Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Battambang

For one person, living is cheaper in Battambang: $661 a month against $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Battambang
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Battambang Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Battambang

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Battambang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,083 in Phnom Penh versus $661 in Battambang.

Phnom Penh $1,083
Battambang $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,778 in Phnom Penh versus $1,046 in Battambang.

Phnom Penh $1,778
Battambang $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,474 in Phnom Penh versus $1,431 in Battambang.

Phnom Penh $2,474
Battambang $1,431

Living in Phnom Penh is roughly 64% more expensive than in Battambang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phnom Penh 20% lower, Battambang 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ៛18.5K

$2.43 ៛9,886

87.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.42 ៛164.7K

$18.26 ៛74.4K

121.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ៛28.6K

$6.31 ៛25.7K

11.09%

Cappuccino

$2.84 ៛11.6K

$1.37 ៛5,564

107.30%

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

$1.72 ៛7,001

$0.67 ៛2,718

156.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ៛2,727

$0.48 ៛1,938

39.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,187

$0.84 ៛3,419

22.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ៛12.4K

$2.23 ៛9,106

36.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ៛9,284

$2.25 ៛9,176

1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ៛6,536

$1.01 ៛4,130

58.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,378

$1.02 ៛4,148

4.90%

Eggs

$1.82 ៛7,428

$1.72 ៛7,023

5.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ៛59.9K

$14.23 ៛58.0K

3.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ៛18.1K

$2.43 ៛9,890

83.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 ៛39.2K

$9.45 ៛38.5K

1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 ៛16.9K

$4.26 ៛17.3K

-2.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,947

$1.28 ៛5,213

32.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 ៛18.3K

$4.60 ៛18.7K

-2.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ៛8,218

$1.92 ៛7,844

5.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 ៛6,997

$1.76 ៛7,186

-2.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ៛5,125

$1.14 ៛4,627

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ៛5,659

$0.78 ៛3,164

78.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,146

$0.75 ៛3,057

2.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ៛7,933

$1.92 ៛7,820

1.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 ៛45.4K

$10.89 ៛44.4K

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ៛4,122

$0.64 ៛2,616

57.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,296

$0.98 ៛3,984

82.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ៛1,560

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.88 ៛40.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,463

$0.85 ៛3,472

29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,126

$0.89 ៛3,637

13.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 ៛20.4K

$4.96 ៛20.2K

1.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ៛5,553

$1.20 ៛4,887

13.33%

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

$34.8K ៛141.9M

$35.2K ៛143.5M

-1.16%

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

$44.6K ៛181.9M

$34.3K ៛139.7M

30.21%

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

$118 ៛481.8K

$64.2 ៛261.6K

84.19%

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

$7.32 ៛29.8K

$2.72 ៛11.1K

169.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 ៛102.9K

$25.32 ៛103.2K

-0.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ៛154.6K

$22.07 ៛89.9K

71.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.05 ៛45.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ៛20.7K

$5.03 ៛20.5K

1.19%

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

$597 ៛2.4M

$89.2 ៛363.6K

569.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K ៛45.3M

$3,929 ៛16.0M

183.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.17 ៛114.8K

$20.29 ៛82.7K

38.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.25 ៛98.8K

$23.97 ៛97.7K

1.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 ៛367.4K

$90.0 ៛366.6K

0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.1 ៛236.6K

$44.81 ៛182.6K

29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

$228 ៛930.9K

187.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ៛1.7M

$153 ៛621.8K

166.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 ៛5.9M

$420 ៛1.7M

242.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 ៛3.9M

$322 ៛1.3M

195.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,710 ៛11.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,523 ៛6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$315 ៛1.3M

$203 ៛826.8K

55.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.94

7.25

9.52%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Battambang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5%

Battambang

$153 23.1% 62.4% $253

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8%

Battambang

$230 34.8% 10.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9%

Battambang

$92 14% 38.8% $59

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4%

Battambang

$68 10.3% 39.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3%

Battambang

$81 12.2% 10.8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4%

Battambang

$32 4.9% 33.2% $16

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6%

Battambang

$5.3 * 0.8% 69.7% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $658 in Phnom Penh and $228 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phnom Penh pays 55% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40 in Phnom Penh vs $18 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $230 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Battambang

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

Same time as Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

196,709

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Phnom Penh Battambang 250 km

From you

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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 Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Phnom Penh. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 55% higher in Phnom Penh, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $658 in Phnom Penh versus $228 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $597 in Phnom Penh versus $89 in Battambang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18 versus $40 in Phnom Penh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $661 in Battambang versus $1,083 in Phnom Penh, a $800 budget is realistic in Battambang but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. The gap between the two cities makes Battambang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Battambang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phnom Penh, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Battambang wins on affordability, Phnom Penh on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.