Living in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Bandar Seri Begawan is a smaller coastal city in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 27°C over the year with about 3,619 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,692 a month to live centrally, and Brunei sits in our zero or very low tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Brunei is hard to obtain.
12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).
- Est. cost
- €2,692
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Zero or very low
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 27°C
- 3,619 mm rain a year
- Size
- Smaller
- under 250,000 people
- Safety
- 85/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~90 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Hard to obtain
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Bandar Seri Begawan
- No or very low personal income tax
- Safer than 98% of the cities we compare
- Warmer than 85% of the cities we track
- Stronger healthcare than 81% of the cities we compare
- Wet: about 3,619 mm of rain a year
Taxes
Brunei sits in our zero or very low tax tier: little to no personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Safety and stability
Brunei scores 85 out of 100 on safety, safer than 98% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 2.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Brunei. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Climate
Bandar Seri Begawan averages 27°C across the year with about 3,619 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 85% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Brunei scores 72 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 81% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Brunei.
Residency and visas
Hard to obtain. Long-term presence is essentially employer-sponsored (work permit tied to a job) or via the new discretionary five-year Long-Term Pass for those with family ties, qualifying business investment, or scarce professional expertise; there is no investor, retirement, or means-tested self-funded route, and permanent residency requires roughly 15 years of continuous residence (10 if married to a citizen) at official discretion.
For short visits, 56 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 7 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 135 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: Malay, English. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 35 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Brunei runs at about 90 Mbps, faster than 36% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,692 a month to live centrally in Bandar Seri Begawan, 1% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 57% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Questions couples ask about Bandar Seri Begawan
Is Bandar Seri Begawan a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Bandar Seri Begawan scores well on safety and healthcare. It is weaker on political stability and social openness. Expect a warm, very wet climate (27°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Bandar Seri Begawan and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Bandar Seri Begawan?
We estimate about €2,692 a month for a couple living centrally, 1% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Bandar Seri Begawan?
Brunei is in our zero or very low tax tier (little to no personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high.
Can foreigners live in Brunei long term?
Our assessment: hard to obtain. Long-term presence is essentially employer-sponsored (work permit tied to a job) or via the new discretionary five-year Long-Term Pass for those with family ties, qualifying business investment, or scarce professional expertise; there is no investor, retirement, or means-tested self-funded route, and permanent residency requires roughly 15 years of continuous residence (10 if married to a citizen) at official discretion.
What is the weather like in Bandar Seri Begawan?
Bandar Seri Begawan averages 27°C across the year with about 3,619 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 85% of the cities we track.
Cities like Bandar Seri Begawan
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Bandar Seri Begawan
Moving to Brunei as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.