Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bandar Seri Begawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan: $1,193 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
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Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bandar Seri Begawan

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,193

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,725 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,725

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $2,257 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Bandar Seri Begawan $2,257

Seoul costs about 53% more than Bandar Seri Begawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Bandar Seri Begawan is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$3.84 BND 4.91

136.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$27.17 BND 34.78

146.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$6.13 BND 7.84

21.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 BND 2.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$3.88 BND 4.97

5.15%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.95 BND 1.22

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.53 BND 0.68

50.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.84 BND 2.36

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.70 BND 2.18

81.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$1.24 BND 1.58

239.52%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$2.01 BND 2.58

77.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$9.26 BND 11.85

93.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$4.39 BND 5.63

142.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$10.63 BND 13.61

148.73%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$3.19 BND 4.09

132.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$2.18 BND 2.79

61.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$2.86 BND 3.66

105.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$2.59 BND 3.31

145.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$1.75 BND 2.24

114.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.08 BND 2.67

19.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$3.61 BND 4.62

-19.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.93 BND 1.19

23.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.07 BND 29.54

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 BND 4.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$15.45 BND 19.78

-78.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.82 BND 1.05

39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$0.82 BND 1.05

5445.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$3.82 BND 4.89

-8.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$3.42 BND 4.38

-82.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$11.89 BND 15.22

-26.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$0.39 BND 0.50

284.62%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$43.7K BND 56.0K

-33.44%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-22.07%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$60.7 BND 77.7

244.39%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$21.58 BND 27.63

62.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$65.4 BND 83.8

-67.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$45.10 BND 57.7

27.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$6.96 BND 8.91

128.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$5.34 BND 6.84

112.17%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$214 BND 273

790.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$9,857 BND 12.6K

128.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$75.2 BND 96.3

-21.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$92.5 BND 118

-65.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$104 BND 133

-32.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$73.3 BND 93.8

12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$734 BND 939

20.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$469 BND 601

32.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$1,125 BND 1,440

121.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$692 BND 885

84.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$3,106 BND 3,977

860.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$2,298 BND 2,942

415.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,755 BND 2,247

107.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.88

5.15%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$469 40% 24.7% $154

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.6% 54.4% $261

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$148 12.6% 44.3% $118

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$102 8.7% 44.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$155 13.2% 41.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$56 4.8% 30.3% $24

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$25 2.1% 55.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $734 in Bandar Seri Begawan. 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 108% higher in Seoul, 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $218 – making Bandar Seri Begawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

50,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Bandar Seri Begawan 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Bandar Seri Begawan

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

Seoul vs Bandar Seri Begawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,733 per month in Seoul and $1,789 in Bandar Seri Begawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan, 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 $1,822 in Seoul and $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan. That's a gap of about 53%.

Public transport costs about 5445% less in Bandar Seri Begawan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bandar Seri Begawan, where all-in costs run around $1,193, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Bandar Seri Begawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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