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: $1,015 in Phnom Penh versus $670 in Battambang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,653 in Phnom Penh versus $1,060 in Battambang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,290 in Phnom Penh versus $1,451 in Battambang.

Living in Phnom Penh is roughly 52% more expensive than in Battambang, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phnom Penh 26% lower, Battambang 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 ៛15.9K

$2.48 ៛10.0K

58.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 ៛160.8K

$17.74 ៛71.8K

123.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 ៛28.2K

$6.29 ៛25.5K

10.65%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ៛12.3K

$1.31 ៛5,296

131.30%

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

$1.86 ៛7,547

$0.72 ៛2,921

158.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ៛2,855

$0.49 ៛1,970

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 ៛5,141

$0.92 ៛3,713

38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ៛11.9K

$2.27 ៛9,203

29.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ៛8,869

$2.21 ៛8,966

-0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,717

$1.02 ៛4,125

62.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,327

$1.03 ៛4,171

3.88%

Eggs

$1.73 ៛7,019

$1.68 ៛6,792

2.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 ៛60.6K

$14.84 ៛60.1K

0.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ៛17.0K

$2.40 ៛9,700

75.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 ៛37.6K

$9.49 ៛38.4K

-2.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 ៛15.6K

$4.03 ៛16.3K

-4.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 ៛7,133

$1.26 ៛5,114

39.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 ៛17.3K

$4.34 ៛17.6K

-1.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ៛8,572

$2.10 ៛8,499

0.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ៛6,503

$1.61 ៛6,529

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ៛4,903

$1.09 ៛4,429

11.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ៛4,641

$0.78 ៛3,177

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ៛2,917

$0.74 ៛2,977

-2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 ៛7,576

$1.90 ៛7,698

-1.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 ៛43.9K

$10.83 ៛43.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ៛4,204

$0.60 ៛2,426

73.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ៛7,114

$1.03 ៛4,166

70.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ៛1,892

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.35 ៛37.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ៛4,616

$0.91 ៛3,669

25.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ៛4,007

$0.85 ៛3,458

16.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 ៛21.0K

$4.95 ៛20.1K

4.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ៛5,372

$1.20 ៛4,857

10.83%

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

$34.8K ៛141.0M

$34.5K ៛139.5M

1.09%

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

$43.7K ៛177.0M

$33.7K ៛136.6M

29.55%

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

$108 ៛437.8K

$64.9 ៛262.8K

66.58%

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

$7.45 ៛30.2K

$2.67 ៛10.8K

179.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 ៛99.6K

$24.73 ៛100.2K

-0.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 ៛164.1K

$22.76 ៛92.2K

78.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ៛43.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 ៛20.0K

$4.97 ៛20.1K

-0.40%

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

$655 ៛2.7M

$89.8 ៛363.8K

629.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ៛44.1M

$3,961 ៛16.0M

175.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.87 ៛112.9K

$20.08 ៛81.3K

38.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.78 ៛96.3K

$23.53 ៛95.3K

1.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 ៛371.7K

$89.6 ៛362.8K

2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 ៛242.4K

$44.19 ៛178.9K

35.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 ៛2.6M

$229 ៛929.0K

174.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ៛1.5M

$151 ៛613.3K

140.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 ៛4.7M

$427 ៛1.7M

170.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 ៛3.3M

$329 ៛1.3M

149.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,860 ៛11.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 ៛6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$327 ៛1.3M

$197 ៛796.7K

66.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

7.25

11.31%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: September 7, 2026

Last update for Battambang: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $630 in Phnom Penh and $229 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phnom Penh pays 66% 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: $40.00 in Phnom Penh vs $18.00 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $229 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 52% 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 66% 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: $630 in Phnom Penh versus $229 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $655 in Phnom Penh versus $89.8 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 $40.00 in Phnom Penh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $670 in Battambang versus $1,015 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 $670 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 52% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.