16

-56.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.07 BND 29.54

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 BND 4.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.45 BND 19.78

$9.81 $9.81

57.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$1.49 $1.49

-44.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$40.51 $40.51

-97.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 BND 4.89

$2.67 $2.67

43.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BND 4.38

$1.58 $1.58

116.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 BND 15.22

$35.29 $35.29

-66.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 BND 0.50

$0.99 $0.99

-60.61%

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

$43.7K BND 56.0K

$35.8K $35.8K

22.18%

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

$36.2K BND 46.3K

$27.2K $27.2K

33.12%

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

$60.7 BND 77.7

$219 $219

-72.34%

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

$21.58 BND 27.63

$58.0 $58.0

-62.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.8

$68.4 $68.4

-4.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.10 BND 57.7

$57.9 $57.9

-22.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.96 BND 8.91

$14.82 $14.82

-53.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 BND 6.84

$14.13 $14.13

-62.21%

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

$214 BND 273

$1,509 $1,509

-85.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,857 BND 12.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

-54.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 BND 96.3

$51.7 $51.7

45.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.5 BND 118

$44.05 $44.05

109.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 BND 133

$85.1 $85.1

21.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 BND 93.8

$105 $105

-30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 BND 939

$1,932 $1,932

-62.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 BND 601

$1,272 $1,272

-63.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 BND 1,440

$3,670 $3,670

-69.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 BND 885

$2,525 $2,525

-72.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 BND 3,977

$7,617 $7,617

-59.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 BND 2,942

$3,199 $3,199

-28.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 BND 2,247

$5,105 $5,105

-65.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

6.79

-42.86%

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

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$469 40%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 171% $803

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.6%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 84.4% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$155 13.2%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 17% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$148 12.6%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 134% $198

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$102 8.7%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 243% $246

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$56 4.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 54.4% $30

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$25 2.1%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 128% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $734 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 191% 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: $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $403 per month, with Bandar Seri Begawan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

00:55 12:55 AM

13 h behind Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.696 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.696 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Austin, TX 14,780 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
Austin, TX

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

Bandar Seri Begawan vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandar Seri Begawan wins on cost – living expenses run 127% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bandar Seri Begawan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 191% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $734 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,193 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bandar Seri Begawan runs roughly 4840% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bandar Seri Begawan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Bandar Seri Begawan 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, Bandar Seri Begawan and Austin, TX 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 Bandar Seri Begawan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.