Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Seria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $567 in Seria.

Melbourne $2,821
Seria $567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $904 in Seria.

Melbourne $4,235
Seria $904

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,242 in Seria.

Melbourne $5,650
Seria $1,242

Living in Melbourne is roughly 398% more expensive than in Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Seria is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.13 BND 4.00

456.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$27.07 BND 34.64

212.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.36 BND 6.86

132.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BND 2.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.88 BND 4.97

5.93%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.91 BND 1.16

236.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.54 BND 0.69

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.81 BND 2.32

-18.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.43 BND 1.83

105.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.21 BND 1.55

119.83%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.38 BND 1.76

301.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$6.17 BND 7.90

70.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.41 BND 5.64

118.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$10.89 BND 13.93

39.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.20 BND 4.09

24.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.23 BND 2.85

35.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.98 BND 3.82

4.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.55 BND 3.27

89.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.68 BND 2.15

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.08 BND 2.66

17.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$3.74 BND 4.79

-34.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.76 BND 0.98

114.47%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.42 BND 29.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$15.42 BND 19.73

185.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$4.02 BND 5.14

12.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$3.25 BND 4.15

-58.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$11.77 BND 15.06

158.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.30 BND 0.38

390.00%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$43.5K BND 55.7K

-33.40%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-26.89%

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

$234 A$336

$61.8 BND 79.0

278.37%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.66 BND 20.03

78.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$64.1 BND 82.0

-13.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$27.52 BND 35.20

79.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.36 BND 6.86

181.53%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$216 BND 276

999.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$9,750 BND 12.5K

209.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$31.04 BND 39.71

157.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$27.71 BND 35.45

82.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$50.3 BND 64.4

139.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$46.16 BND 59.1

182.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$716 BND 917

511.76%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Seria

$203 35.9% 47% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Seria

$142 25% 55.4% $176

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Seria

$94 16.5% 70.3% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Seria

$70 12.3% 59.3% $102

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Seria

$20 * 3.6% 87.6% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Seria

$38 6.8% 52% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 512% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $27.00 in Seria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $203 per month, with Seria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

12:40 12:40 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

30,097

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Seria 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Seria differ by about 398% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $567 including rent). Seria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 512% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $567 in Seria – a 398% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $567 in Seria versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Seria but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Seria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Seria are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Seria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 398% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.