Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,170 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,170

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,170 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $567 in Seria, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,170
Seria $567

A couple spends around $1,711 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $904 in Seria, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,711
Seria $904

A family of three spends $2,251 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,242 in Seria, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,251
Seria $1,242

Bandar Seri Begawan costs about 106% more than Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bandar Seri Begawan and Seria are more affordable than the global median – Bandar Seri Begawan 13% lower, Seria 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 BND 5.04

$3.13 BND 4.00

25.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 BND 34.54

$27.07 BND 34.64

-0.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 BND 7.80

$5.36 BND 6.86

13.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 BND 2.57

$1.59 BND 2.04

26.42%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.95

$2.32 BND 2.96

-0.43%

Cappuccino

$4.01 BND 5.13

$3.88 BND 4.97

3.35%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$0.91 BND 1.16

4.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 BND 0.64

$0.54 BND 0.69

-7.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 BND 2.41

$1.81 BND 2.32

4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 BND 2.22

$1.43 BND 1.83

20.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 BND 1.54

$1.21 BND 1.55

-0.83%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.57

$1.38 BND 1.76

45.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 BND 12.06

$6.17 BND 7.90

52.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 BND 5.69

$4.41 BND 5.64

0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 BND 13.64

$10.89 BND 13.93

-2.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 BND 3.90

$3.20 BND 4.09

-4.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 BND 2.78

$2.23 BND 2.85

-2.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 BND 3.73

$2.98 BND 3.82

-2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 BND 3.17

$2.55 BND 3.27

-2.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 BND 2.15

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 BND 2.58

$2.08 BND 2.66

-2.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.59 BND 4.60

$3.74 BND 4.79

-4.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.18

$0.76 BND 0.98

21.05%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.08 BND 29.53

$23.42 BND 29.96

-1.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.29 BND 4.21

$3.22 BND 4.12

2.17%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.65 BND 20.03

$15.42 BND 19.73

1.49%

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

$4.02 BND 5.14

-5.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 BND 4.17

$3.25 BND 4.15

0.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.66 BND 14.92

$11.77 BND 15.06

-0.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 BND 0.51

$0.30 BND 0.38

33.33%

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

$42.7K BND 54.6K

$43.5K BND 55.7K

-2.02%

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

$37.1K BND 47.4K

$36.2K BND 46.3K

2.32%

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

$60.6 BND 77.5

$61.8 BND 79.0

-1.88%

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

$21.95 BND 28.08

$15.66 BND 20.03

40.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 BND 82.2

$64.1 BND 82.0

0.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.76 BND 58.5

$27.52 BND 35.20

66.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 BND 8.79

Cinema Ticket

$5.49 BND 7.02

$5.36 BND 6.86

2.43%

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

$220 BND 281

$216 BND 276

1.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,548 BND 12.2K

$9,750 BND 12.5K

-2.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 BND 97.3

$31.04 BND 39.71

145.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.0 BND 122

$27.71 BND 35.45

242.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 BND 128

$50.3 BND 64.4

99.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 BND 90.8

$46.16 BND 59.1

53.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 BND 932

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 BND 596

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 BND 1,455

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 BND 898

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

$716 BND 917

147.54%

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 Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$466 39.8%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.7%

Seria

$203 35.9% 6.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$154 13.2%

Seria

$70 12.3% 54.7% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$147 12.6%

Seria

$142 25% 3.6% $5.3

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$104 8.9%

Seria

$94 16.5% 9.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$57 4.9%

Seria

$38 6.8% 32.6% $18

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$24 2.1%

Seria

$20 * 3.6% 15.9% $3.8

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 148% 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 $27.00 in Seria. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $203 in Seria – so Seria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

Same time as Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

30,097

💱 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 Seria 74 km

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bandar Seri Begawan is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,755 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $850 in Seria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 7% more in Bandar Seri Begawan, 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 Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Bandar Seri Begawan at $1,170. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bandar Seri Begawan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seria – 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 Seria. 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.