Cost of living comparison

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

compared to

Thimphu, Bhutan

Thimphu vs. Bandar Seri Begawan Cost of Living Summary

Thimphu is 26.1% cheaper than Bandar Seri Begawan.

Restaurants: pay 38.8% less in Thimphu
Groceries: pay 41.6% less in Thimphu
Transportation: pay 4.7% more in Thimphu
Housing: pay 66.3% less in Thimphu
Childcare: pay 1.3% less in Thimphu
Entertainment and Sports: pay 22.5% more in Thimphu
Clothing: pay 61.7% less in Thimphu

The cost of entertainment and sports and transportation in Thimphu are more expensive than in Bandar Seri Begawan. Expenses including housing, clothing, groceries, restaurants, and childcare are lower in Thimphu.

Thimphu vs. Bandar Seri Begawan Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Thimphu instead of Bandar Seri Begawan, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 38.8% less for restaurants

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.22 BND4.14	$2.95 BTN255.24	-8.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.27 BND6.77	$2.95 BTN255.24	-44.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.83 BND1.07	$0.55 BTN47.98	-33.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.60 BND0.78	$0.19 BTN16.17	-69.1%
Average			-38.8%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 41.6% less for groceries

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Bread 1 loaf	$1.92 BND2.46	$0.94 BTN81.68	-50.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$1.50 BND1.93	$1.68 BTN145.49	+11.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.51 BND8.37	$3.17 BTN274.40	-51.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.32 BND2.98	$2.20 BTN190.92	-5.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.63 BND3.39	$1.74 BTN150.51	-34.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.49 BND1.92	$1.07 BTN92.62	-28.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.02 BND1.32	$0.65 BTN56.73	-36.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.71 BND2.19	$0.82 BTN71.32	-51.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.67 BND2.15	$0.37 BTN31.95	-77.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.71 BND0.91	$0.23 BTN19.91	-67.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.77 BND0.99	$0.26 BTN22.23	-66.6%
Average			-41.6%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 4.7% more for transportation

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.51 BND1.95	$3.93 BTN340.06	+159.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$22.57 BND29.02	$3.97 BTN343.58	-82.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,582.11 BND32,884.29	$21,215.98 BTN1,837,722.40	-17.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$25.65 BND32.97	$15.09 BTN1,306.82	-41.2%
Average			+4.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 66.3% less for housing

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$51.92 BND66.74	$31.25 BTN2,706.48	-39.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$605.59 BND778.45	$124.45 BTN10,779.94	-79.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$529.98 BND681.26	$79.38 BTN6,876.07	-85.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$42.96 BND55.22	$16.69 BTN1,445.44	-61.2%
Average			-66.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 1.3% less for childcare

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$127.91 BND164.42	$246.05 BTN21,312.48	+92.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$13,586.95 BND17,465.22	$677.73 BTN58,705.02	-95.0%
Average			-1.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 22.5% more for entertainment and sports

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.88 BND2.42	$6.43 BTN557.09	+241.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.12 BND4.01	$1.53 BTN132.72	-50.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$15.05 BND19.34	$3.83 BTN331.81	-74.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.49 BND53.34	$49.11 BTN4,253.99	+18.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.55 BND5.85	$3.54 BTN306.29	-22.2%
Average			+22.5%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 61.7% less for clothing

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$22.90 BND29.44	$9.43 BTN816.77	-58.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$30.54 BND39.25	$11.79 BTN1,020.96	-61.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$88.33 BND113.54	$32.41 BTN2,807.63	-63.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$88.15 BND113.31	$32.41 BTN2,807.63	-63.2%
Average			-61.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025

More cost comparisons

Bandar Seri Begawan vs.

Manila

Bandar Seri Begawan vs.

Cairo

Bandar Seri Begawan vs.

Algiers

Bandar Seri Begawan vs.

Ottawa

Bandar Seri Begawan vs.

Vienna

Bandar Seri Begawan vs.

Washington

Bandar Seri Begawan vs.

Wellington

Bandar Seri Begawan vs.

Quito

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Brunei vs. Bhutan. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Brunei and Bhutan.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Bandar Seri Begawan

Add prices for Thimphu

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thimphu or Bandar Seri Begawan. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.