Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Brunei

Name: Brunei
Address: BN

For one person, living is cheaper in Brunei: $1,379 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Brunei
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Brunei Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Brunei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,379 in Brunei.

United Kingdom $2,462
Brunei $1,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $2,067 in Brunei.

United Kingdom $3,600
Brunei $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $2,755 in Brunei.

United Kingdom $4,738
Brunei $2,755

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $567–$1,726 in Brunei. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 78% more expensive than in Brunei on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.04

$4.82 BND 6.16

345.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$37.32 BND 47.68

129.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$6.40 BND 8.17

65.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 BND 2.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 BND 2.91

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$3.92 BND 5.01

25.26%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$1.17 BND 1.50

127.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.72 BND 0.92

159.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$2.31 BND 2.95

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.91 BND 2.44

-9.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$2.02 BND 2.58

7.43%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$2.28 BND 2.91

75.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$16.87 BND 21.55

-44.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$7.52 BND 9.60

22.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$17.62 BND 22.51

-16.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$3.98 BND 5.08

-25.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$3.66 BND 4.68

-55.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$3.52 BND 4.50

-19.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$4.16 BND 5.32

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.50 BND 3.19

-26.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.39 BND 3.05

-32.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$4.50 BND 5.75

-72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.00 BND 1.28

66.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.85 BND 20.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.18 BND 6.62

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BND 1.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$11.76 BND 15.03

101.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.75 BND 0.96

430.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$24.09 BND 30.77

345.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$3.97 BND 5.07

30.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$3.28 BND 4.19

-28.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$11.77 BND 15.04

128.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$0.37 BND 0.47

437.84%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$42.4K BND 54.1K

-6.88%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$30.2K BND 38.6K

34.07%

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

$327 £244

$56.9 BND 72.7

475.01%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$21.37 BND 27.30

-14.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$92.3 BND 118

-52.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$49.74 BND 63.5

-14.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.60

$5.51 BND 7.03

230.67%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$5.54 BND 7.08

150.00%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$181 BND 231

934.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$11.5K BND 14.7K

96.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$76.4 BND 97.6

21.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.29

$84.4 BND 108

-45.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$111 BND 142

-8.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.3

$98.6 BND 126

3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,002

$728 BND 931

84.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £801

$502 BND 641

113.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,666

$1,172 BND 1,497

90.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$785 BND 1,002

122.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,182

$3,082 BND 3,937

81.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$2,263 BND 2,891

88.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,501

$2,217 BND 2,832

51.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.88

37.11%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brunei: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Brunei

$502 36.4% 53.2% $572

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Brunei

$171 12.4% 56.1% $218

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Brunei

$112 8.2% 65.7% $215

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Brunei

$319 23.2% 4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Brunei

$167 12.1% 8% $12

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Brunei

$47 3.4% 66.2% $93

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Brunei

$61 4.4% 13.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $728 in Brunei. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $726 in Bandar Seri Begawan.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $2,209 in Brunei. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 77% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 159% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 339% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 47% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brunei.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇧🇳 Brunei

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

8 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

458,949

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Brunei 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Brunei

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

United Kingdom vs Brunei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,379 per month in Brunei and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Brunei comes out about 44% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Brunei: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $728 in Brunei. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Brunei, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Brunei wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.