Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan: $1,170 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,170

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,170 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,170
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,711 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,711
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,251 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,251
Medellin $3,190

Bandar Seri Begawan is about 28% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bandar Seri Begawan sits 13% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 BND 5.04

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-50.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 BND 34.54

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-41.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 BND 7.80

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-35.79%

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

$3.11 COP 9,866

28.94%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$1.83 COP 5,800

-48.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 BND 0.64

$1.38 COP 4,360

-63.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 BND 2.41

$1.45 COP 4,600

30.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 BND 2.22

$2.36 COP 7,496

-26.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 BND 1.54

$1.68 COP 5,328

-28.57%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.57

$2.86 COP 9,077

-29.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 BND 12.06

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-7.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 BND 5.69

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-53.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 BND 13.64

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-24.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 BND 3.90

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-25.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 BND 2.78

$1.50 COP 4,742

44.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 BND 3.73

$2.17 COP 6,891

34.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 BND 3.17

$2.31 COP 7,310

7.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 BND 2.15

$1.93 COP 6,113

-12.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 BND 2.58

$1.64 COP 5,196

23.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.59 BND 4.60

$1.13 COP 3,571

217.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.18

$1.25 COP 3,954

-26.40%

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

$3.99 COP 12.6K

292.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 BND 1.03

$1.21 COP 3,827

-33.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.76 BND 0.97

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-99.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 BND 4.85

$1.32 COP 4,179

187.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 BND 4.17

$2.14 COP 6,774

52.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.66 BND 14.92

$8.47 COP 26.8K

37.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 BND 0.51

$1.30 COP 4,114

-69.23%

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

$42.7K BND 54.6K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

52.43%

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

$37.1K BND 47.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

4.63%

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

$60.6 BND 77.5

$172 COP 545.6K

-64.79%

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

$21.95 BND 28.08

$13.37 COP 42.4K

64.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 BND 82.2

$28.73 COP 91.1K

123.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.76 BND 58.5

$45.24 COP 143.5K

1.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 BND 8.79

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-59.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.49 BND 7.02

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-12.58%

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

$220 BND 281

$770 COP 2.4M

-71.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,548 BND 12.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

5.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 BND 97.3

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-11.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.0 BND 122

$57.1 COP 181.1K

66.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 BND 128

$137 COP 432.9K

-26.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 BND 90.8

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-27.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 BND 932

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-30.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 BND 596

$616 COP 2.0M

-24.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 BND 1,455

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-39.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 BND 898

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-31.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 BND 3,912

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-24.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,285 BND 2,924

$1,678 COP 5.3M

36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,773 BND 2,269

$652 COP 2.1M

171.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

10.94

-64.53%

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 Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$466 39.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 32.2% $150

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 34.9% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$154 13.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 10.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$147 12.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 45.9% $67

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$104 8.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 62.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$57 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 1.9% $1.1

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$24 2.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 288% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $728 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 172% higher in Bandar Seri Begawan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $295 – making Bandar Seri Begawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

20:45 8:45 PM

13 h behind Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Medellin 18,310 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 38%, 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 $2,421 in Medellin. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,170 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 38%.

Public transport costs about 9964% less in Bandar Seri Begawan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bandar Seri Begawan, where all-in costs run around $1,170, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Bandar Seri Begawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.