Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,170 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,170

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,170 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,170
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,711 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,711
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,251 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,251
Chiang Mai $1,914

Bandar Seri Begawan costs about 25% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Bandar Seri Begawan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Bandar Seri Begawan 13% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 BND 5.04

$2.26 ฿75.4

74.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 BND 34.54

$19.18 ฿641

40.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 BND 7.80

$5.59 ฿187

9.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 BND 2.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.95

Cappuccino

$4.01 BND 5.13

$1.72 ฿57.6

133.14%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$0.64 ฿21.54

48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 BND 0.64

$0.33 ฿11.18

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 BND 2.41

$2.05 ฿68.6

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 BND 2.22

$1.40 ฿46.70

23.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 BND 1.54

$1.28 ฿42.89

-6.25%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.57

$2.25 ฿75.3

-10.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 BND 12.06

$16.94 ฿566

-44.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 BND 5.69

$2.74 ฿91.6

62.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 BND 13.64

$9.36 ฿313

13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 BND 3.90

$2.40 ฿80.3

27.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 BND 2.78

$1.01 ฿33.92

114.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 BND 3.73

$1.61 ฿53.9

80.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 BND 3.17

$1.52 ฿50.7

63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 BND 2.15

$1.28 ฿42.90

31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 BND 2.58

$1.11 ฿37.22

81.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.59 BND 4.60

$0.72 ฿24.09

398.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.18

$0.52 ฿17.54

76.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.08 BND 29.53

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.29 BND 4.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.65 BND 20.03

$4.33 ฿145

261.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 BND 1.03

$0.85 ฿28.31

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.76 BND 0.97

$53.9 ฿1,801

-98.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 BND 4.85

$1.17 ฿39.18

223.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 BND 4.17

$0.57 ฿19.00

471.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.66 BND 14.92

$2.37 ฿79.2

391.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 BND 0.51

$1.45 ฿48.32

-72.41%

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

$42.7K BND 54.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

108.37%

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

$37.1K BND 47.4K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

39.75%

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

$60.6 BND 77.5

$62.3 ฿2,083

-2.78%

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

$21.95 BND 28.08

$12.27 ฿410

78.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 BND 82.2

$19.97 ฿668

221.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.76 BND 58.5

$37.91 ฿1,267

20.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 BND 8.79

$3.76 ฿126

82.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.49 BND 7.02

$6.71 ฿224

-18.18%

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

$220 BND 281

$797 ฿26.6K

-72.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,548 BND 12.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-35.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 BND 97.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

42.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.0 BND 122

$25.05 ฿837

279.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 BND 128

$91.6 ฿3,062

9.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 BND 90.8

$73.5 ฿2,455

-3.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 BND 932

$464 ฿15.5K

56.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 BND 596

$305 ฿10.2K

52.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 BND 1,455

$915 ฿30.6K

24.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 BND 898

$552 ฿18.5K

27.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 BND 3,912

$1,912 ฿63.9K

59.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,285 BND 2,924

$1,438 ฿48.1K

58.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,773 BND 2,269

$595 ฿19.9K

197.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

5.57

-30.34%

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

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$466 39.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 34.6% $161

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$154 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 28.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$147 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 35.6% $52

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$104 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 23.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$57 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 9.5% $5.4

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$24 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 155% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $728 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 198% higher in Bandar Seri Begawan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Bandar Seri Begawan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

08:46 8:46 AM

1 h behind Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Chiang Mai 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bandar Seri Begawan is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,755 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,170 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 6992% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Bandar Seri Begawan at $1,170. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bandar Seri Begawan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bandar Seri Begawan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.