Cost of living comparison
compared to
Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Abu Dhabi Cost of Living Summary
Bandar Seri Begawan is 3.6% cheaper than Abu Dhabi.
- Restaurants
-
pay 25.0% less in Bandar Seri Begawan
- Groceries
-
pay 12.2% more in Bandar Seri Begawan
- Transportation
-
pay 60.6% more in Bandar Seri Begawan
- Housing
-
pay 48.4% less in Bandar Seri Begawan
- Childcare
-
pay 26.6% less in Bandar Seri Begawan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.3% less in Bandar Seri Begawan
- Clothing
-
pay 18.3% more in Bandar Seri Begawan
The cost of transportation, clothing, and groceries in Bandar Seri Begawan are more expensive than in Abu Dhabi. Expenses including housing, childcare, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Bandar Seri Begawan.
Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Abu Dhabi Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Bandar Seri Begawan instead of Abu Dhabi, you would:
pay 25.0% less for restaurants
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Bandar Seri Begawan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.89
AED40.00
|
$3.68
BND4.67
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
AED35.00
|
$6.15
BND7.81
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.29
AED4.74
|
$0.97
BND1.24
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.44
AED1.61
|
$0.55
BND0.70
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Bandar Seri Begawan - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.2% more for groceries
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Bandar Seri Begawan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.60
AED5.89
|
$1.73
BND2.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.28
AED19.39
|
$3.61
BND4.58
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.50
AED27.54
|
$6.83
BND8.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.64
AED13.37
|
$2.24
BND2.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.12
AED15.11
|
$2.02
BND2.56
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.15
AED4.21
|
$1.40
BND1.78
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
AED3.00
|
$0.98
BND1.25
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
AED3.05
|
$1.32
BND1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.67
AED2.46
|
$1.14
BND1.45
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.96
|
$0.76
BND0.97
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.65
AED2.39
|
$0.92
BND1.17
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Bandar Seri Begawan - Cost of groceries
pay 60.6% more for transportation
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Bandar Seri Begawan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.94
AED10.80
|
$1.48
BND1.87
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$25.87
AED95.00
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$44,639.07
AED164K
|
$38,674.88
BND49,106.92
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.62
AED28.00
|
$26.30
BND33.40
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Bandar Seri Begawan - Cost of transportation
pay 48.4% less for housing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Bandar Seri Begawan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$100.96
AED370.79
|
$68.09
BND86.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,490.68
AED5,474.52
|
$719.61
BND913.72
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,109.19
AED4,073.48
|
$451.29
BND573.01
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$115.93
AED425.75
|
$57.89
BND73.51
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Bandar Seri Begawan - Cost of housing
pay 26.6% less for childcare
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Bandar Seri Begawan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$625.43
AED2,296.88
|
$156.63
BND198.88
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,786.81
AED46,959.57
|
$15,593.11
BND19,799.15
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Bandar Seri Begawan - Cost of childcare
pay 16.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Bandar Seri Begawan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$11.29
AED41.45
|
$1.93
BND2.46
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.77
AED21.18
|
$3.71
BND4.72
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.26
AED23.00
|
$15.47
BND19.64
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.90
AED230.98
|
$31.59
BND40.11
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.61
AED50.00
|
$5.41
BND6.87
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Bandar Seri Begawan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.3% more for clothing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Bandar Seri Begawan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.62
AED222.62
|
$95.43
BND121.17
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.93
AED190.71
|
$68.10
BND86.47
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.09
AED360.23
|
$116.07
BND147.38
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.21
AED353.33
|
$63.82
BND81.04
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Bandar Seri Begawan - Cost of clothing
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: February 2026
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United Arab Emirates vs. Brunei.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United Arab Emirates and Brunei.
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
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Bandar Seri Begawan or Abu Dhabi. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.