Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Battambang Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Battambang

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $963 in Phnom Penh versus $646 in Battambang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Phnom Penh versus $1,001 in Battambang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,011 in Phnom Penh versus $1,356 in Battambang.

Living in Phnom Penh is roughly 49% more expensive than Battambang, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phnom Penh 28% lower, Battambang 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.14 ៛20.7K

$2.45 ៛9,848

109.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.79 ៛119.8K

$17.89 ៛71.9K

66.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ៛27.9K

$5.63 ៛22.6K

23.45%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ៛10.7K

$1.52 ៛6,126

74.34%

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

$1.02 ៛4,111

$0.63 ៛2,542

61.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,154

$0.52 ៛2,097

98.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ៛5,900

$0.78 ៛3,131

88.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ៛10.3K

$1.48 ៛5,944

72.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 ៛8,342

$2.07 ៛8,327

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ៛5,853

$1.51 ៛6,087

-3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ៛4,156

$1.02 ៛4,090

0.98%

Eggs

$1.83 ៛7,346

$1.74 ៛7,014

5.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ៛50.8K

$12.75 ៛51.3K

-0.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.2K

$4.12 ៛16.6K

-1.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ៛42.0K

$10.15 ៛40.8K

2.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 ៛18.5K

$2.55 ៛10.2K

80.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ៛6,500

$1.61 ៛6,478

0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 ៛15.3K

$2.37 ៛9,525

60.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ៛5,823

$1.46 ៛5,855

-0.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ៛6,719

$1.52 ៛6,117

9.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ៛4,992

$1.19 ៛4,795

4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ៛5,613

$1.43 ៛5,755

-2.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ៛2,689

$0.51 ៛2,054

31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 ៛8,167

$1.97 ៛7,935

3.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 ៛47.9K

$12.13 ៛48.8K

-1.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ៛4,085

$0.81 ៛3,253

25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ៛6,838

$0.99 ៛3,963

71.72%

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

$0.97 ៛3,913

7.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,065

$1.02 ៛4,115

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 ៛18.6K

$4.04 ៛16.2K

14.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ៛4,750

$1.12 ៛4,514

5.36%

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

$49.6K ៛199.6M

$49.1K ៛197.6M

1.04%

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

$36.8K ៛147.8M

$36.4K ៛146.4M

0.93%

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

$106 ៛426.7K

$53.1 ៛213.4K

100.02%

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

$6.41 ៛25.8K

$1.53 ៛6,163

318.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.17 ៛93.2K

$23.23 ៛93.4K

-0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ៛187.8K

$22.41 ៛90.1K

108.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.54 ៛58.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.62 ៛18.6K

$4.37 ៛17.6K

5.72%

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

$374 ៛1.5M

$90.0 ៛361.8K

315.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ៛47.0M

$3,977 ៛16.0M

193.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.36 ៛89.9K

$19.77 ៛79.5K

13.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.30 ៛89.7K

$22.24 ៛89.4K

0.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 ៛361.5K

$44.13 ៛177.4K

103.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ៛290.4K

$42.11 ៛169.3K

71.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ៛2.0M

$252 ៛1.0M

99.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 ៛1.1M

$174 ៛700.0K

60.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ៛4.1M

$472 ៛1.9M

116.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 ៛2.3M

$354 ៛1.4M

59.97%

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

$203 ៛815.3K

72.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

28.75%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: May 30, 2026

Last update for Battambang: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $504 in Phnom Penh and $252 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phnom Penh pays 72% 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: $30.00 in Phnom Penh vs $18.00 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $224 per month, with Battambang 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

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

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 49% 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.

Phnom Penh pays 72% more on average, 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: $504 in Phnom Penh versus $252 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $374 in Phnom Penh versus $90.0 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 $18.00 versus $30.00 in Phnom Penh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $646 in Battambang versus $963 in Phnom Penh, a $1,000 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.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $646 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phnom Penh and Battambang 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 Battambang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.