Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seria and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seria and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $567 in Seria versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Seria $567
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $904 in Seria versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Seria $904
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,242 in Seria versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Seria $1,242
Phuket $2,867

Living in Seria costs roughly 53% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Seria 58% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.13 BND 4.00

$4.58 ฿153

-31.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.07 BND 34.64

$32.48 ฿1,086

-16.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 BND 6.86

$8.55 ฿286

-37.31%

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

$3.88 BND 4.97

$2.72 ฿91.0

42.65%

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

$0.91 BND 1.16

$0.94 ฿31.25

-3.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 BND 0.69

$0.49 ฿16.39

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BND 2.32

$1.74 ฿58.1

4.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 BND 1.83

$1.43 ฿47.82

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 BND 1.55

$1.53 ฿51.0

-20.92%

Eggs

$1.38 BND 1.76

$2.17 ฿72.7

-36.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.17 BND 7.90

$19.15 ฿640

-67.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 BND 5.64

$3.30 ฿110

33.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 BND 13.93

$11.14 ฿372

-2.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 BND 4.09

$2.95 ฿98.5

8.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BND 2.85

$1.68 ฿56.1

32.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 BND 3.82

$2.30 ฿76.8

29.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 BND 3.27

$2.13 ฿71.3

19.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 BND 2.15

$1.53 ฿51.1

9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 BND 2.66

$1.36 ฿45.55

52.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.74 BND 4.79

$1.12 ฿37.44

233.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 BND 0.98

$0.55 ฿18.24

38.18%

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)

$15.42 BND 19.73

$4.26 ฿142

261.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 BND 5.14

$2.91 ฿97.3

38.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 BND 4.15

$1.01 ฿33.79

221.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 BND 15.06

$3.83 ฿128

207.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.30 BND 0.38

$1.49 ฿49.85

-79.87%

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

$43.5K BND 55.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

63.22%

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

$36.2K BND 46.3K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

35.57%

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

$61.8 BND 79.0

$99.4 ฿3,321

-37.85%

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

$15.66 BND 20.03

$11.28 ฿377

38.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 BND 82.0

$17.36 ฿580

269.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.52 BND 35.20

$52.3 ฿1,747

-47.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 BND 6.86

$7.57 ฿253

-29.19%

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

$216 BND 276

$558 ฿18.7K

-61.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,750 BND 12.5K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-15.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.04 BND 39.71

$62.9 ฿2,102

-50.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.71 BND 35.45

$28.58 ฿955

-3.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 BND 64.4

$96.1 ฿3,213

-47.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.16 BND 59.1

$88.1 ฿2,943

-47.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$716 BND 917

$493 ฿16.5K

45.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

5.57

-30.34%

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

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seria

$203 35.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 31.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seria

$142 25%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 9.6% $14

Eating Out

Seria

$94 16.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 29.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Seria

$70 12.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 77.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Seria

$38 6.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 76.3% $29

Getting Around

Seria

$20 * 3.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 92% $19

Accommodation & Living

Seria

- * 0%

Phuket

$460 38.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Seria pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27.00 in Seria vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $268 per month, with Seria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Seria

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

09:39 9:39 AM

1 h behind Seria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,097

79,308

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seria Phuket 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seria
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seria is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 113% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Seria, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $216 in Seria versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Seria – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $567 in Seria versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Seria but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Seria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Seria is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seria and Phuket 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 113% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.