Cost of Living Comparison Between Battambang and Phnom Penh Cost of Living Comparison Between Battambang and Phnom Penh

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $640 in Battambang versus $939 in Phnom Penh.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,006 in Battambang versus $1,462 in Phnom Penh.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,373 in Battambang versus $1,985 in Phnom Penh.

Living in Battambang costs roughly 32% less than in Phnom Penh, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Battambang 52% lower, Phnom Penh 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ៛10.0K

$5.04 ៛20.3K

-50.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.27 ៛73.7K

$29.66 ៛119.6K

-38.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 ៛23.0K

$6.97 ៛28.1K

-18.22%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ៛6,117

$2.61 ៛10.5K

-41.76%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ៛2,544

$1.03 ៛4,163

-38.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ៛1,936

$0.98 ៛3,965

-51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 ៛2,904

$1.48 ៛5,962

-51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ៛6,115

$2.46 ៛9,919

-38.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ៛8,396

$2.06 ៛8,304

0.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ៛5,871

$1.47 ៛5,927

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ៛4,093

$0.96 ៛3,885

6.25%

Eggs

$1.83 ៛7,385

$1.78 ៛7,159

2.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 ៛51.4K

$12.97 ៛52.3K

-1.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ៛16.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ៛42.1K

$10.26 ៛41.4K

1.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 ៛10.2K

$4.46 ៛18.0K

-43.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ៛6,227

$1.60 ៛6,433

-3.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ៛9,217

$3.80 ៛15.3K

-39.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ៛6,077

$1.48 ៛5,953

2.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 ៛6,204

$1.74 ៛7,002

-11.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ៛5,049

$1.21 ៛4,876

3.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 ៛5,829

$1.44 ៛5,817

0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ៛1,941

$0.71 ៛2,879

-32.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 ៛7,987

$2.03 ៛8,191

-2.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 ៛45.1K

$11.07 ៛44.6K

0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ៛3,359

$1.05 ៛4,250

-20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ៛4,108

$1.63 ៛6,580

-37.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 ៛6,217

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.57 ៛42.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 ៛3,989

$1.02 ៛4,107

-2.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ៛4,101

$0.97 ៛3,914

5.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 ៛16.5K

$4.62 ៛18.6K

-11.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ៛4,692

$1.12 ៛4,516

3.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$48.3K ៛194.8M

$49.3K ៛198.8M

-2.01%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.4K ៛150.9M

$36.4K ៛146.6M

2.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$52.7 ៛212.6K

$104 ៛418.4K

-49.19%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$1.46 ៛5,897

$6.21 ៛25.0K

-76.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.75 ៛95.7K

$23.75 ៛95.8K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.21 ៛89.5K

$46.45 ៛187.2K

-52.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.53 ៛58.6K

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 ៛17.7K

$4.53 ៛18.3K

-3.09%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$90.3 ៛364.2K

$379 ៛1.5M

-76.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,904 ៛15.7M

$11.6K ៛46.8M

-66.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.10 ៛81.0K

$22.08 ៛89.0K

-8.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.47 ៛90.6K

$22.04 ៛88.8K

1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.51 ៛179.4K

$90.9 ៛366.5K

-51.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.40 ៛166.9K

$74.4 ៛299.8K

-44.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 ៛991.3K

$505 ៛2.0M

-51.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ៛695.0K

$276 ៛1.1M

-37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ៛1.9M

$1,038 ៛4.2M

-54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ៛1.4M

$551 ៛2.2M

-36.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,910 ៛11.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,520 ៛6.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 ៛798.2K

$326 ៛1.3M

-39.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

-22.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Battambang: July 11, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Battambang and $505 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phnom Penh pays 65% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $18.00 in Battambang vs $30.00 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $244 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Battambang vs Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Phnom Penh. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Phnom Penh. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Battambang versus $505 in Phnom Penh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.3 in Battambang versus $379 in Phnom Penh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $30.00 in Phnom Penh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $640 in Battambang versus $939 in Phnom Penh, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Battambang but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. The gap between the two cities makes Battambang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $640 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Battambang and Phnom Penh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Battambang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.