Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan: $1,170 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
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Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,170

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Kuala Belait

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

A single person spends $1,170 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,170
Kuala Belait $1,723

A couple spends around $1,711 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $2,576 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,711
Kuala Belait $2,576

A family of three spends $2,251 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $3,429 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,251
Kuala Belait $3,429

Bandar Seri Begawan is about 32% cheaper than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bandar Seri Begawan sits 13% below the global median, while Kuala Belait is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 BND 5.04

$7.88 BND 10.08

-50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 BND 34.54

$46.73 BND 59.8

-42.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 BND 7.80

$7.72 BND 9.87

-20.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 BND 2.57

$1.96 BND 2.51

2.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.95

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.01 BND 5.13

$4.46 BND 5.70

-10.09%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$0.94 BND 1.20

1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 BND 0.64

$0.53 BND 0.68

-5.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 BND 2.41

$1.88 BND 2.41

0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 BND 2.22

$2.50 BND 3.20

-30.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 BND 1.54

$2.27 BND 2.91

-47.14%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.57

$2.60 BND 3.33

-22.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 BND 12.06

$19.10 BND 24.44

-50.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 BND 5.69

$9.78 BND 12.51

-54.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 BND 13.64

$24.84 BND 31.79

-57.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 BND 3.90

$4.83 BND 6.18

-36.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 BND 2.78

$2.22 BND 2.83

-2.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 BND 3.73

$4.92 BND 6.29

-40.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 BND 3.17

$2.58 BND 3.30

-3.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 BND 2.15

$1.67 BND 2.13

0.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 BND 2.58

$2.87 BND 3.67

-29.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.59 BND 4.60

$5.47 BND 7.00

-34.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.18

$0.92 BND 1.17

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.08 BND 29.53

$11.69 BND 14.96

97.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.29 BND 4.21

$5.80 BND 7.42

-43.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.65 BND 20.03

$7.72 BND 9.88

102.72%

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

$4.01 BND 5.13

-5.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 BND 4.17

$3.33 BND 4.26

-2.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.66 BND 14.92

$11.53 BND 14.75

1.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 BND 0.51

$0.36 BND 0.46

11.11%

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

$42.7K BND 54.6K

$30.7K BND 39.3K

38.87%

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

$37.1K BND 47.4K

$27.2K BND 34.8K

36.38%

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

$60.6 BND 77.5

$39.35 BND 50.4

54.00%

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

$21.95 BND 28.08

$21.71 BND 27.77

1.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 BND 82.2

$65.4 BND 83.6

-1.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.76 BND 58.5

$99.2 BND 127

-53.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 BND 8.79

$26.92 BND 34.44

-74.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.49 BND 7.02

$5.56 BND 7.12

-1.26%

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

$220 BND 281

$214 BND 274

2.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,548 BND 12.2K

$9,168 BND 11.7K

4.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 BND 97.3

$75.8 BND 96.9

0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.0 BND 122

$103 BND 132

-7.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 BND 128

$154 BND 197

-34.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 BND 90.8

$73.6 BND 94.2

-3.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 BND 932

$751 BND 961

-3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 BND 596

$780 BND 998

-40.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 BND 1,455

$1,187 BND 1,518

-4.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 BND 898

$1,188 BND 1,520

-40.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 BND 3,912

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,285 BND 2,924

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,773 BND 2,269

$3,363 BND 4,302

-47.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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 Kuala Belait: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$466 39.8%

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3% 67.4% $314

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.7%

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8% 63.8% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$154 13.2%

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6% 18.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$147 12.6%

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3% 13.9% $20

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$104 8.9%

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4% 40.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$57 4.9%

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4% 94.5% $54

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$24 2.1%

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2% 14.2% $3.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $728 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $751 in Kuala Belait. 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 90% higher in Kuala Belait, 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 $47.00 in Kuala Belait. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $358 – making Bandar Seri Begawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

Same time as Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

31,178

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Kuala Belait 90 km

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
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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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuala Belait is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,755 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $2,585 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $47.00 in Kuala Belait. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Kuala Belait, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bandar Seri Begawan, where all-in costs run around $1,170, than in Kuala Belait at $1,723. In Bandar Seri Begawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bandar Seri Begawan – 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 Bandar Seri Begawan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.