Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brunei and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,379 in Brunei, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Brunei
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Brunei Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,379

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brunei and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,379 in Brunei versus $791 in China.

Brunei $1,379
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Brunei versus $1,251 in China.

Brunei $2,067
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Brunei versus $1,711 in China.

Brunei $2,755
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Brunei: monthly costs span $567 to $1,726, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Brunei.

Living in Brunei is roughly 74% more expensive than in China on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.82 BND 6.16

$2.98 ¥19.81

61.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.32 BND 47.68

$22.09 ¥147

68.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.40 BND 8.17

$5.20 ¥34.59

23.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 BND 2.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 BND 2.91

Cappuccino

$3.92 BND 5.01

$2.97 ¥19.73

31.99%

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

$1.17 BND 1.50

$0.48 ¥3.19

143.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 BND 0.92

$0.30 ¥2.01

140.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 BND 2.95

$1.80 ¥11.96

28.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 BND 2.44

$1.68 ¥11.15

13.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 BND 2.58

$0.92 ¥6.13

119.57%

Eggs

$2.28 BND 2.91

$1.61 ¥10.73

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 BND 21.55

$13.38 ¥89.0

26.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 BND 9.60

$3.35 ¥22.27

124.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.62 BND 22.51

$11.35 ¥75.5

55.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 BND 5.08

$1.82 ¥12.12

118.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.66 BND 4.68

$1.31 ¥8.69

179.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 BND 4.50

$1.49 ¥9.89

136.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 BND 5.32

$1.27 ¥8.47

227.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 BND 3.19

$0.71 ¥4.73

252.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 BND 3.05

$0.93 ¥6.21

156.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.50 BND 5.75

$0.62 ¥4.12

625.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 BND 1.28

$0.56 ¥3.74

78.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.85 BND 20.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.18 BND 6.62

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BND 1.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 BND 15.03

$3.78 ¥25.15

211.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 BND 0.96

$0.29 ¥1.91

158.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.09 BND 30.77

$17.83 ¥119

35.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 BND 5.07

$1.49 ¥9.89

166.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 BND 4.19

$0.37 ¥2.49

786.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 BND 15.04

$7.10 ¥47.23

65.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.37 BND 0.47

$1.26 ¥8.37

-70.63%

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

$42.4K BND 54.1K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

117.87%

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

$30.2K BND 38.6K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

72.19%

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

$56.9 BND 72.7

$54.6 ¥363

4.29%

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

$21.37 BND 27.30

$8.73 ¥58.1

144.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$92.3 BND 118

$11.07 ¥73.6

733.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.74 BND 63.5

$40.77 ¥271

22.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.51 BND 7.03

$14.48 ¥96.3

-61.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.54 BND 7.08

$6.78 ¥45.11

-18.29%

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

$181 BND 231

$517 ¥3,437

-65.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K BND 14.7K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-41.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 BND 97.6

$46.53 ¥310

64.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.4 BND 108

$35.66 ¥237

136.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 BND 142

$77.0 ¥512

44.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 BND 126

$80.3 ¥534

22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 BND 931

$386 ¥2,567

88.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 BND 641

$235 ¥1,560

113.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 BND 1,497

$822 ¥5,468

42.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$785 BND 1,002

$453 ¥3,014

73.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,082 BND 3,937

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-34.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,263 BND 2,891

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-4.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,217 BND 2,832

$1,093 ¥7,273

102.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

3.46

12.14%

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

Last update for Brunei: October 27, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brunei

$502 36.4%

China

$235 29.6% 53.3% $267

Groceries & Markets

Brunei

$319 23.2%

China

$210 26.5% 34.2% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brunei

$171 12.4%

China

$74 9.4% 56.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Brunei

$167 12.1%

China

$108 13.6% 35.3% $59

Eating Out

Brunei

$112 8.2%

China

$88 11.1% 21.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Brunei

$61 4.4%

China

$54 6.9% 10.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Brunei

$47 3.4%

China

$22 2.8% 52.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $728 in Brunei, $298 in China. Capital cities: $726 in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,209 in Brunei, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 144% higher in Brunei.

Dining out costs 45% more in Brunei.

Public transport is 28% more expensive in Brunei.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in Brunei, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brunei.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Brunei

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

Same time as Brunei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

458,949

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brunei China 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Brunei
China

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

Brunei vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,379 per month in Brunei and $791 in China, China comes out about 43% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $728 in Brunei and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.