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 BTN252.26	-8.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.27 BND6.77	$2.95 BTN252.26	-44.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.83 BND1.07	$0.55 BTN47.43	-33.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.60 BND0.78	$0.19 BTN15.98	-69.1%
Average			-38.8%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants

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pay 41.6% less for groceries

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Bread 1 loaf	$1.92 BND2.46	$0.94 BTN80.72	-50.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$1.50 BND1.94	$1.68 BTN143.79	+11.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.51 BND8.38	$3.17 BTN271.20	-51.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.32 BND2.99	$2.20 BTN188.69	-5.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.63 BND3.39	$1.74 BTN148.75	-34.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.49 BND1.92	$1.07 BTN91.54	-28.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.02 BND1.32	$0.65 BTN56.07	-36.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.71 BND2.19	$0.82 BTN70.49	-51.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.67 BND2.15	$0.37 BTN31.58	-77.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.71 BND0.91	$0.23 BTN19.68	-67.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.77 BND0.99	$0.26 BTN21.97	-66.6%
Average			-41.6%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries

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pay 4.7% more for transportation

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.51 BND1.95	$3.93 BTN336.10	+159.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$22.57 BND29.03	$3.97 BTN339.57	-82.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,582.11 BND32,898.79	$21,215.98 BTN1,816,297.61	-17.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$25.65 BND32.98	$15.09 BTN1,291.59	-41.2%
Average			+4.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation

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pay 66.3% less for housing

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$51.92 BND66.77	$31.25 BTN2,674.93	-39.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$605.59 BND778.79	$124.45 BTN10,654.26	-79.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$529.98 BND681.56	$79.38 BTN6,795.90	-85.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$42.96 BND55.25	$16.69 BTN1,428.59	-61.2%
Average			-66.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing

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pay 1.3% less for childcare

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$127.91 BND164.49	$246.05 BTN21,064.01	+92.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$13,586.95 BND17,472.92	$677.73 BTN58,020.62	-95.0%
Average			-1.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare

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pay 22.5% more for entertainment and sports

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.88 BND2.42	$6.43 BTN550.60	+241.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.12 BND4.01	$1.53 BTN131.18	-50.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$15.05 BND19.35	$3.83 BTN327.94	-74.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.49 BND53.36	$49.11 BTN4,204.39	+18.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.55 BND5.85	$3.54 BTN302.72	-22.2%
Average			+22.5%

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

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pay 61.7% less for clothing

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Thimphu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$22.90 BND29.45	$9.43 BTN807.24	-58.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$30.54 BND39.27	$11.79 BTN1,009.05	-61.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$88.33 BND113.59	$32.41 BTN2,774.90	-63.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$88.15 BND113.36	$32.41 BTN2,774.90	-63.2%
Average			-61.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Thimphu - Cost of clothing

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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

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