Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambodia and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $905 in Cambodia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Cambodia
Learn more

Cambodia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$905

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambodia and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cambodia and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $905 per month in Cambodia vs $791 in China, rent included.

Cambodia $905
China $791

A couple spends around $1,472 per month in Cambodia vs $1,251 in China, rent included.

Cambodia $1,472
China $1,251

A family of three spends $2,039 per month in Cambodia vs $1,711 in China, rent included.

Cambodia $2,039
China $1,711

Cost ranges are similar: Cambodia spans $485–$1,083, China $465–$1,222. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Cambodia is about 14% higher than in China on average.

Both Cambodia and China are more affordable than the global median – Cambodia 33% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.08 ៛12.5K

$2.98 ¥19.84

3.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.28 ៛123.4K

$22.09 ¥147

37.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 ៛28.9K

$5.20 ¥34.66

36.35%

Cappuccino

$2.36 ៛9,611

$2.97 ¥19.77

-20.54%

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

$1.02 ៛4,175

$0.48 ¥3.19

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ៛2,270

$0.30 ¥2.01

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,149

$1.08 ¥7.19

-5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ៛10.0K

$2.28 ¥15.18

7.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ៛8,877

$1.80 ¥11.98

21.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ៛6,619

$1.68 ¥11.17

-3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ៛4,143

$0.92 ¥6.14

10.87%

Eggs

$1.84 ៛7,483

$1.61 ¥10.75

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.68 ៛59.8K

$13.38 ¥89.2

9.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ៛16.4K

$3.35 ¥22.31

20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 ៛40.4K

$11.35 ¥75.7

-12.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 ៛15.9K

$1.82 ¥12.14

114.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ៛5,878

$1.31 ¥8.71

9.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 ៛17.1K

$1.49 ¥9.91

181.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ៛6,277

$1.27 ¥8.49

21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 ៛5,510

$0.71 ¥4.74

90.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ៛4,599

$0.93 ¥6.22

21.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ៛5,799

$0.62 ¥4.12

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,147

$0.56 ¥3.75

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 ៛7,265

$3.78 ¥25.19

-52.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 ៛44.4K

$12.13 ¥80.9

-10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ៛3,864

$0.83 ¥5.55

14.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ៛7,213

$1.68 ¥11.23

5.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ៛3,981

$0.29 ¥1.92

237.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.75 ៛60.1K

$17.83 ¥119

-17.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ៛4,653

$1.49 ¥9.91

-23.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ៛4,169

$0.37 ¥2.50

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 ៛20.0K

$7.10 ¥47.31

-30.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ៛5,346

$1.26 ¥8.39

3.97%

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

$35.6K ៛145.1M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

83.14%

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

$32.8K ៛133.4M

$17.5K ¥116.9K

86.76%

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

$103 ៛419.7K

$54.6 ¥364

88.80%

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

$6.41 ៛26.1K

$8.73 ¥58.2

-26.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.50 ៛87.6K

$11.07 ¥73.8

94.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.57 ៛153.1K

$40.77 ¥272

-7.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.05 ៛40.9K

$14.48 ¥96.5

-30.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ៛20.9K

$6.78 ¥45.19

-24.48%

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

$478 ៛1.9M

$517 ¥3,443

-7.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,542 ៛26.7M

$19.8K ¥132.0K

-66.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.54 ៛112.2K

$46.53 ¥310

-40.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.23 ៛90.6K

$35.66 ¥238

-37.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 ៛306.5K

$77.0 ¥513

-2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.57 ៛201.9K

$80.3 ¥535

-38.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 ៛1.7M

$386 ¥2,572

7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 ៛1.2M

$235 ¥1,563

21.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$964 ៛3.9M

$822 ¥5,478

17.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 ៛2.7M

$453 ¥3,020

47.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,553 ៛10.4M

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-45.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,428 ៛5.8M

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-39.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$278 ៛1.1M

$1,093 ¥7,286

-74.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

3.46

133.24%

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

Last update for Cambodia: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cambodia

$285 31.5%

China

$235 29.6% 17.7% $50

Groceries & Markets

Cambodia

$247 27.3%

China

$210 26.5% 15.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambodia

$131 14.5%

China

$74 9.4% 43.2% $57

Eating Out

Cambodia

$91 10%

China

$88 11.1% 2.7% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cambodia

$79 8.7%

China

$108 13.6% 37.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cambodia

$48 5.3%

China

$54 6.9% 13.6% $6.5

Getting Around

Cambodia

$25 2.8%

China

$22 2.8% 10.4% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $368 in Cambodia vs $298 in China. For reference, capital cities sit at $658 in Phnom Penh and $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Average salary: $226 in Cambodia vs $873 in China. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 23% higher in Cambodia.

Dining out costs 32% more in Cambodia.

Public transport is 50% more expensive in China.

Salaries are about 3.9 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Cambodia

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

1 h ahead of Cambodia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,423,880

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.21 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,534 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.21 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cambodia China 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cambodia
China

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Cambodia vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

China is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 13% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Cambodia: a central one-bedroom averages $368 versus $298 in China.

China is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.