Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Playa del Carmen: $1,170 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
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Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,170

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,170 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,170
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,711 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,711
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,251 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,251
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Bandar Seri Begawan is about 3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bandar Seri Begawan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Bandar Seri Begawan 13% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 BND 5.04

$10.76 MX$199

-63.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 BND 34.54

$43.03 MX$795

-37.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 BND 7.80

$11.79 MX$218

-48.26%

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

$3.87 MX$71.4

3.62%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$1.37 MX$25.29

-30.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 BND 0.64

$0.84 MX$15.44

-40.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 BND 2.41

$1.44 MX$26.55

31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 BND 2.22

$2.23 MX$41.23

-22.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 BND 1.54

$1.47 MX$27.17

-18.37%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.57

$2.53 MX$46.71

-20.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 BND 12.06

$7.30 MX$135

29.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 BND 5.69

$7.86 MX$145

-43.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 BND 13.64

$12.79 MX$236

-16.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 BND 3.90

$2.90 MX$53.6

5.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 BND 2.78

$1.44 MX$26.53

50.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 BND 3.73

$2.55 MX$47.07

14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 BND 3.17

$2.06 MX$38.03

20.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 BND 2.15

$2.00 MX$36.97

-16.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 BND 2.58

$2.01 MX$37.07

0.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.59 BND 4.60

$1.19 MX$22.02

201.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.18

$1.26 MX$23.23

-26.98%

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

$4.40 MX$81.4

255.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 BND 1.03

$0.57 MX$10.47

40.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.76 BND 0.97

$27.82 MX$514

-97.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 BND 4.85

$4.98 MX$92.1

-23.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 BND 4.17

$3.50 MX$64.6

-6.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.66 BND 14.92

$5.40 MX$99.8

115.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 BND 0.51

$1.47 MX$27.08

-72.79%

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

$42.7K BND 54.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

103.30%

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

$37.1K BND 47.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

54.99%

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

$60.6 BND 77.5

$84.2 MX$1,556

-28.04%

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

$21.95 BND 28.08

$23.99 MX$443

-8.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 BND 82.2

$29.02 MX$536

121.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.76 BND 58.5

$63.0 MX$1,164

-27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 BND 8.79

$29.14 MX$539

-76.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.49 BND 7.02

$4.94 MX$91.3

11.13%

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

$220 BND 281

$204 MX$3,763

7.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,548 BND 12.2K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

142.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 BND 97.3

$43.60 MX$806

74.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.0 BND 122

$43.12 MX$797

120.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 BND 128

$75.8 MX$1,400

32.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 BND 90.8

$88.6 MX$1,637

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 BND 932

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-27.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 BND 596

$374 MX$6,911

24.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 BND 1,455

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-33.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 BND 898

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-36.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 BND 3,912

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-22.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,285 BND 2,924

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-62.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,773 BND 2,269

$754 MX$13.9K

135.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

11.45

-66.11%

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 Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$466 39.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 19.7% $92

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 18.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$154 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 26.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$147 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 6.5% $9.6

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$104 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 94.9% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$57 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 28.5% $16

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$24 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 118% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $728 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. 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 135% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $258 – making Bandar Seri Begawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

20:46 8:46 PM

13 h behind Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Playa del Carmen 16,300 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,755 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 3561% 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 Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Bandar Seri Begawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen 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, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.