Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Bandar Seri Begawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan: $1,170 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index
57

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

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Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,170

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,170 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Kuala Belait $1,723
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,170

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,711 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Kuala Belait $2,576
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,711

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Kuala Belait vs $2,251 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Kuala Belait $3,429
Bandar Seri Begawan $2,251

Kuala Belait costs about 47% more than Bandar Seri Begawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kuala Belait sits 28% above the global median, while Bandar Seri Begawan is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.88 BND 10.08

$3.94 BND 5.04

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.73 BND 59.8

$27.00 BND 34.54

73.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 BND 9.87

$6.10 BND 7.80

26.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

$2.01 BND 2.57

-2.49%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

$2.31 BND 2.95

Cappuccino

$4.46 BND 5.70

$4.01 BND 5.13

11.22%

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

$0.94 BND 1.20

$0.95 BND 1.22

-1.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$0.50 BND 0.64

6.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 BND 2.41

$1.89 BND 2.41

-0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 BND 3.20

$1.73 BND 2.22

44.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 BND 2.91

$1.20 BND 1.54

89.17%

Eggs

$2.60 BND 3.33

$2.01 BND 2.57

29.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 BND 24.44

$9.43 BND 12.06

102.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.78 BND 12.51

$4.45 BND 5.69

119.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.84 BND 31.79

$10.66 BND 13.64

133.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 BND 6.18

$3.05 BND 3.90

58.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BND 2.83

$2.17 BND 2.78

2.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 BND 6.29

$2.91 BND 3.73

69.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BND 3.30

$2.48 BND 3.17

4.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 BND 2.13

$1.68 BND 2.15

-0.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 BND 3.67

$2.02 BND 2.58

42.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.47 BND 7.00

$3.59 BND 4.60

52.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.17

$0.92 BND 1.18

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.69 BND 14.96

$23.08 BND 29.53

-49.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 BND 7.42

$3.29 BND 4.21

76.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 BND 9.88

$15.65 BND 20.03

-50.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 BND 1.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.76 BND 0.97

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 BND 5.13

$3.79 BND 4.85

5.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BND 4.26

$3.26 BND 4.17

2.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.53 BND 14.75

$11.66 BND 14.92

-1.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.36 BND 0.46

$0.40 BND 0.51

-10.00%

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

$30.7K BND 39.3K

$42.7K BND 54.6K

-27.99%

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

$27.2K BND 34.8K

$37.1K BND 47.4K

-26.68%

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

$39.35 BND 50.4

$60.6 BND 77.5

-35.07%

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

$21.71 BND 27.77

$21.95 BND 28.08

-1.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.6

$64.3 BND 82.2

1.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 BND 127

$45.76 BND 58.5

116.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.92 BND 34.44

$6.87 BND 8.79

291.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BND 7.12

$5.49 BND 7.02

1.28%

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

$214 BND 274

$220 BND 281

-2.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,168 BND 11.7K

$9,548 BND 12.2K

-3.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 BND 96.9

$76.1 BND 97.3

-0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$103 BND 132

$95.0 BND 122

8.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 BND 197

$100 BND 128

53.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.6 BND 94.2

$71.0 BND 90.8

3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 BND 961

$728 BND 932

3.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 BND 998

$466 BND 596

67.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 BND 1,518

$1,137 BND 1,455

4.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 BND 1,520

$702 BND 898

69.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 BND 3,912

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,285 BND 2,924

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,363 BND 4,302

$1,773 BND 2,269

89.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$466 39.8% 40.3% $314

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.7% 39% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$154 13.2% 15.7% $29

Eating Out

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$104 8.9% 28.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$147 12.6% 16.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$57 4.9% 48.6% $54

Getting Around

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$24 2.1% 16.6% $3.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Kuala Belait versus $728 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 90% higher in Kuala Belait, 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 $47.00 in Kuala Belait versus $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $218 – making Bandar Seri Begawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

Same time as Kuala Belait

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,178

50,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Kuala Belait Bandar Seri Begawan 90 km

From you

Kuala Belait
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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

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

Yes – Kuala Belait is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Kuala Belait and $1,755 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Kuala Belait and $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Kuala Belait, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bandar Seri Begawan, where all-in costs run around $1,170, than in Kuala Belait at $1,723. In Bandar Seri Begawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait 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 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 Bandar Seri Begawan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.