Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
Learn more

Kuala Belait Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Kuala Belait $1,723
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Kuala Belait vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Kuala Belait $2,576
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Kuala Belait vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Kuala Belait $3,429
Phuket $2,867

Kuala Belait costs about 43% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kuala Belait sits 28% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.88 BND 10.08

$4.58 ฿153

72.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.73 BND 59.8

$32.48 ฿1,086

43.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 BND 9.87

$8.55 ฿286

-9.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.46 BND 5.70

$2.72 ฿91.0

63.97%

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

$0.94 BND 1.20

$0.94 ฿31.25

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$0.49 ฿16.39

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 BND 2.41

$1.74 ฿58.1

8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 BND 3.20

$1.43 ฿47.82

74.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 BND 2.91

$1.53 ฿51.0

48.37%

Eggs

$2.60 BND 3.33

$2.17 ฿72.7

19.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 BND 24.44

$19.15 ฿640

-0.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.78 BND 12.51

$3.30 ฿110

196.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.84 BND 31.79

$11.14 ฿372

122.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 BND 6.18

$2.95 ฿98.5

63.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BND 2.83

$1.68 ฿56.1

32.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 BND 6.29

$2.30 ฿76.8

113.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BND 3.30

$2.13 ฿71.3

21.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 BND 2.13

$1.53 ฿51.1

9.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 BND 3.67

$1.36 ฿45.55

111.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.47 BND 7.00

$1.12 ฿37.44

388.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.17

$0.55 ฿18.24

67.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.69 BND 14.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 BND 7.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 BND 9.88

$4.26 ฿142

81.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 BND 5.13

$2.91 ฿97.3

37.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BND 4.26

$1.01 ฿33.79

229.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.53 BND 14.75

$3.83 ฿128

201.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.36 BND 0.46

$1.49 ฿49.85

-75.84%

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

$30.7K BND 39.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

15.16%

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

$27.2K BND 34.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

1.71%

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

$39.35 BND 50.4

$99.4 ฿3,321

-60.40%

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

$21.71 BND 27.77

$11.28 ฿377

92.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.6

$17.36 ฿580

276.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 BND 127

$52.3 ฿1,747

89.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.92 BND 34.44

$10.85 ฿362

148.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BND 7.12

$7.57 ฿253

-26.55%

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

$214 BND 274

$558 ฿18.7K

-61.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,168 BND 11.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-20.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 BND 96.9

$62.9 ฿2,102

20.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$103 BND 132

$28.58 ฿955

261.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 BND 197

$96.1 ฿3,213

59.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.6 BND 94.2

$88.1 ฿2,943

-16.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 BND 961

$729 ฿24.4K

3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 BND 998

$460 ฿15.4K

69.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 BND 1,518

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-43.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 BND 1,520

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-2.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,363 BND 4,302

$493 ฿16.5K

582.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

5.57

-30.34%

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 41% $320

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 25.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 32.2% $59

Eating Out

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 16.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 1.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 38.9% $43

Getting Around

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 88.2% $18

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 $729 in Phuket. 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 582% 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 $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

1 h behind Kuala Belait

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,178

79,308

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Belait Phuket 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Belait
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Kuala Belait, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Kuala Belait and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, 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 $1,723 in Kuala Belait and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 43%.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Kuala Belait and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Kuala Belait at $1,723. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $1,723 in Kuala Belait. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Phuket. 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.