Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Jerudong

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerudong: $733 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,182
/mo nomad
Jerudong
🇧🇳 Brunei
$733
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Jerudong

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $733 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Sydney $3,182
  • Jerudong $733

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $1,145 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Sydney $4,696
  • Jerudong $1,145

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $1,557 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Sydney $6,210
  • Jerudong $1,557

Sydney costs about 334% more than Jerudong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 137% above the global median, while Jerudong is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 A$25.28
$3.81 BND 4.88
363.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$97.1 A$139
$23.83 BND 30.51
307.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.94 A$17.09
$6.25 BND 8.01
91.04%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.93 BND 2.48
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.37 BND 3.03
-
Cappuccino
$4.00 A$5.72
$4.02 BND 5.15
-0.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 A$4.06
$0.96 BND 1.23
195.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 A$3.25
$0.53 BND 0.68
328.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.89 A$11.29
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.13 A$10.20
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 A$2.38
$1.84 BND 2.36
-9.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 A$4.00
$1.69 BND 2.16
65.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.33
$1.20 BND 1.53
93.33%
Eggs
$5.53 A$7.92
$2.08 BND 2.66
165.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.08 A$17.28
$9.20 BND 11.77
31.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.84 A$14.09
$4.62 BND 5.92
112.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.61 A$23.78
$10.88 BND 13.93
52.67%
Apples (1kg)
$4.02 A$5.76
$3.05 BND 3.91
31.80%
Banana (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.51
$2.17 BND 2.77
45.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.50 A$5.01
$2.94 BND 3.77
19.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.47 A$6.39
$2.57 BND 3.29
73.93%
Potato (1kg)
$3.32 A$4.76
$1.72 BND 2.20
93.02%
Onion (1kg)
$2.30 A$3.30
$2.07 BND 2.65
11.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 A$3.35
$3.21 BND 4.11
-27.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 A$1.65
$0.92 BND 1.18
25.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$23.20 BND 29.70
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$3.37 BND 4.31
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$45.02 A$64.4
$15.47 BND 19.81
191.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.96 A$19.97
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.98 A$5.70
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 A$5.82
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 A$4.52
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$150 A$215
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 A$4.94
$3.86 BND 4.95
-10.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 A$2.33
$3.41 BND 4.36
-52.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.98 A$57.2
$11.52 BND 14.75
247.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 A$2.01
$0.42 BND 0.54
233.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K A$40.7K
$42.9K BND 54.9K
-33.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K A$42.1K
$36.3K BND 46.5K
-19.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$220 A$315
$61.2 BND 78.4
259.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.70 A$39.64
$22.31 BND 28.56
24.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.5 A$79.5
$65.6 BND 83.9
-15.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.3 A$106
$77.7 BND 99.5
-4.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.95 A$34.28
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.73 A$25.37
$3.94 BND 5.04
350.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,157 A$3,087
$216 BND 276
900.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.3K A$40.5K
$9,845 BND 12.6K
187.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.4 A$112
$77.6 BND 99.4
1.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$70.5 A$101
$92.2 BND 118
-23.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 A$159
$101 BND 129
10.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$189
$73.4 BND 94.0
79.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,514 A$3,598
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,732 A$2,478
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,889 A$6,996
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,039 A$4,349
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.2K A$18.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,117 A$11.6K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Jerudong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,082 A$5,842
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.84
3.88
50.52%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Jerudong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sydney
$1.7K
Jerudong
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Sydney
$380
Jerudong
$218 42.7% $162
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
$303
Jerudong
$149 50.8% $154
Eating Out
Sydney
$299
Jerudong
$104 65.4% $196
Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
$176
Jerudong
$155 12.2% $22
Getting Around
Sydney
$174
Jerudong
$21 * 88% $153
Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
$110
Jerudong
$86 22% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney versus $24.00 in Jerudong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $218 – making Jerudong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Sydney
🇧🇳 Jerudong
🕒 Local time
22:13 10:13 PM
19:13 7:13 PM
3 h behind Sydney
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,840,600
11,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sydney Jerudong 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sydney
  • Jerudong

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
Sydney vs Jerudong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jerudong cheaper than Sydney?
Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 334%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $1,099 in Jerudong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Sydney or in Jerudong?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney and $24.00 in Jerudong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Sydney and in Jerudong?
Groceries cost about 75% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Sydney or in Jerudong?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jerudong, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Jerudong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sydney or Jerudong more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Jerudong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Sydney or Jerudong?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Jerudong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Sydney vs other spots: cost of living compared

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