Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seria and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seria 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 Seria and in Kuala Belait actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $567 per month in Seria vs $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Seria $567
Kuala Belait $1,723

A couple spends around $904 per month in Seria vs $2,576 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Seria $904
Kuala Belait $2,576

A family of three spends $1,242 per month in Seria vs $3,429 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Seria $1,242
Kuala Belait $3,429

Seria is about 67% cheaper than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seria sits 58% below the global median, while Kuala Belait is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.13 BND 4.00

$7.88 BND 10.08

-60.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.07 BND 34.64

$46.73 BND 59.8

-42.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 BND 6.86

$7.72 BND 9.87

-30.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BND 2.04

$1.96 BND 2.51

-18.88%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 BND 2.96

$2.31 BND 2.96

0.43%

Cappuccino

$3.88 BND 4.97

$4.46 BND 5.70

-13.00%

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

$0.91 BND 1.16

$0.94 BND 1.20

-3.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 BND 0.69

$0.53 BND 0.68

1.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BND 2.32

$1.88 BND 2.41

-3.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 BND 1.83

$2.50 BND 3.20

-42.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 BND 1.55

$2.27 BND 2.91

-46.70%

Eggs

$1.38 BND 1.76

$2.60 BND 3.33

-46.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.17 BND 7.90

$19.10 BND 24.44

-67.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 BND 5.64

$9.78 BND 12.51

-54.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 BND 13.93

$24.84 BND 31.79

-56.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 BND 4.09

$4.83 BND 6.18

-33.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BND 2.85

$2.22 BND 2.83

0.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 BND 3.82

$4.92 BND 6.29

-39.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 BND 3.27

$2.58 BND 3.30

-1.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 BND 2.15

$1.67 BND 2.13

0.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 BND 2.66

$2.87 BND 3.67

-27.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.74 BND 4.79

$5.47 BND 7.00

-31.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 BND 0.98

$0.92 BND 1.17

-17.39%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.42 BND 29.96

$11.69 BND 14.96

100.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

$5.80 BND 7.42

-44.48%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.42 BND 19.73

$7.72 BND 9.88

99.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 BND 5.14

$4.01 BND 5.13

0.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 BND 4.15

$3.33 BND 4.26

-2.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 BND 15.06

$11.53 BND 14.75

2.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.30 BND 0.38

$0.36 BND 0.46

-16.67%

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

$43.5K BND 55.7K

$30.7K BND 39.3K

41.73%

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

$36.2K BND 46.3K

$27.2K BND 34.8K

33.28%

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

$61.8 BND 79.0

$39.35 BND 50.4

56.95%

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

$15.66 BND 20.03

$21.71 BND 27.77

-27.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 BND 82.0

$65.4 BND 83.6

-1.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.52 BND 35.20

$99.2 BND 127

-72.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.92 BND 34.44

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 BND 6.86

$5.56 BND 7.12

-3.60%

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

$216 BND 276

$214 BND 274

0.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,750 BND 12.5K

$9,168 BND 11.7K

6.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.04 BND 39.71

$75.8 BND 96.9

-59.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.71 BND 35.45

$103 BND 132

-73.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 BND 64.4

$154 BND 197

-67.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.16 BND 59.1

$73.6 BND 94.2

-37.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 BND 961

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 BND 998

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 BND 1,518

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 BND 1,520

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$716 BND 917

$3,363 BND 4,302

-78.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

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

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seria

$203 35.9%

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8% 75.9% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seria

$142 25%

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3% 10.7% $15

Eating Out

Seria

$94 16.5%

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4% 55.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Seria

$70 12.3%

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6% 162% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Seria

$38 6.8%

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4% 189% $72

Getting Around

Seria

$20 * 3.6%

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2% 2% $0.4

Accommodation & Living

Seria

- * 0%

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 369% 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 $27.00 in Seria versus $47.00 in Kuala Belait. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $358 – making Seria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Seria

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

Same time as Seria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,097

31,178

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seria Kuala Belait 16 km

From you

Seria
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

Seria vs Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $567 in Seria, $1,723 in Kuala Belait – roughly 204% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $850 per month in Seria and $2,585 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $567 in Seria and $1,723 in Kuala Belait. That's a gap of about 204%.

Kindergarten costs $216 per month in Seria and $214 in Kuala Belait. 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 Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Kuala Belait at $1,723. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seria – 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 Seria. 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.