Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $567 in Seria, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Seria $567

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $904 in Seria, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Seria $904

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,242 in Seria, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Seria $1,242

Sydney costs about 456% more than Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Seria is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.13 BND 4.00

461.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$27.07 BND 34.64

237.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.36 BND 6.86

123.13%

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

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.88 BND 4.97

4.90%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.91 BND 1.16

213.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.54 BND 0.69

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.81 BND 2.32

-8.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.43 BND 1.83

94.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.21 BND 1.55

100.00%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.38 BND 1.76

308.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$6.17 BND 7.90

89.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.41 BND 5.64

119.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$10.89 BND 13.93

53.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.20 BND 4.09

27.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.23 BND 2.85

45.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.98 BND 3.82

15.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$2.55 BND 3.27

67.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.68 BND 2.15

95.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.08 BND 2.66

10.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$3.74 BND 4.79

-38.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.76 BND 0.98

59.21%

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)

$43.71 A$62.9

$15.42 BND 19.73

183.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$4.02 BND 5.14

-15.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$3.25 BND 4.15

-52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$11.77 BND 15.06

239.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.30 BND 0.38

366.67%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$43.5K BND 55.7K

-33.12%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-16.79%

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

$223 A$320

$61.8 BND 79.0

260.43%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$15.66 BND 20.03

73.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$64.1 BND 82.0

-12.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$27.52 BND 35.20

171.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.36 BND 6.86

227.61%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$216 BND 276

918.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$9,750 BND 12.5K

189.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$31.04 BND 39.71

152.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$27.71 BND 35.45

146.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$50.3 BND 64.4

120.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$46.16 BND 59.1

191.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$716 BND 917

474.15%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Seria

$203 35.9% 46.3% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Seria

$142 25% 53.7% $164

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Seria

$94 16.5% 68.7% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Seria

$70 12.3% 60.4% $107

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Seria

$20 * 3.6% 88.3% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Seria

$38 6.8% 65.2% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 474% higher in Sydney, 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 $91.0 in Sydney versus $27.00 in Seria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $203 – making Seria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

14:46 2:46 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

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

Sydney Seria 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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

Sydney vs Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 456%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $850 in Seria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $567 in Seria. That's a gap of about 456%.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $216 in Seria. 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 Sydney at $3,152. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney 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, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.