Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bandar Seri Begawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan: $1,215 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
58

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

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Bandar Seri Begawan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $1,215 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,215

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $1,756 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,756

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $2,296 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Bandar Seri Begawan $2,296

Barcelona costs about 102% more than Bandar Seri Begawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 80% above the global median, while Bandar Seri Begawan is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$3.93 BND 5.03

347.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$27.87 BND 35.73

142.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$6.14 BND 7.87

120.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 BND 3.03

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$4.01 BND 5.14

-20.45%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.95 BND 1.22

206.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.53 BND 0.68

256.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.89 BND 2.42

-30.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.76 BND 2.25

14.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.19 BND 1.52

55.46%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.09 BND 2.68

131.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$9.18 BND 11.77

82.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$4.61 BND 5.91

97.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$10.69 BND 13.70

83.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.14 BND 4.02

-5.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.22 BND 2.84

-9.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.84 BND 3.64

-4.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.58 BND 3.31

8.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.67 BND 2.15

25.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.99 BND 2.55

4.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$3.63 BND 4.65

-59.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.92 BND 1.18

2.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.60 BND 30.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 BND 4.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$15.44 BND 19.79

-55.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.81 BND 1.04

287.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$23.46 BND 30.08

8.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.98 BND 5.11

-24.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.39 BND 4.34

-56.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$11.48 BND 14.71

190.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.43 BND 0.55

318.60%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$43.6K BND 55.8K

-23.81%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$36.1K BND 46.3K

-12.29%

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

$180 €162

$61.3 BND 78.6

194.11%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$21.81 BND 27.96

-36.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$66.1 BND 84.8

-49.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$46.25 BND 59.3

11.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$7.12 BND 9.13

124.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$5.62 BND 7.20

95.55%

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

$917 €823

$220 BND 282

316.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,743 BND 12.5K

69.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$77.1 BND 98.8

12.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$95.5 BND 122

-59.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$102 BND 131

3.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$73.2 BND 93.8

63.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$726 BND 931

133.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$481 BND 616

181.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,159 BND 1,486

124.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$681 BND 873

202.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,076 BND 3,943

124.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,232 BND 2,861

129.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,745 BND 2,237

26.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.88

-15.46%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$481 39.6% 64.5% $875

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$220 18.1% 31.6% $102

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$104 8.6% 61.2% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$149 12.3% 34.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$156 12.9% 1% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$57 4.7% 21.8% $16

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$48 3.9% 1.7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $726 in Bandar Seri Begawan. 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 27% higher in Barcelona, 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 $67 in Barcelona versus $28 in Bandar Seri Begawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $220 – making Bandar Seri Begawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

50,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 BND = 0.78 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Bandar Seri Begawan 11,510 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bandar Seri Begawan

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

Barcelona vs Bandar Seri Begawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $1,823 in Bandar Seri Begawan. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $726 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,215 in Bandar Seri Begawan. That makes Bandar Seri Begawan about 50% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 8% 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 $1,215, than in Barcelona at $2,453. In Bandar Seri Begawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bandar Seri Begawan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.