Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Jerudong

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerudong: $727 a month against $1,170 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bandar Seri Begawan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Bandar Seri Begawan
🇧🇳 Brunei
$1,170
/mo nomad
Jerudong
🇧🇳 Brunei
$727
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Jerudong

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

A single person spends $1,170 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $727 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Bandar Seri Begawan $1,170
  • Jerudong $727

A couple spends around $1,711 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,149 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Bandar Seri Begawan $1,711
  • Jerudong $1,149

A family of three spends $2,251 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,570 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Bandar Seri Begawan $2,251
  • Jerudong $1,570

Bandar Seri Begawan costs about 61% more than Jerudong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Bandar Seri Begawan and Jerudong are more affordable than the global median – Bandar Seri Begawan 13% lower, Jerudong 46% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.94 BND 5.04
$4.00 BND 5.11
-1.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.00 BND 34.54
$23.52 BND 30.09
14.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.10 BND 7.80
$6.18 BND 7.91
-1.29%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.01 BND 2.57
$1.92 BND 2.45
4.69%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 BND 2.95
$2.29 BND 2.93
0.87%
Cappuccino
$4.01 BND 5.13
$4.00 BND 5.11
0.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 BND 1.22
$0.89 BND 1.13
6.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 BND 0.64
$0.53 BND 0.68
-5.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 BND 2.41
$1.81 BND 2.31
4.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 BND 2.22
$1.67 BND 2.14
3.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 BND 1.54
$1.20 BND 1.54
-
Eggs
$2.01 BND 2.57
$2.02 BND 2.59
-0.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.43 BND 12.06
$9.28 BND 11.88
1.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 BND 5.69
$4.36 BND 5.58
2.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.66 BND 13.64
$10.63 BND 13.60
0.28%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 BND 3.90
$3.14 BND 4.02
-2.87%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 BND 2.78
$2.25 BND 2.87
-3.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 BND 3.73
$2.87 BND 3.67
1.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.48 BND 3.17
$2.50 BND 3.20
-0.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 BND 2.15
$1.72 BND 2.20
-2.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 BND 2.58
$2.10 BND 2.69
-3.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.59 BND 4.60
$3.05 BND 3.90
17.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 BND 1.18
$0.90 BND 1.16
2.22%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$23.08 BND 29.53
$23.00 BND 29.43
0.35%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.29 BND 4.21
$3.38 BND 4.32
-2.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.65 BND 20.03
$15.65 BND 20.03
-
🚌 Getting Around
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 BND 1.03
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$0.76 BND 0.97
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.79 BND 4.85
$3.81 BND 4.87
-0.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.26 BND 4.17
$3.28 BND 4.19
-0.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.66 BND 14.92
$11.86 BND 15.18
-1.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.40 BND 0.51
$0.42 BND 0.54
-4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.7K BND 54.6K
$43.4K BND 55.5K
-1.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.1K BND 47.4K
$36.3K BND 46.5K
1.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$60.6 BND 77.5
$60.2 BND 77.0
0.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.95 BND 28.08
$21.58 BND 27.61
1.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.3 BND 82.2
$65.6 BND 83.9
-1.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.76 BND 58.5
$77.5 BND 99.2
-40.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.87 BND 8.79
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.49 BND 7.02
$3.94 BND 5.04
39.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$220 BND 281
$213 BND 272
3.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,548 BND 12.2K
$9,830 BND 12.6K
-2.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.1 BND 97.3
$76.1 BND 97.3
-0.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.0 BND 122
$93.2 BND 119
2.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 BND 128
$103 BND 132
-2.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.0 BND 90.8
$72.0 BND 92.2
-1.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$728 BND 932
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$466 BND 596
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,137 BND 1,455
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$702 BND 898
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,058 BND 3,912
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,285 BND 2,924
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bandar Seri Begawan
Jerudong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,773 BND 2,269
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.88
3.88
-

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 Jerudong: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bandar Seri Begawan
$466
Jerudong
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Bandar Seri Begawan
$218
Jerudong
$215 1.6% $3.5
Clothing & Footwear
Bandar Seri Begawan
$154
Jerudong
$155 0.6% $0.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bandar Seri Begawan
$147
Jerudong
$147 0.3% $0.5
Eating Out
Bandar Seri Begawan
$104
Jerudong
$104 0.4% $0.4
Sport & Entertainment
Bandar Seri Begawan
$57
Jerudong
$85 50.5% $29
Getting Around
Bandar Seri Begawan
$24
Jerudong
$20 * 16.2% $3.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $24.00 in Jerudong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $215 – making Jerudong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan
🇧🇳 Jerudong
🕒 Local time
11:25 11:25 AM
11:25 11:25 AM
Same time as Bandar Seri Begawan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
50,000 Capital
11,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bandar Seri Begawan Jerudong 12 km
From you
  • Bandar Seri Begawan
  • Jerudong

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 Jerudong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jerudong cheaper than Bandar Seri Begawan?
Yes – Bandar Seri Begawan is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,755 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $1,090 in Jerudong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan or in Jerudong?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $24.00 in Jerudong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Jerudong?
Groceries cost about 2% more in Bandar Seri Begawan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Bandar Seri Begawan or in Jerudong?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jerudong, where all-in costs run around $727, than in Bandar Seri Begawan at $1,170. In Jerudong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bandar Seri Begawan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Bandar Seri Begawan or Jerudong more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Jerudong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Bandar Seri Begawan or Jerudong?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Jerudong. 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.

Bandar Seri Begawan vs other spots: cost of living compared

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