Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Cambodia Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Cambodia

Name: Cambodia
Address: KH

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $712 per month in China vs $546 in Cambodia, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,131 per month in China vs $852 in Cambodia, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,550 per month in China vs $1,157 in Cambodia, rent included.

China costs about 30% more than Cambodia on average — the gap runs across housing, groceries, transport, and services.

Both China and Cambodia are more affordable than the global median – China 47% lower, Cambodia 59% lower.

Cambodia has a wider regional cost range ($0–$955) than China ($532–$1,187), so location matters more when choosing where to live in Cambodia.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 ¥18.80

$2.94 ៛11.7K

-6.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.07 ¥165

$27.38 ៛109.3K

-12.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 ¥33.11

$7.08 ៛28.3K

-31.64%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥20.29

$2.31 ៛9,236

28.57%

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

$0.45 ¥3.05

$0.91 ៛3,631

-50.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥2.00

$0.77 ៛3,067

-62.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ¥6.85

$0.99 ៛3,948

1.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥14.11

$2.54 ៛10.2K

-18.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.46

$2.16 ៛8,622

-15.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥11.07

$1.73 ៛6,886

-6.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.20

$0.90 ៛3,598

1.11%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.55

$1.82 ៛7,272

-15.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.32 ¥91.1

$14.14 ៛56.4K

-5.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ¥22.38

$4.29 ៛17.1K

-23.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ¥72.2

$9.90 ៛39.5K

6.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 ¥12.01

$3.70 ៛14.7K

-52.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.91

$1.25 ៛4,987

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.93

$3.43 ៛13.7K

-57.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥8.16

$1.41 ៛5,618

-15.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.83

$1.35 ៛5,369

-47.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.23

$1.13 ៛4,511

-19.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.89

$1.63 ៛6,486

-65.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.65

$0.69 ៛2,752

-23.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 ¥23.97

$1.95 ៛7,796

79.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 ¥81.1

$9.86 ៛39.3K

20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.72

$0.92 ៛3,652

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.49

$1.69 ៛6,751

-0.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥3.00

$0.98 ៛3,914

-55.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.76 ¥142

$10.81 ៛43.1K

92.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.28

$1.02 ៛4,070

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.43

$0.98 ៛3,922

-64.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.65 ¥45.47

$4.30 ៛17.1K

54.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.99

$1.13 ៛4,523

3.54%

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

$19.1K ¥130.8K

$42.2K ៛168.6M

-54.72%

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

$17.1K ¥117.2K

$37.5K ៛149.5M

-54.26%

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

$52.0 ¥355

$89.2 ៛356.1K

-41.76%

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

$9.65 ¥66.0

$6.13 ៛24.4K

57.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.16 ¥76.3

$24.15 ៛96.4K

-53.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.48 ¥277

$42.88 ៛171.1K

-5.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.75 ¥101

$8.95 ៛35.7K

64.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.35 ¥43.45

$5.05 ៛20.1K

25.74%

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

$410 ¥2,803

$322 ៛1.3M

27.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ¥121.8K

$6,878 ៛27.4M

158.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.08 ¥315

$23.05 ៛92.0K

99.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.86 ¥225

$21.88 ៛87.3K

50.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ¥487

$71.4 ៛285.0K

-0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 ¥515

$57.3 ៛228.5K

31.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 ¥2,942

$411 ៛1.6M

4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 ¥1,784

$245 ៛976.8K

6.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 ¥6,254

$760 ៛3.0M

20.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 ¥3,711

$452 ៛1.8M

19.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,177 ¥35.4K

$2,722 ៛10.9M

90.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,630 ¥18.0K

$1,291 ៛5.2M

103.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 ¥7,250

$279 ៛1.1M

280.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

11.09

-63.39%

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

Last update for China: April 21, 2026

Last update for Cambodia: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $287 in China vs $161 in Cambodia. For reference, capital cities sit at $891 in Beijing (Pekin) and $502 in Phnom Penh.

Average salary: $833 in China vs $229 in Cambodia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 78% higher in China.

Public transport is 1700% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 264% higher in China, giving China stronger purchasing power.

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

Cambodia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 80% lower on average. The gap is consistent across housing, groceries, transport, and entertainment.

Housing costs more in China, and the gap is biggest in capital cities. Regional towns show less difference, but China consistently has higher rents.

Groceries, transport, and utilities all cost less in Cambodia, contributing to the overall 80% price gap. The savings show up everywhere – from supermarket receipts to monthly bills.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Cambodia, but in China it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Cambodia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.