Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Brunei Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Brunei

Name: Brunei
Address: BN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,363 in United Kingdom versus $814 in Brunei.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,474 in United Kingdom versus $1,266 in Brunei.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,584 in United Kingdom versus $1,717 in Brunei.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 190% more expensive than Brunei on average.

United Kingdom (76% above) and Brunei (39% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,675 to $3,930, compared to $3.00–$1,669 in Brunei. City choice carries more weight in United Kingdom.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 £15.09

$5.15 BND 6.63

291.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.9 £65.0

$32.71 BND 42.09

165.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 £7.71

$6.20 BND 7.98

66.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 BND 2.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.97

Cappuccino

$4.67 £3.49

$4.07 BND 5.24

14.74%

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

$2.45 £1.83

$1.14 BND 1.47

114.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 £1.31

$0.76 BND 0.98

130.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 £4.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 £4.72

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$2.30 BND 2.96

-28.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.93 BND 2.48

-10.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 £1.72

$2.11 BND 2.71

8.53%

Eggs

$4.14 £3.10

$2.47 BND 3.18

67.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.97 £7.46

$15.65 BND 20.14

-36.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 £6.64

$7.06 BND 9.09

25.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 £10.58

$18.69 BND 24.05

-24.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$3.87 BND 4.98

-23.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.25

$3.25 BND 4.18

-48.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$3.79 BND 4.88

-24.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$3.80 BND 4.90

-10.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.24

$2.17 BND 2.79

-23.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$2.52 BND 3.24

-39.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$4.67 BND 6.00

-75.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.00 BND 1.29

51.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.48 BND 14.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.05 BND 6.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 BND 1.69

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.73 £15.50

$11.76 BND 15.13

76.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 £8.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 £2.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 £2.38

$0.76 BND 0.97

319.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.8 £70.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 £4.09

$4.80 BND 6.18

13.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 £1.14

$2.56 BND 3.29

-40.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.66 £19.94

$11.73 BND 15.10

127.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.43

$0.40 BND 0.52

377.50%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$23.1K BND 29.8K

64.86%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$31.1K BND 40.0K

32.27%

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

$327 £244

$54.1 BND 69.7

503.51%

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

$17.50 £13.09

$21.82 BND 28.08

-19.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 £31.60

$90.2 BND 116

-53.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 £34.35

$45.21 BND 58.2

1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.90 £11.89

$5.83 BND 7.50

172.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 £10.07

$5.59 BND 7.19

140.79%

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

$1,735 £1,297

$175 BND 226

888.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K £15.5K

$10.6K BND 13.6K

95.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 £66.9

$84.0 BND 108

6.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.65 £33.39

$65.2 BND 83.9

-31.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.5

$98.6 BND 127

5.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.1

$91.5 BND 118

11.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 £1,061

$780 BND 1,004

81.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 £852

$512 BND 659

122.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 £1,730

$1,296 BND 1,668

78.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 £1,374

$859 BND 1,105

113.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,858 £4,381

$2,012 BND 2,589

191.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,550 £3,403

$2,276 BND 2,929

99.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,230 £2,416

$2,355 BND 3,031

37.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

4.05

41.98%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: June 6, 2026

Last update for Brunei: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,265 in United Kingdom, $299 in Brunei. Capital cities: $3,031 in London vs $739 in Bandar Seri Begawan.

National salary averages: $3,192 in United Kingdom, $2,271 in Brunei. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 323% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 236% more in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 41% higher in United Kingdom, giving Brunei stronger purchasing power.

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 $836 per month in Brunei and $2,803 in United Kingdom, there's a 235% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Brunei is simply cheaper day-to-day: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in United Kingdom beats Brunei across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Brunei, $2,500 covers most cities easily. In United Kingdom, it works in regional areas but 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; United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.