Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Cham: $528 a month against $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kampong Cham
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$528
/mo nomad
Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$1,035
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kampong Cham and in Phnom Penh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $528 in Kampong Cham versus $1,035 in Phnom Penh.

  • Kampong Cham $528
  • Phnom Penh $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $827 in Kampong Cham versus $1,675 in Phnom Penh.

  • Kampong Cham $827
  • Phnom Penh $1,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,126 in Kampong Cham versus $2,315 in Phnom Penh.

  • Kampong Cham $1,126
  • Phnom Penh $2,315

Living in Kampong Cham costs roughly 49% less than in Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kampong Cham 61% lower, Phnom Penh 23% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.55 ៛10.3K
$4.09 ៛16.6K
-37.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.86 ៛80.7K
$39.96 ៛162.3K
-50.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.85 ៛31.9K
$6.93 ៛28.2K
13.28%
Cappuccino
$1.46 ៛5,924
$2.97 ៛12.1K
-50.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ៛1,969
$1.78 ៛7,248
-73.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 ៛1,834
$0.66 ៛2,695
-31.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.49 ៛1,970
$1.03 ៛4,176
-52.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 ៛6,176
$2.95 ៛12.0K
-48.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.21 ៛8,987
$2.19 ៛8,876
0.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 ៛7,035
$1.66 ៛6,757
4.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.88 ៛3,586
$1.11 ៛4,518
-20.72%
Eggs
$1.71 ៛6,955
$1.70 ៛6,899
0.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.48 ៛62.9K
$15.06 ៛61.2K
2.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.98 ៛12.1K
$4.13 ៛16.8K
-27.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.22 ៛41.5K
$9.00 ៛36.5K
13.56%
Apples (1kg)
$4.38 ៛17.8K
$4.04 ៛16.4K
8.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ៛4,955
$1.78 ៛7,228
-31.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.74 ៛15.2K
$4.35 ៛17.7K
-14.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.10 ៛4,469
$2.10 ៛8,529
-47.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 ៛5,237
$1.57 ៛6,391
-17.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ៛4,526
$1.23 ៛4,990
-9.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 ៛5,300
$1.18 ៛4,801
10.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 ៛3,248
$0.77 ៛3,128
3.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.36 ៛5,508
$1.86 ៛7,555
-26.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 ៛31.8K
$11.01 ៛44.7K
-28.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ៛4,043
$1.00 ៛4,082
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 ៛8,977
$1.73 ៛7,042
27.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.43 ៛1,741
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.58 ៛38.9K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.98 ៛8,038
$1.09 ៛4,428
81.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ៛4,158
$1.03 ៛4,179
-0.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.95 ៛20.1K
$5.13 ៛20.9K
-3.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 ៛5,281
$1.30 ៛5,284
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.5K ៛103.5M
$34.4K ៛139.7M
-25.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.1K ៛89.9M
$44.9K ៛182.4M
-50.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 ៛420.4K
$104 ៛424.3K
-0.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.58 ៛22.7K
$7.48 ៛30.4K
-25.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.22 ៛61.8K
$24.51 ៛99.6K
-37.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$9.94 ៛40.4K
$41.31 ៛167.8K
-75.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.87 ៛44.2K
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 ៛20.7K
$4.86 ៛19.7K
4.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$277 ៛1.1M
$669 ៛2.7M
-58.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,463 ៛18.1M
$11.0K ៛44.7M
-59.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.11 ៛106.1K
$28.43 ៛115.5K
-8.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.23 ៛53.7K
$23.93 ៛97.2K
-44.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.8 ៛275.4K
$91.7 ៛372.5K
-26.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.90 ៛182.4K
$59.8 ៛242.7K
-24.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$658 ៛2.7M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$375 ៛1.5M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,145 ៛4.6M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$818 ៛3.3M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,870 ៛11.7M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,519 ៛6.2M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kampong Cham
Phnom Penh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$325 ៛1.3M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.2
8.07
14.00%

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

Last update for Kampong Cham: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kampong Cham
$238
Phnom Penh
$253 6.5% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kampong Cham
$124
Phnom Penh
$136 9.8% $12
Eating Out
Kampong Cham
$71
Phnom Penh
$110 55.7% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Kampong Cham
$68
Phnom Penh
$92 34.1% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Kampong Cham
$20
Phnom Penh
$51 153% $31
Getting Around
Kampong Cham
$7.1 *
Phnom Penh
$18 147% $10
Accommodation & Living
Kampong Cham
- *
Phnom Penh
$375

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $20.00 in Kampong Cham vs $40.00 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $253 per month, with Kampong Cham cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Kampong Cham
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh
🕒 Local time
17:03 5:03 PM
17:03 5:03 PM
Same time as Kampong Cham
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
118,242
2,009,264 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kampong Cham Phnom Penh 75 km
From you
  • Kampong Cham
  • Phnom Penh

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
Kampong Cham vs Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Kampong Cham and in Phnom Penh?
Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($528 vs $1,035 including rent). Kampong Cham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Kampong Cham compared to Phnom Penh?
You'd need roughly $792 in Kampong Cham and $1,553 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.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phnom Penh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Kampong Cham or Phnom Penh?
All in, you'll spend $528 per month in Kampong Cham versus $1,035 in Phnom Penh – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $528 in Kampong Cham versus $1,035 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.
How does quality of life compare between Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh?
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.
Is Kampong Cham or Phnom Penh safer for residents?
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.
Where should expats move: Kampong Cham or Phnom Penh?
Expats usually find Kampong Cham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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