Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Bandar Seri Begawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
Learn more

Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka 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 Dhaka and in Bandar Seri Begawan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $426 per month in Dhaka vs $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Dhaka $426
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,193

A couple spends around $735 per month in Dhaka vs $1,725 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Dhaka $735
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,725

A family of three spends $1,043 per month in Dhaka vs $2,257 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Dhaka $1,043
Bandar Seri Begawan $2,257

Dhaka is about 64% cheaper than Bandar Seri Begawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Dhaka and Bandar Seri Begawan are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 68% lower, Bandar Seri Begawan 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$3.84 BND 4.91

-35.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$27.17 BND 34.78

-51.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$6.13 BND 7.84

-21.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

$1.90 BND 2.44

159.47%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

$2.31 BND 2.96

77.49%

Cappuccino

$2.34 ৳287

$3.88 BND 4.97

-39.69%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$0.95 BND 1.22

-68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.53 BND 0.68

-69.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.84 BND 2.36

-56.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.70 BND 2.18

-61.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$1.24 BND 1.58

-42.74%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$2.01 BND 2.58

-39.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$9.26 BND 11.85

-6.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$4.39 BND 5.63

-26.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$10.63 BND 13.61

-36.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$3.19 BND 4.09

-14.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$2.18 BND 2.79

-59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$2.86 BND 3.66

-17.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$2.59 BND 3.31

-74.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$1.75 BND 2.24

-86.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$2.08 BND 2.67

-76.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$3.61 BND 4.62

-91.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.93 BND 1.19

-67.74%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

$23.07 BND 29.54

-47.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

$3.39 BND 4.35

62.54%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 ৳396

$15.45 BND 19.78

-79.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.82 BND 1.05

-48.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$0.82 BND 1.05

2648.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$3.82 BND 4.89

-68.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$3.42 BND 4.38

-88.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$11.89 BND 15.22

-71.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$0.39 BND 0.50

194.87%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$43.7K BND 56.0K

-30.75%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-8.69%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$60.7 BND 77.7

-23.63%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$21.58 BND 27.63

-79.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$65.4 BND 83.8

-83.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$45.10 BND 57.7

-63.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$6.96 BND 8.91

131.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$5.34 BND 6.84

-22.66%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$214 BND 273

-57.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$9,857 BND 12.6K

-73.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$75.2 BND 96.3

-78.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$92.5 BND 118

-77.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$104 BND 133

-51.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$73.3 BND 93.8

-50.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$734 BND 939

-79.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$469 BND 601

-84.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$1,125 BND 1,440

-61.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$692 BND 885

-69.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$3,106 BND 3,977

-47.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$2,298 BND 2,942

-66.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$1,755 BND 2,247

-85.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

3.88

170.10%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.6% 78.2% $96

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$469 40% 538% $396

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$102 8.7% 58.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$148 12.6% 141% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$155 13.2% 178% $99

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$25 2.1% 8.8% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$56 4.8% 126% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $152 in Dhaka versus $734 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 605% 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 $13.00 in Dhaka versus $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $123 vs $218 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

50,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Bandar Seri Begawan 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
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

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

Yes – Bandar Seri Begawan is pricier by about 180%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $639 per month in Dhaka and $1,789 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 Dhaka, 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 $426 in Dhaka and $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan. That's a gap of about 180%.

Public transport costs about 2649% less in Dhaka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dhaka, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Bandar Seri Begawan at $1,193. In Dhaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bandar Seri Begawan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dhaka – 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 Dhaka. 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.