Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brunei and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Brunei: $1,379 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Brunei
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Brunei Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,379

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brunei and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,379 in Brunei versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Brunei $1,379
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Brunei versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Brunei $2,067
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Brunei versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Brunei $2,755
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $567–$1,726 in Brunei. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Brunei costs about 44% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.82 BND 6.16

$21.48 £16.05

-77.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.32 BND 47.68

$85.7 £64.0

-56.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.40 BND 8.17

$10.61 £7.93

-39.68%

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

$4.91 £3.67

-20.16%

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

$1.17 BND 1.50

$2.66 £1.99

-56.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 BND 0.92

$1.87 £1.39

-61.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 BND 2.95

$1.68 £1.26

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 BND 2.44

$1.72 £1.28

11.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 BND 2.58

$2.17 £1.62

-6.91%

Eggs

$2.28 BND 2.91

$4.00 £2.99

-43.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 BND 21.55

$9.42 £7.04

79.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 BND 9.60

$9.19 £6.86

-18.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.62 BND 22.51

$14.77 £11.03

19.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 BND 5.08

$2.97 £2.21

34.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.66 BND 4.68

$1.62 £1.21

125.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 BND 4.50

$2.85 £2.13

23.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 BND 5.32

$3.52 £2.63

18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 BND 3.19

$1.83 £1.37

36.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 BND 3.05

$1.61 £1.20

48.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.50 BND 5.75

$1.25 £0.93

260.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 BND 1.28

$1.66 £1.24

-39.76%

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

$23.65 £17.66

-50.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 BND 0.96

$3.98 £2.97

-81.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.09 BND 30.77

$107 £80.2

-77.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 BND 5.07

$5.18 £3.87

-23.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 BND 4.19

$2.35 £1.75

39.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 BND 15.04

$26.84 £20.04

-56.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.37 BND 0.47

$1.99 £1.48

-81.41%

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

$42.4K BND 54.1K

$39.4K £29.5K

7.39%

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

$30.2K BND 38.6K

$40.5K £30.2K

-25.41%

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

$56.9 BND 72.7

$327 £244

-82.61%

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

$21.37 BND 27.30

$18.21 £13.60

17.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$92.3 BND 118

$43.60 £32.56

111.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.74 BND 63.5

$42.36 £31.63

17.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.51 BND 7.03

$18.22 £13.61

-69.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.54 BND 7.08

$13.85 £10.34

-60.00%

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

$181 BND 231

$1,868 £1,395

-90.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K BND 14.7K

$22.6K £16.9K

-49.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 BND 97.6

$92.9 £69.4

-17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.4 BND 108

$45.92 £34.30

83.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 BND 142

$102 £75.9

9.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 BND 126

$102 £76.4

-3.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 BND 931

$1,342 £1,003

-45.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 BND 641

$1,073 £802

-53.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 BND 1,497

$2,231 £1,667

-47.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$785 BND 1,002

$1,742 £1,301

-54.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,082 BND 3,937

$5,601 £4,183

-44.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,263 BND 2,891

$4,265 £3,185

-46.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,217 BND 2,832

$3,349 £2,502

-33.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

5.32

-27.07%

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

Last update for Brunei: October 27, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brunei

$502 36.4%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 114% $572

Groceries & Markets

Brunei

$319 23.2%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 3.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brunei

$171 12.4%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 128% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Brunei

$167 12.1%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 7.4% $12

Eating Out

Brunei

$112 8.2%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 192% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Brunei

$61 4.4%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 15.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Brunei

$47 3.4%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 195% $93

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $728 in Brunei, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $726 in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $2,209 in Brunei, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 77% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 159% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 339% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 47% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brunei.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Brunei

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

18:23 6:23 PM

8 h behind Brunei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

458,949

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brunei United Kingdom 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Brunei
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,379 per month in Brunei and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Brunei comes out about 44% 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 Brunei: 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $728 in Brunei. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Brunei, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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