Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Cambodia

Name: Cambodia
Address: KH

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.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cambodia
Learn more

Cambodia Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Cambodia

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

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

China $791
Cambodia $905

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

China $1,251
Cambodia $1,472

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

China $1,711
Cambodia $2,039

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

The cost of living in China is roughly 13% lower than in Cambodia on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.84

$3.08 ៛12.5K

-3.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$30.28 ៛123.4K

-27.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.66

$7.09 ៛28.9K

-26.66%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.77

$2.36 ៛9,611

25.85%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.02 ៛4,175

-52.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.56 ៛2,270

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$1.02 ៛4,149

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.18

$2.46 ៛10.0K

-7.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.98

$2.18 ៛8,877

-17.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$1.62 ៛6,619

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.02 ៛4,143

-9.80%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.84 ៛7,483

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.2

$14.68 ៛59.8K

-8.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.31

$4.02 ៛16.4K

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.7

$9.92 ៛40.4K

14.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$3.91 ៛15.9K

-53.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$1.44 ៛5,878

-9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$4.20 ៛17.1K

-64.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.49

$1.54 ៛6,277

-17.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.74

$1.35 ៛5,510

-47.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.13 ៛4,599

-17.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.42 ៛5,799

-56.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.77 ៛3,147

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.19

$1.78 ៛7,265

112.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.9

$10.90 ៛44.4K

11.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.55

$0.95 ៛3,864

-12.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$1.77 ៛7,213

-5.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.98 ៛3,981

-70.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$14.75 ៛60.1K

20.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$1.14 ៛4,653

30.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$1.02 ៛4,169

-63.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.31

$4.92 ៛20.0K

44.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$1.31 ៛5,346

-3.82%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$35.6K ៛145.1M

-45.40%

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

$17.5K ¥116.9K

$32.8K ៛133.4M

-46.46%

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

$54.6 ¥364

$103 ៛419.7K

-47.03%

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

$8.73 ¥58.2

$6.41 ៛26.1K

36.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.8

$21.50 ៛87.6K

-48.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥272

$37.57 ៛153.1K

8.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.5

$10.05 ៛40.9K

44.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.19

$5.12 ៛20.9K

32.42%

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

$517 ¥3,443

$478 ៛1.9M

8.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥132.0K

$6,542 ៛26.7M

202.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$27.54 ៛112.2K

68.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥238

$22.23 ៛90.6K

60.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥513

$75.2 ៛306.5K

2.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥535

$49.57 ៛201.9K

61.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,572

$415 ៛1.7M

-7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,563

$285 ៛1.2M

-17.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,478

$964 ៛3.9M

-14.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,020

$669 ៛2.7M

-32.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$2,553 ៛10.4M

83.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,428 ៛5.8M

66.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,286

$278 ៛1.1M

293.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.07

-57.13%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cambodia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Cambodia

$285 31.5% 21.5% $50

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Cambodia

$247 27.3% 17.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Cambodia

$79 8.7% 27.1% $29

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Cambodia

$91 10% 2.8% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Cambodia

$131 14.5% 76.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Cambodia

$48 5.3% 12% $6.5

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Cambodia

$25 2.8% 11.5% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $873 in China vs $226 in Cambodia. 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

🇨🇳 China

🇰🇭 Cambodia

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

16:38 4:38 PM

1 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

17,423,880

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

China
Cambodia

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

China vs Cambodia: 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.