Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Kuala Belait and in Budapest: $1,699 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

Kuala Belait
🇧🇳 Brunei
$1,699
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuala Belait and in Budapest

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 Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,699 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kuala Belait $1,699
  • Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,569 per month in Kuala Belait vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kuala Belait $2,569
  • Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,438 per month in Kuala Belait vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kuala Belait $3,438
  • Budapest $3,489

Kuala Belait costs about 5% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kuala Belait and Budapest sit above the global median – Kuala Belait by 27%, Budapest by 21%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.91 BND 10.12
$13.99 Ft 4,551
-43.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.43 BND 59.4
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
-23.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.85 BND 10.05
$9.96 Ft 3,241
-21.18%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.01 BND 2.57
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 BND 3.06
-
-
Cappuccino
$4.41 BND 5.64
$3.38 Ft 1,100
30.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 BND 1.15
$2.13 Ft 692
-58.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 BND 0.64
$1.87 Ft 608
-73.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.75 Ft 1,221
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.57 Ft 1,162
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 BND 2.36
$1.13 Ft 368
62.83%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 BND 3.12
$1.84 Ft 599
32.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 BND 2.88
$2.39 Ft 777
-5.86%
Eggs
$2.58 BND 3.31
$3.83 Ft 1,245
-32.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.59 BND 23.80
$11.33 Ft 3,686
64.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.85 BND 12.61
$6.74 Ft 2,192
46.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$24.88 BND 31.85
$14.69 Ft 4,780
69.37%
Apples (1kg)
$4.69 BND 6.00
$1.84 Ft 597
154.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 BND 2.78
$2.01 Ft 653
7.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.83 BND 6.18
$2.36 Ft 767
104.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.47 BND 3.17
$3.77 Ft 1,226
-34.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 BND 2.19
$0.96 Ft 313
78.13%
Onion (1kg)
$2.90 BND 3.71
$1.03 Ft 334
181.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$5.54 BND 7.09
$1.56 Ft 509
255.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 BND 1.19
$0.66 Ft 216
40.91%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$11.59 BND 14.84
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.99 BND 7.67
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.86 BND 10.07
$7.96 Ft 2,591
-1.26%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$6.01 Ft 1,954
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.30 Ft 421
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.08 Ft 676
-
🚌 Getting Around
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.50 Ft 489
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.61 Ft 8,982
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 BND 5.11
$3.30 Ft 1,074
20.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 BND 4.39
$1.30 Ft 424
163.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.59 BND 14.84
$19.78 Ft 6,436
-41.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.35 BND 0.45
$1.81 Ft 591
-80.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K BND 39.3K
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
4.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K BND 34.9K
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
-20.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.45 BND 49.23
$170 Ft 55.3K
-77.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.58 BND 27.63
$23.98 Ft 7,802
-10.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.4 BND 82.4
$23.42 Ft 7,621
174.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$95.9 BND 123
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
44.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.34 BND 35.00
$19.18 Ft 6,239
42.54%
Cinema Ticket
$5.51 BND 7.05
$9.52 Ft 3,098
-42.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$217 BND 278
$537 Ft 174.6K
-59.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,398 BND 12.0K
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
-43.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.8 BND 95.8
$101 Ft 33.0K
-26.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$101 BND 129
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
134.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$153 BND 196
$113 Ft 36.7K
35.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.4 BND 91.4
$119 Ft 38.6K
-39.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$753 BND 964
$805 Ft 262.0K
-6.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 BND 987
$629 Ft 204.7K
22.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,193 BND 1,527
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
-22.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,177 BND 1,506
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
0.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kuala Belait
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,398 BND 4,350
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
109.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.88
6.43
-39.66%

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kuala Belait
$771
Budapest
$629 18.4% $142
Groceries & Markets
Kuala Belait
$354
Budapest
$258 27.3% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Kuala Belait
$180
Budapest
$169 6% $11
Eating Out
Kuala Belait
$145
Budapest
$224 54.4% $79
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuala Belait
$124
Budapest
$217 74.7% $93
Sport & Entertainment
Kuala Belait
$107
Budapest
$85 20.2% $22
Getting Around
Kuala Belait
$21 *
Budapest
$43 106% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $753 in Kuala Belait versus $805 in Budapest. 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 109% 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 $46.00 in Kuala Belait versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $354 in Kuala Belait vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇧🇳 Kuala Belait
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
13:29 1:29 PM
07:29 7:29 AM
6 h behind Kuala Belait
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
31,178
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.696 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kuala Belait Budapest 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kuala Belait
  • Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Kuala Belait?
Yes – Kuala Belait is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,549 per month in Kuala Belait and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Kuala Belait or in Budapest?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Kuala Belait and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Kuala Belait and in Budapest?
Groceries cost about 37% 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.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Kuala Belait or in Budapest?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Kuala Belait at $1,699. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Kuala Belait or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Kuala Belait or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Budapest. 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.

Kuala Belait vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?