Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Belait: $1,699 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,699

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,699 per month in Kuala Belait vs $2,852 in Melbourne, rent included.

Kuala Belait $1,699
Melbourne $2,852

A couple spends around $2,569 per month in Kuala Belait vs $4,297 in Melbourne, rent included.

Kuala Belait $2,569
Melbourne $4,297

A family of three spends $3,438 per month in Kuala Belait vs $5,742 in Melbourne, rent included.

Kuala Belait $3,438
Melbourne $5,742

Kuala Belait is about 40% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kuala Belait and Melbourne sit above the global median – Kuala Belait by 27%, Melbourne by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.91 BND 10.12

$17.75 A$25.40

-55.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.43 BND 59.4

$84.8 A$121

-45.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 BND 10.05

$12.16 A$17.40

-35.44%

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

$3.93 A$5.62

12.21%

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

$0.89 BND 1.15

$3.14 A$4.49

-71.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 BND 0.64

$2.43 A$3.47

-79.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BND 2.36

$1.55 A$2.21

18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 BND 3.12

$3.01 A$4.31

-19.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 BND 2.88

$2.88 A$4.12

-21.87%

Eggs

$2.58 BND 3.31

$5.44 A$7.79

-52.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 BND 23.80

$10.59 A$15.16

75.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 BND 12.61

$9.61 A$13.76

2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.88 BND 31.85

$14.99 A$21.46

65.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 BND 6.00

$4.15 A$5.94

13.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 BND 2.78

$3.05 A$4.37

-28.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 BND 6.18

$3.30 A$4.72

46.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 BND 3.17

$4.76 A$6.81

-48.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 BND 2.19

$3.04 A$4.34

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 BND 3.71

$2.55 A$3.65

13.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.54 BND 7.09

$2.48 A$3.55

123.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 BND 1.19

$1.63 A$2.33

-42.94%

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

$44.07 A$63.1

-82.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 BND 5.11

$4.40 A$6.29

-9.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 BND 4.39

$1.40 A$2.01

145.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.59 BND 14.84

$29.83 A$42.69

-61.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 BND 0.45

$1.46 A$2.09

-76.03%

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

$30.7K BND 39.3K

$28.1K A$40.3K

9.03%

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

$27.2K BND 34.9K

$25.9K A$37.1K

5.01%

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

$38.45 BND 49.23

$233 A$333

-83.47%

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

$21.58 BND 27.63

$27.28 A$39.04

-20.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.4 BND 82.4

$57.0 A$81.6

12.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.9 BND 123

$52.7 A$75.4

82.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 BND 35.00

$22.62 A$32.37

20.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BND 7.05

$17.10 A$24.48

-67.78%

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

$217 BND 278

$2,373 A$3,397

-90.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,398 BND 12.0K

$30.5K A$43.6K

-69.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.8 BND 95.8

$78.2 A$112

-4.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$101 BND 129

$50.5 A$72.2

99.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 BND 196

$121 A$172

26.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 BND 91.4

$133 A$191

-46.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 BND 964

$1,713 A$2,451

-56.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 BND 987

$1,402 A$2,006

-44.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 BND 1,527

$3,339 A$4,778

-64.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 BND 1,506

$2,529 A$3,619

-53.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,398 BND 4,350

$4,228 A$6,051

-19.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

5.9

-34.24%

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 4, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Belait

$771 45.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 81.8% $631

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Belait

$354 20.8%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 8.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Belait

$180 10.6%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 4.3% $7.8

Eating Out

Kuala Belait

$145 8.5%

Melbourne

$314 11% 116% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Belait

$124 7.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 155% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Belait

$107 6.3%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 18.7% $20

Getting Around

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 696% $147

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 $1,713 in Melbourne. 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 24% higher in Melbourne, 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 $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $385 – making Kuala Belait the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

3 h ahead of Kuala Belait

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,178

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.696 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

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Between locations

Kuala Belait Melbourne 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Belait
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,699 in Kuala Belait, $2,852 in Melbourne – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,549 per month in Kuala Belait and $4,277 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Belait, 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 $1,699 in Kuala Belait and $2,852 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 68%.

Kindergarten costs $217 per month in Kuala Belait and $2,373 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Belait, where all-in costs run around $1,699, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Kuala Belait it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Belait – 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 Kuala Belait. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.