Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $575 in Kampong Cham versus $963 in Phnom Penh.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $936 in Kampong Cham versus $1,487 in Phnom Penh.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,297 in Kampong Cham versus $2,011 in Phnom Penh.

Living in Kampong Cham costs roughly 40% less than in Phnom Penh, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kampong Cham 57% lower, Phnom Penh 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.54 ៛10.2K

$5.14 ៛20.7K

-50.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.68 ៛95.2K

$29.79 ៛119.8K

-20.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ៛31.7K

$6.95 ៛27.9K

13.38%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ៛6,398

$2.65 ៛10.7K

-40.00%

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

$0.70 ៛2,798

$1.02 ៛4,111

-31.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ៛1,880

$1.03 ៛4,154

-54.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ៛4,080

$1.47 ៛5,900

-31.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ៛7,702

$2.55 ៛10.3K

-24.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ៛6,934

$2.07 ៛8,342

-16.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ៛5,791

$1.46 ៛5,853

-1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ៛2,894

$1.03 ៛4,156

-30.10%

Eggs

$1.58 ៛6,339

$1.83 ៛7,346

-13.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 ៛59.3K

$12.64 ៛50.8K

16.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ៛14.0K

$4.04 ៛16.2K

-13.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.19 ៛37.0K

$10.44 ៛42.0K

-11.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ៛7,970

$4.60 ៛18.5K

-56.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 ៛2,946

$1.62 ៛6,500

-54.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 ៛12.0K

$3.81 ៛15.3K

-21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.97 ៛3,919

$1.45 ៛5,823

-33.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,153

$1.67 ៛6,719

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ៛3,825

$1.24 ៛4,992

-23.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ៛5,188

$1.40 ៛5,613

-7.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ៛2,455

$0.67 ៛2,689

-8.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ៛4,903

$2.03 ៛8,167

-39.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 ៛30.3K

$11.90 ៛47.9K

-36.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ៛2,126

$1.02 ៛4,085

-48.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ៛8,172

$1.70 ៛6,838

19.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 ៛6,138

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.79 ៛43.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ៛4,172

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 ៛3,090

$1.01 ៛4,065

-23.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 ៛19.5K

$4.61 ៛18.6K

5.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ៛4,482

$1.18 ៛4,750

-5.93%

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

$34.4K ៛138.2M

$49.6K ៛199.6M

-30.77%

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

$39.9K ៛160.4M

$36.8K ៛147.8M

8.55%

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

$72.7 ៛292.5K

$106 ៛426.7K

-31.46%

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

$5.84 ៛23.5K

$6.41 ៛25.8K

-8.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.35 ៛77.8K

$23.17 ៛93.2K

-16.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.98 ៛40.1K

$46.71 ៛187.8K

-78.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.54 ៛58.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 ៛25.4K

$4.62 ៛18.6K

36.58%

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

$402 ៛1.6M

$374 ៛1.5M

7.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,514 ៛10.1M

$11.7K ៛47.0M

-78.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.10 ៛40.6K

$22.36 ៛89.9K

-54.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.60 ៛74.8K

$22.30 ៛89.7K

-16.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.5 ៛219.3K

$89.9 ៛361.5K

-39.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.62 ៛143.2K

$72.2 ៛290.4K

-50.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 ៛1.6M

$504 ៛2.0M

-22.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 ៛503.9K

$280 ៛1.1M

-55.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ៛2.2M

$1,023 ៛4.1M

-46.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ៛1.2M

$567 ៛2.3M

-48.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,925 ៛11.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,484 ៛6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 ៛1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

74.76%

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

Last update for Kampong Cham: May 30, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $392 in Kampong Cham and $504 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Kampong Cham vs $30.00 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $245 per month, with Kampong Cham 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

Kampong Cham vs Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($575 vs $963 including rent). Kampong Cham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $862 in Kampong Cham and $1,445 in Phnom Penh to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $392 in Kampong Cham versus $504 in Phnom Penh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Phnom Penh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $575 per month in Kampong Cham versus $963 in Phnom Penh – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $575 in Kampong Cham versus $963 in Phnom Penh, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kampong Cham but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. The gap between the two cities makes Kampong Cham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kampong Cham 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 Kampong Cham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.