Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampong Thom and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Thom: $627 a month against $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kampong Thom, Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Kampong Thom
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$627
/mo nomad
Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$1,083
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kampong Thom 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 Thom and in Phnom Penh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $627 per month in Kampong Thom vs $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

  • Kampong Thom $627
  • Phnom Penh $1,083

A couple spends around $1,019 per month in Kampong Thom vs $1,778 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

  • Kampong Thom $1,019
  • Phnom Penh $1,778

A family of three spends $1,410 per month in Kampong Thom vs $2,474 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

  • Kampong Thom $1,410
  • Phnom Penh $2,474

Kampong Thom is about 42% cheaper than Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kampong Thom and Phnom Penh are more affordable than the global median – Kampong Thom 54% lower, Phnom Penh 20% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.44 ៛18.1K
$4.55 ៛18.5K
-2.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.53 ៛165.1K
$40.42 ៛164.7K
0.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.84 ៛27.9K
$7.01 ៛28.6K
-2.43%
Cappuccino
$2.82 ៛11.5K
$2.84 ៛11.6K
-0.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 ៛6,965
$1.72 ៛6,999
-0.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 ៛2,485
$0.67 ៛2,726
-8.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.99 ៛4,014
$1.03 ៛4,186
-3.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 ៛12.4K
$3.05 ៛12.4K
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 ៛8,898
$2.28 ៛9,281
-4.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.66 ៛6,756
$1.60 ៛6,535
3.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.08 ៛4,393
$1.07 ៛4,377
0.93%
Eggs
$1.80 ៛7,318
$1.82 ៛7,427
-1.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.53 ៛59.2K
$14.70 ៛59.9K
-1.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.53 ៛18.5K
$4.45 ៛18.1K
1.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.46 ៛38.5K
$9.63 ៛39.2K
-1.77%
Apples (1kg)
$4.20 ៛17.1K
$4.14 ៛16.9K
1.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ៛6,907
$1.70 ៛6,946
-
Oranges (1kg)
$4.65 ៛18.9K
$4.49 ៛18.3K
3.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ៛8,098
$2.02 ៛8,216
-1.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 ៛7,296
$1.72 ៛6,996
4.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 ៛4,985
$1.26 ៛5,124
-3.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 ៛5,383
$1.39 ៛5,657
-5.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ៛3,120
$0.77 ៛3,146
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.86 ៛7,569
$1.95 ៛7,931
-4.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.17 ៛45.5K
$11.14 ៛45.4K
0.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ៛4,085
$1.01 ៛4,121
-0.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ៛7,001
$1.79 ៛7,294
-3.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.38 ៛1,560
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.88 ៛40.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 ៛4,453
$1.10 ៛4,462
-0.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.97 ៛3,963
$1.01 ៛4,125
-3.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 ៛20.0K
$5.02 ៛20.4K
-2.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 ៛5,597
$1.36 ៛5,551
0.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K ៛145.3M
$34.8K ៛141.8M
2.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.8K ៛178.6M
$44.6K ៛181.9M
-1.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 ៛486.8K
$118 ៛481.7K
1.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.48 ៛30.5K
$7.32 ៛29.8K
2.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.05 ៛102.1K
$25.26 ៛102.9K
-0.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.94 ៛154.6K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.05 ៛45.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 ៛20.3K
$5.09 ៛20.7K
-2.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$597 ៛2.4M
$597 ៛2.4M
0.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.9K ៛44.5M
$11.1K ៛45.3M
-1.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.52 ៛112.1K
$28.17 ៛114.7K
-2.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.75 ៛96.7K
$24.25 ៛98.8K
-2.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.7 ៛373.8K
$90.2 ៛367.4K
1.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 ៛244.5K
$58.1 ៛236.5K
3.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$658 ៛2.7M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$406 ៛1.7M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,441 ៛5.9M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$950 ៛3.9M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,710 ៛11.0M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,523 ៛6.2M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kampong Thom
Phnom Penh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$315 ៛1.3M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.94
7.94
-

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

Last update for Kampong Thom: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kampong Thom
$257
Phnom Penh
$258 0.3% $0.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kampong Thom
$152
Phnom Penh
$151 0.8% $1.2
Eating Out
Kampong Thom
$110
Phnom Penh
$112 1.9% $2.1
Clothing & Footwear
Kampong Thom
$91
Phnom Penh
$90 1.2% $1.1
Sport & Entertainment
Kampong Thom
$10 *
Phnom Penh
$48 384% $38
Getting Around
Kampong Thom
$6 *
Phnom Penh
$18 195% $12
Accommodation & Living
Kampong Thom
- *
Phnom Penh
$406

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Kampong Thom versus $40 in Phnom Penh. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Kampong Thom vs $258 in Phnom Penh – so Kampong Thom wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Kampong Thom
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh
🕒 Local time
11:58 11:58 AM
11:58 11:58 AM
Same time as Kampong Thom
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,951
2,009,264 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kampong Thom Phnom Penh 130 km
From you
  • Kampong Thom
  • 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 Thom vs Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kampong Thom cheaper than Phnom Penh?
Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $940 per month in Kampong Thom and $1,625 in Phnom Penh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Kampong Thom and in Phnom Penh?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $627 in Kampong Thom and $1,083 in Phnom Penh. That’s a gap of about 73%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Kampong Thom and $597 in Phnom Penh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Kampong Thom or in Phnom Penh?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kampong Thom, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Phnom Penh at $1,083. In Kampong Thom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Kampong Thom or in Phnom Penh?
It depends on your priorities. Phnom Penh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $627 in Kampong Thom to $1,083 in Phnom Penh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Kampong Thom vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?