Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan: $1,193 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
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Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,193

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,193 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $2,852 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,193
Melbourne $2,852

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $4,297 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,725
Melbourne $4,297

A family of three spends $2,257 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $5,742 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,257
Melbourne $5,742

Bandar Seri Begawan is about 58% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bandar Seri Begawan sits 11% below the global median, while Melbourne is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 BND 4.91

$17.75 A$25.40

-78.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.17 BND 34.78

$84.8 A$121

-67.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 BND 7.84

$12.16 A$17.40

-49.59%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 BND 2.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$3.88 BND 4.97

$3.93 A$5.62

-1.27%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$3.14 A$4.49

-69.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$2.43 A$3.47

-78.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BND 2.36

$1.55 A$2.21

18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 BND 2.18

$3.01 A$4.31

-43.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 BND 1.58

$2.88 A$4.12

-56.94%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.58

$5.44 A$7.79

-63.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 BND 11.85

$10.59 A$15.16

-12.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 BND 5.63

$9.61 A$13.76

-54.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 BND 13.61

$14.99 A$21.46

-29.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 BND 4.09

$4.15 A$5.94

-23.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 BND 2.79

$3.05 A$4.37

-28.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 BND 3.66

$3.30 A$4.72

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 BND 3.31

$4.76 A$6.81

-45.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 BND 2.24

$3.04 A$4.34

-42.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 BND 2.67

$2.55 A$3.65

-18.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.61 BND 4.62

$2.48 A$3.55

45.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 BND 1.19

$1.63 A$2.33

-42.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.07 BND 29.54

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 BND 4.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.45 BND 19.78

$44.07 A$63.1

-64.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$3.84 A$5.50

-78.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$142 A$203

-99.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 BND 4.89

$4.40 A$6.29

-13.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BND 4.38

$1.40 A$2.01

144.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 BND 15.22

$29.83 A$42.69

-60.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 BND 0.50

$1.46 A$2.09

-73.29%

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

$43.7K BND 56.0K

$28.1K A$40.3K

55.41%

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

$36.2K BND 46.3K

$25.9K A$37.1K

39.44%

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

$60.7 BND 77.7

$233 A$333

-73.93%

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

$21.58 BND 27.63

$27.28 A$39.04

-20.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.8

$57.0 A$81.6

14.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.10 BND 57.7

$52.7 A$75.4

-14.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.96 BND 8.91

$22.62 A$32.37

-69.23%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 BND 6.84

$17.10 A$24.48

-68.77%

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

$214 BND 273

$2,373 A$3,397

-91.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,857 BND 12.6K

$30.5K A$43.6K

-67.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 BND 96.3

$78.2 A$112

-3.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.5 BND 118

$50.5 A$72.2

83.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 BND 133

$121 A$172

-14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 BND 93.8

$133 A$191

-45.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 BND 939

$1,713 A$2,451

-57.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 BND 601

$1,402 A$2,006

-66.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 BND 1,440

$3,339 A$4,778

-66.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 BND 885

$2,529 A$3,619

-72.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 BND 3,977

$7,018 A$10.0K

-55.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 BND 2,942

$6,767 A$9,685

-66.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 BND 2,247

$4,228 A$6,051

-58.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

5.9

-34.24%

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 Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$469 40%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 199% $932

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.6%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 76.4% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$155 13.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 11% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$148 12.6%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 115% $169

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$102 8.7%

Melbourne

$314 11% 209% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$56 4.8%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 55.7% $31

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$25 2.1%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 573% $143

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $734 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $1,713 in Melbourne. 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 141% higher in Melbourne, 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 $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $385 – making Bandar Seri Begawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

22:34 10:34 PM

3 h ahead of Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Melbourne 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 139%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,789 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $4,277 in Melbourne. 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 $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $2,852 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 139%.

Public transport costs about 17156% 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 $1,193, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Bandar Seri Begawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne 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, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.