Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,193

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,193 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $490 in Karachi, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,193
Karachi $490

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $755 in Karachi, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,725
Karachi $755

A family of three spends $2,257 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,019 in Karachi, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,257
Karachi $1,019

Bandar Seri Begawan costs about 143% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bandar Seri Begawan and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Bandar Seri Begawan 11% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 BND 4.91

$2.15 PKR 596

78.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.17 BND 34.78

$13.37 PKR 3,700

103.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 BND 7.84

$5.29 PKR 1,464

15.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 BND 2.44

$2.19 PKR 606

-13.24%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

$7.25 PKR 2,005

-68.14%

Cappuccino

$3.88 BND 4.97

$2.11 PKR 583

83.89%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$0.37 PKR 103

156.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$0.28 PKR 78.2

89.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BND 2.36

$0.86 PKR 238

113.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 BND 2.18

$0.52 PKR 144

226.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 BND 1.58

$1.24 PKR 344

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.58

$1.24 PKR 342

62.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 BND 11.85

$5.86 PKR 1,622

58.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 BND 5.63

$3.12 PKR 862

40.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 BND 13.61

$6.25 PKR 1,731

70.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 BND 4.09

$1.29 PKR 356

147.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 BND 2.79

$0.54 PKR 150

303.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 BND 3.66

$0.99 PKR 273

188.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 BND 3.31

$0.56 PKR 155

362.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 BND 2.24

$0.33 PKR 91.6

430.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 BND 2.67

$0.35 PKR 95.9

494.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.61 BND 4.62

$0.45 PKR 124

702.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 BND 1.19

$0.44 PKR 121

111.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.07 BND 29.54

$1.23 PKR 341

1775.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 BND 4.35

$1.37 PKR 381

147.45%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.45 BND 19.78

$1.79 PKR 497

763.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$0.28 PKR 76.5

192.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$9.68 PKR 2,679

-91.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 BND 4.89

$0.92 PKR 255

315.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BND 4.38

$0.71 PKR 196

381.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 BND 15.22

$2.22 PKR 615

435.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 BND 0.50

$1.35 PKR 372

-71.11%

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

$43.7K BND 56.0K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

145.20%

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

$36.2K BND 46.3K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

35.29%

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

$60.7 BND 77.7

$112 PKR 30.9K

-45.75%

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

$21.58 BND 27.63

$6.05 PKR 1,673

256.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.8

$13.29 PKR 3,679

392.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.10 BND 57.7

$21.51 PKR 5,954

109.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.96 BND 8.91

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-60.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 BND 6.84

$4.42 PKR 1,222

20.81%

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

$214 BND 273

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

320.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,857 BND 12.6K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

403.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 BND 96.3

$17.57 PKR 4,862

328.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.5 BND 118

$22.78 PKR 6,304

306.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 BND 133

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

53.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 BND 93.8

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

78.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 BND 939

$117 PKR 32.5K

525.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 BND 601

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

519.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 BND 1,440

$365 PKR 101.1K

208.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 BND 885

$182 PKR 50.5K

279.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 BND 3,977

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

194.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 BND 2,942

$491 PKR 135.8K

368.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 BND 2,247

$185 PKR 51.2K

849.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

13.21

-70.63%

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 Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$469 40%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 83.9% $394

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.6%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 53.9% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$155 13.2%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 56.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$148 12.6%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 11.2% $17

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$102 8.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 40% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$56 4.8%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 45.6% $25

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$25 2.1%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 39% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $734 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $117 in Karachi. 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 850% 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 $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $101 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

3 h behind Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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 = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Karachi 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
Karachi

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 Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bandar Seri Begawan is pricier by about 143%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,789 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $735 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karachi, 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 $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $490 in Karachi. That's a gap of about 143%.

Public transport costs about 1080% less in Karachi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karachi, where all-in costs run around $490, than in Bandar Seri Begawan at $1,193. In Karachi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bandar Seri Begawan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karachi – 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 Karachi. 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.