Moving to Brunei from Singapore
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Singapore to Brunei — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Singapore to Brunei, you would find that Brunei is 24.7% cheaper than Singapore overall. A SGD95,760 salary in Singapore would need to be roughly BND39,140 in Brunei to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Singapore to Brunei.
What does your salary buy?
SGD95,760 → BND39,140
To maintain the same standard of living in Brunei
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 40.5% less
Groceries
pay 13.6% less
Transportation
pay 3.0% more
Housing
pay 29.5% less
Childcare
pay 72.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 39.0% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Singapore to Brunei, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Singapore and Brunei stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Singapore performs better than Brunei across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Singapore generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Brunei leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Singapore generally does better on environment, though Brunei leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Brunei generally does better on infrastructure, though Singapore leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Singapore generally does better on employment & economy, though Brunei leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Singapore generally does better on family life, though Brunei leads in education spending.
Data: Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Singapore | Bandar Seri Begawan |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 89°/76°F (31°/25°C) | 88°/74°F (31°/23°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 90°/78°F (32°/26°C) | 90°/75°F (33°/24°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/78°F (31°/25°C) | 90°/74°F (32°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 88°/76°F (31°/25°C) | 89°/74°F (31°/23°C) |
View all months
| Month | Singapore | Bandar Seri Begawan |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87°/76°F (30.6°/24.3°C) | 87°/74°F (30.4°/23.3°C) |
| Feb | 89°/76°F (31.5°/24.6°C) | 87°/74°F (30.7°/23.3°C) |
| Mar | 90°/77°F (32.2°/24.9°C) | 89°/74°F (31.9°/23.5°C) |
| Apr | 90°/78°F (32.4°/25.3°C) | 90°/75°F (32.5°/23.7°C) |
| May | 90°/78°F (32.3°/25.7°C) | 91°/75°F (32.6°/23.7°C) |
| Jun | 89°/78°F (31.9°/25.7°C) | 90°/74°F (32.5°/23.4°C) |
| Jul | 89°/78°F (31.4°/25.4°C) | 90°/73°F (32.3°/23.0°C) |
| Aug | 89°/78°F (31.4°/25.3°C) | 90°/74°F (32.4°/23.1°C) |
| Sep | 89°/77°F (31.6°/25.2°C) | 90°/74°F (32.0°/23.1°C) |
| Oct | 89°/77°F (31.8°/25.0°C) | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.2°C) |
| Nov | 88°/76°F (31.2°/24.6°C) | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.2°C) |
| Dec | 87°/76°F (30.5°/24.3°C) | 88°/74°F (31.0°/23.2°C) |
Data:
Meteorological Service Singapore,
Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Singapore and Brunei. To live, work, or study long-term in Brunei, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Brunei's immigration authority.
Singapore passport holder visiting Brunei
Visa Free
Brunei passport holder visiting Singapore
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Brunei than Singapore?
Generally yes: Brunei runs about 59% cheaper than Singapore on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Brunei?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a SGD95,760 comparable salary, that's around BND9,785 in Brunei for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, deposits, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Brunei?
With 20.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Brunei can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Singapore and Brunei.
Is Brunei safe for expats?
Singapore performs better than Brunei across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Brunei is 0.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.1 in Singapore.
How is healthcare in Brunei compared to Singapore?
Singapore generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Brunei leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 19.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Brunei, compared to 26.0 in Singapore. Brunei scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Singapore: 89).
What's the weather like in Brunei compared to Singapore?
The average high temperature in Bandar Seri Begawan is 89°F, compared to 89°F in Singapore. Bandar Seri Begawan receives around 114.7 in of rainfall per year, while Singapore gets 83.2 in.
What language do they speak in Brunei?
The official language in Brunei is Malay. In Singapore, the official languages are Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil.
