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: $2,365 in United Kingdom versus $811 in Brunei.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,470 in United Kingdom versus $1,275 in Brunei.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,575 in United Kingdom versus $1,738 in Brunei.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 192% more expensive than in Brunei on average.

United Kingdom (78% above) and Brunei (39% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,652 to $3,902, compared to $3.00–$1,630 in Brunei. City choice carries more weight in United Kingdom.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £15.08

$5.32 BND 6.86

278.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 £66.2

$33.31 BND 42.91

165.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 £7.73

$6.27 BND 8.08

64.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 BND 2.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 BND 3.04

Cappuccino

$4.53 £3.39

$4.07 BND 5.25

11.30%

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

$2.38 £1.78

$1.14 BND 1.47

108.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$0.71 BND 0.92

139.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 £4.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 £4.67

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.30 BND 2.97

-28.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.00 BND 2.58

-16.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 £1.66

$2.01 BND 2.60

10.45%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.98

$2.50 BND 3.22

59.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 £7.18

$15.75 BND 20.29

-39.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 £6.85

$7.07 BND 9.10

29.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 £10.43

$18.93 BND 24.39

-26.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.20

$3.94 BND 5.08

-25.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$3.30 BND 4.25

-49.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$3.78 BND 4.88

-24.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 £2.58

$3.81 BND 4.91

-9.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$2.22 BND 2.86

-23.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.45 BND 3.15

-34.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 £0.84

$4.57 BND 5.89

-75.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 £1.14

$0.95 BND 1.22

60.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.76 BND 15.15

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.11 BND 6.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 BND 1.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.60 £15.41

$11.59 BND 14.93

77.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 £7.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 £2.15

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.45

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.42

$0.79 BND 1.02

308.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.3 £69.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.28 £3.95

$4.82 BND 6.21

9.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.57 BND 3.31

-40.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.79 £20.04

$11.65 BND 15.01

129.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$0.41 BND 0.52

382.93%

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

$37.9K £28.3K

$23.5K BND 30.2K

61.53%

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

$40.6K £30.3K

$31.0K BND 39.9K

30.93%

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

$325 £243

$53.8 BND 69.3

504.68%

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

$17.63 £13.19

$22.03 BND 28.38

-19.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.17 £31.55

$92.7 BND 119

-54.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 £34.36

$44.06 BND 56.8

4.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 £11.87

$5.79 BND 7.46

173.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 £10.00

$5.36 BND 6.91

149.25%

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

$1,736 £1,299

$172 BND 222

909.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K £16.0K

$10.9K BND 14.0K

96.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.8 £67.9

$82.4 BND 106

10.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.24 £33.85

$64.4 BND 82.9

-29.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.6

$99.7 BND 128

2.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.2

$91.3 BND 118

11.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 £1,057

$771 BND 994

83.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 £840

$530 BND 683

111.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,367 £1,770

$1,306 BND 1,682

81.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 £1,367

$876 BND 1,129

108.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,662 £4,235

$3,057 BND 3,938

85.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,424 £3,309

$2,275 BND 2,931

94.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,238 £2,422

$2,319 BND 2,988

39.62%

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: July 26, 2026

Last update for Brunei: July 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,266 in United Kingdom, $295 in Brunei. Capital cities: $3,021 in London vs $718 in Bandar Seri Begawan.

National salary averages: $3,174 in United Kingdom, $2,228 in Brunei. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 329% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 236% more in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 42% higher in United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brunei.

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 $817 per month in Brunei and $2,777 in United Kingdom, there's a 240% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Brunei: 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 is consistently higher than in 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 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; United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.