Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kuala Belait

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.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Melbourne $2,852
Kuala Belait $1,699

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

Melbourne $4,297
Kuala Belait $2,569

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

Melbourne $5,742
Kuala Belait $3,438

Melbourne costs about 68% more than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$7.91 BND 10.12

124.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$46.43 BND 59.4

82.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$7.85 BND 10.05

54.90%

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

$3.93 A$5.62

$4.41 BND 5.64

-10.88%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.89 BND 1.15

252.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.50 BND 0.64

386.00%

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

$2.43 BND 3.12

23.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.25 BND 2.88

28.00%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.58 BND 3.31

110.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$18.59 BND 23.80

-43.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$9.85 BND 12.61

-2.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$24.88 BND 31.85

-39.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$4.69 BND 6.00

-11.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.17 BND 2.78

40.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$4.83 BND 6.18

-31.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$2.47 BND 3.17

92.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.71 BND 2.19

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$2.90 BND 3.71

-12.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$5.54 BND 7.09

-55.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.93 BND 1.19

75.27%

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)

$44.07 A$63.1

$7.86 BND 10.07

460.69%

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

$3.99 BND 5.11

10.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$3.43 BND 4.39

-59.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$11.59 BND 14.84

157.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.35 BND 0.45

317.14%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$30.7K BND 39.3K

-8.28%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$27.2K BND 34.9K

-4.77%

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

$233 A$333

$38.45 BND 49.23

505.07%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$21.58 BND 27.63

26.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$64.4 BND 82.4

-11.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$95.9 BND 123

-45.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$27.34 BND 35.00

-17.26%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$5.51 BND 7.05

210.34%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$217 BND 278

991.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$9,398 BND 12.0K

224.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$74.8 BND 95.8

4.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$101 BND 129

-49.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$153 BND 196

-21.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$71.4 BND 91.4

86.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$753 BND 964

127.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$771 BND 987

81.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,193 BND 1,527

179.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$1,177 BND 1,506

114.92%

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

$3,398 BND 4,350

24.44%

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 Kuala Belait: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kuala Belait

$771 45.3% 45% $631

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.8% 8.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Kuala Belait

$124 7.3% 60.8% $193

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Kuala Belait

$145 8.5% 53.7% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kuala Belait

$180 10.6% 4.5% $7.8

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2% 87.4% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Kuala Belait

$107 6.3% 23.1% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,713 in Melbourne versus $753 in Kuala Belait. 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $46.00 in Kuala Belait. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $354 – making Kuala Belait the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

31,178

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Melbourne
Kuala Belait

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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,277 per month in Melbourne and $2,549 in Kuala Belait. 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 $2,852 in Melbourne and $1,699 in Kuala Belait. That's a gap of about 68%.

Kindergarten costs $2,373 per month in Melbourne and $217 in Kuala Belait. 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.