Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,037 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. The total is higher in Phnom Penh despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phnom Penh and in Bansko

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

A single person spends $1,037 per month in Phnom Penh vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,037
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,654 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,654
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,271 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Phnom Penh $2,271
Bansko $1,957

Phnom Penh costs about 7% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phnom Penh and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 23% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ៛16.5K

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-52.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.62 ៛160.5K

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-15.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 ៛28.0K

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-23.31%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ៛12.2K

$2.24 BGN 3.92

34.82%

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

$1.87 ៛7,572

$1.50 BGN 2.63

24.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ៛2,484

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ៛3,964

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-44.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ៛11.9K

$2.00 BGN 3.51

47.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ៛8,802

$1.79 BGN 3.14

21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ៛6,506

$0.81 BGN 1.42

98.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,316

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-29.61%

Eggs

$1.73 ៛7,023

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-24.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 ៛60.6K

$9.60 BGN 16.81

55.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ៛16.5K

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-35.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ៛37.5K

$8.64 BGN 15.12

7.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 ៛15.7K

$1.28 BGN 2.24

202.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,879

$1.68 BGN 2.95

1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 ៛17.4K

$1.70 BGN 2.98

152.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ៛8,646

$1.89 BGN 3.30

12.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ៛6,549

$0.93 BGN 1.63

74.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,172

$0.76 BGN 1.32

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ៛4,656

$0.54 BGN 0.95

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,099

$0.58 BGN 1.02

32.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ៛7,883

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-43.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 ៛45.4K

$5.14 BGN 9.00

117.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,165

$1.11 BGN 1.94

-7.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,263

$1.70 BGN 2.97

5.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ៛1,900

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-46.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.74 ៛39.4K

$26.76 BGN 46.83

-63.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,455

$1.29 BGN 2.26

-14.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ៛3,954

$0.65 BGN 1.14

50.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 ៛20.9K

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-49.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ៛5,484

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-10.00%

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

$35.5K ៛143.9M

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

23.35%

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

$43.9K ៛177.6M

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

104.42%

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

$106 ៛431.3K

$91.4 BGN 160

16.46%

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

$7.39 ៛29.9K

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-49.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.24 ៛102.2K

$12.07 BGN 21.12

109.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.80 ៛165.2K

$32.28 BGN 56.5

26.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.94 ៛44.3K

$8.60 BGN 15.05

27.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.1K

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-11.72%

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

$665 ៛2.7M

$228 BGN 400

191.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.5M

$2,311 BGN 4,045

375.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.67 ៛112.1K

$30.48 BGN 53.3

-9.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.26 ៛98.2K

$19.01 BGN 33.26

27.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 ៛363.6K

$45.53 BGN 79.7

97.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ៛239.3K

$48.67 BGN 85.2

21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ៛2.6M

$521 BGN 913

22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ៛1.5M

$367 BGN 643

0.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 ៛4.7M

$634 BGN 1,110

81.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ៛3.3M

$558 BGN 976

43.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,883 ៛11.7M

$1,204 BGN 2,106

139.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,488 ៛6.0M

$971 BGN 1,699

53.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$330 ៛1.3M

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-80.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

2.99

169.90%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$370 35.9%

Bansko

$367 38% 0.6% $2.2

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$252 24.5%

Bansko

$193 20% 23.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$139 13.5%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 15% $21

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.7%

Bansko

$145 15% 31.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$90 8.8%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 28.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 14.2% $7.2

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 98% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $639 in Phnom Penh versus $521 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 406% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Phnom Penh versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $252 in Phnom Penh vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

4 h behind Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,050 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Bansko 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
Bansko

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

Phnom Penh vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,037 in Phnom Penh, $970 in Bansko – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,556 per month in Phnom Penh and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Phnom Penh and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,037 in Phnom Penh and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Phnom Penh at $1,037. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,037 in Phnom Penh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phnom Penh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.