Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Brunei

Name: Brunei
Address: BN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $1,379 in Brunei, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Brunei
Learn more

Brunei Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in Brunei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $1,379 in Brunei.

India $399
Brunei $1,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $2,067 in Brunei.

India $639
Brunei $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $2,755 in Brunei.

India $879
Brunei $2,755

Internal cost variation is higher in Brunei: monthly costs span $567 to $1,726, compared to $230–$813 in India. City choice carries more weight in Brunei.

Living in India costs about 71% less than in Brunei on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹203

$4.82 BND 6.16

-55.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹993

$37.32 BND 47.68

-71.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹361

$6.40 BND 8.17

-40.63%

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

$1.68 ₹159

$3.92 BND 5.01

-57.14%

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

$0.38 ₹35.93

$1.17 BND 1.50

-67.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.58

$0.72 BND 0.92

-79.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹177

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹302

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.1

$2.31 BND 2.95

-73.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.69

$1.91 BND 2.44

-73.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$2.02 BND 2.58

-68.81%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.1

$2.28 BND 2.91

-57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹460

$16.87 BND 21.55

-71.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹270

$7.52 BND 9.60

-62.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.62 BND 22.51

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$3.98 BND 5.08

-49.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.3

$3.66 BND 4.68

-82.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.1

$3.52 BND 4.50

-72.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.23

$4.16 BND 5.32

-88.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.82

$2.50 BND 3.19

-86.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.66

$2.39 BND 3.05

-82.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.32

$4.50 BND 5.75

-89.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.63

$1.00 BND 1.28

-69.00%

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)

$5.08 ₹482

$11.76 BND 15.03

-56.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹694

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹154

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.82

$0.75 BND 0.96

-65.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹815

$24.09 BND 30.77

-64.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.5

$3.97 BND 5.07

-74.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.69

$3.28 BND 4.19

-91.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$11.77 BND 15.04

-86.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.37 BND 0.47

189.19%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$42.4K BND 54.1K

-73.53%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$30.2K BND 38.6K

-33.60%

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

$37.08 ₹3,521

$56.9 BND 72.7

-34.83%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$21.37 BND 27.30

-83.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹679

$92.3 BND 118

-92.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,424

$49.74 BND 63.5

-69.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹681

$5.51 BND 7.03

30.13%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹303

$5.54 BND 7.08

-42.24%

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

$58.8 ₹5,583

$181 BND 231

-67.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.2K

$11.5K BND 14.7K

-85.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,187

$76.4 BND 97.6

-69.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,295

$84.4 BND 108

-71.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,912

$111 BND 142

-62.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,812

$98.6 BND 126

-69.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$728 BND 931

-79.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,150

$502 BND 641

-80.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$1,172 BND 1,497

-70.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.2K

$785 BND 1,002

-70.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹111.7K

$3,082 BND 3,937

-61.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.1K

$2,263 BND 2,891

-72.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.8K

$2,217 BND 2,832

-81.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

3.88

130.15%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brunei: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Brunei

$319 23.2% 213% $217

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Brunei

$502 36.4% 421% $405

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Brunei

$112 8.2% 69% $46

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Brunei

$167 12.1% 214% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Brunei

$171 12.4% 257% $123

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Brunei

$61 4.4% 184% $39

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Brunei

$47 3.4% 296% $35

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $728 in Brunei. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $726 in Bandar Seri Begawan.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $2,209 in Brunei. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 507% higher in Brunei.

Dining out costs 191% more in Brunei.

Public transport is 188% more expensive in Brunei.

Salaries are about 5.4 times higher in Brunei, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brunei.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇧🇳 Brunei

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

458,949

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

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

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Brunei 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

India
Brunei

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

India vs Brunei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,379 per month in Brunei and $399 in India, India comes out about 71% 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 India: 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 $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Brunei 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: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.