Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jerudong

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerudong: $733 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Jerudong
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Jerudong Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Jerudong

🇧🇳 Brunei

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jerudong

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

A single person spends $2,852 per month in Melbourne vs $733 in Jerudong, rent included.

Melbourne $2,852
Jerudong $733

A couple spends around $4,297 per month in Melbourne vs $1,145 in Jerudong, rent included.

Melbourne $4,297
Jerudong $1,145

A family of three spends $5,742 per month in Melbourne vs $1,557 in Jerudong, rent included.

Melbourne $5,742
Jerudong $1,557

Melbourne costs about 289% more than Jerudong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 113% above the global median, while Jerudong is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$3.81 BND 4.88

365.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$23.83 BND 30.51

255.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$6.25 BND 8.01

94.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 BND 2.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 BND 3.03

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$4.02 BND 5.15

-2.24%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.96 BND 1.23

227.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.53 BND 0.68

358.49%

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)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.84 BND 2.36

-15.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.69 BND 2.16

78.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.20 BND 1.53

140.00%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.08 BND 2.66

161.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$9.20 BND 11.77

15.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.62 BND 5.92

108.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$10.88 BND 13.93

37.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$3.05 BND 3.91

36.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.17 BND 2.77

40.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$2.94 BND 3.77

12.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$2.57 BND 3.29

85.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.72 BND 2.20

76.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$2.07 BND 2.65

23.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$3.21 BND 4.11

-22.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.92 BND 1.18

77.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.20 BND 29.70

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 BND 4.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$15.47 BND 19.81

184.87%

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)

$4.40 A$6.29

$3.86 BND 4.95

13.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$3.41 BND 4.36

-58.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$11.52 BND 14.75

158.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.42 BND 0.54

247.62%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$42.9K BND 54.9K

-34.33%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$36.3K BND 46.5K

-28.56%

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

$233 A$333

$61.2 BND 78.4

280.08%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$22.31 BND 28.56

22.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$65.6 BND 83.9

-12.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$77.7 BND 99.5

-32.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$3.94 BND 5.04

334.01%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$216 BND 276

1001.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$9,845 BND 12.6K

209.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$77.6 BND 99.4

0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$92.2 BND 118

-45.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$101 BND 129

19.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$73.4 BND 94.0

81.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

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)

$4,228 A$6,051

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.88

52.06%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Jerudong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jerudong

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Jerudong

$218 29.8% 43.4% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Jerudong

$149 20.4% 53% $168

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Jerudong

$104 14.2% 67% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jerudong

$155 21.2% 10% $17

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Jerudong

$21 * 2.9% 87.6% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Jerudong

$86 11.7% 1.5% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $24.00 in Jerudong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $218 – making Jerudong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇧🇳 Jerudong

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

11,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.696 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Melbourne Jerudong 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Jerudong

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

Melbourne vs Jerudong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 289%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,277 per month in Melbourne and $1,099 in Jerudong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $24.00 in Jerudong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 77% more in Melbourne, 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 Jerudong, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Jerudong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jerudong – 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 Jerudong. 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.