Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Bistrita

For one person, living is cheaper in Bistrita: $845 a month against $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bistrita
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Bistrita Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Bistrita

🇷🇴 Romania

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,035 per month in Phnom Penh vs $845 in Bistrita, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,035
Bistrita $845

A couple spends around $1,675 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,288 in Bistrita, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,675
Bistrita $1,288

A family of three spends $2,315 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,730 in Bistrita, rent included.

Phnom Penh $2,315
Bistrita $1,730

Phnom Penh costs about 22% more than Bistrita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phnom Penh and Bistrita are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 23% lower, Bistrita 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ៛16.6K

$6.22 RON 29.44

-34.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.96 ៛162.3K

$31.58 RON 149

26.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 ៛28.2K

$6.19 RON 29.28

11.95%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ៛12.1K

$2.23 RON 10.55

33.18%

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

$1.78 ៛7,248

$1.56 RON 7.38

14.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ៛2,695

$1.37 RON 6.47

-51.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,176

$2.13 RON 10.06

-51.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ៛12.0K

$3.19 RON 15.09

-7.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ៛8,876

$1.23 RON 5.82

78.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,757

$1.05 RON 4.95

58.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,518

$1.04 RON 4.90

6.73%

Eggs

$1.70 ៛6,899

$2.67 RON 12.62

-36.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.06 ៛61.2K

$6.36 RON 30.08

136.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ៛16.8K

$6.23 RON 29.47

-33.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ៛36.5K

$11.19 RON 53.0

-19.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.4K

$0.87 RON 4.12

364.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ៛7,228

$1.45 RON 6.88

22.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 ៛17.7K

$1.60 RON 7.57

171.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ៛8,529

$2.07 RON 9.78

1.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ៛6,391

$0.80 RON 3.80

96.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,990

$0.65 RON 3.06

89.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ៛4,801

$1.06 RON 5.02

11.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,128

$0.68 RON 3.20

13.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ៛7,555

$5.48 RON 25.92

-66.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 ៛44.7K

$5.15 RON 24.35

113.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,082

$0.91 RON 4.30

9.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ៛7,042

$1.08 RON 5.11

60.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ៛1,741

$0.40 RON 1.90

7.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.58 ៛38.9K

$21.19 RON 100

-54.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,428

$0.76 RON 3.58

43.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,179

$0.75 RON 3.55

37.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ៛20.9K

$7.37 RON 34.88

-30.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ៛5,284

$1.54 RON 7.29

-15.58%

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

$34.4K ៛139.7M

$27.3K RON 129.0K

26.07%

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

$44.9K ៛182.4M

$24.1K RON 114.2K

86.01%

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

$104 ៛424.3K

$172 RON 812

-39.13%

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

$7.48 ៛30.4K

$5.53 RON 26.16

35.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.51 ៛99.6K

$5.82 RON 27.54

321.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ៛167.8K

$39.75 RON 188

3.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 ៛44.2K

$30.96 RON 146

-64.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ៛19.7K

$6.20 RON 29.33

-21.61%

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

$669 ៛2.7M

$314 RON 1,485

113.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.7M

$8,963 RON 42.4K

22.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.43 ៛115.5K

$37.77 RON 179

-24.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.93 ៛97.2K

$26.48 RON 125

-9.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ៛372.5K

$62.4 RON 295

46.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ៛242.7K

$72.6 RON 343

-17.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

$223 RON 1,055

194.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ៛1.5M

$185 RON 875

102.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 ៛4.6M

$395 RON 1,868

189.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 ៛3.3M

$315 RON 1,490

159.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ៛11.7M

$1,510 RON 7,146

90.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,519 ៛6.2M

$1,175 RON 5,558

29.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 ៛1.3M

$1,016 RON 4,805

-68.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

6.73

19.91%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bistrita: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$375 36.3%

Bistrita

$185 21.9% 50.7% $190

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$253 24.4%

Bistrita

$184 21.8% 27.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$136 13.2%

Bistrita

$183 21.7% 34.1% $47

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.6%

Bistrita

$124 14.7% 12.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$92 8.9%

Bistrita

$90 10.6% 2.3% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Bistrita

$52 6.2% 2.2% $1.1

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Bistrita

$27 3.2% 55.8% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Phnom Penh versus $223 in Bistrita. 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 213% higher in Bistrita, 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 $32.00 in Bistrita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $184 – making Bistrita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇷🇴 Bistrita

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

4 h behind Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

75,076

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Bistrita 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
Bistrita

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 Bistrita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phnom Penh costs about 22% more than Bistrita, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,553 per month in Phnom Penh and $1,268 in Bistrita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 37% more in Phnom Penh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Phnom Penh and $32.00 in Bistrita. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bistrita, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Phnom Penh at $1,035. In Bistrita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bistrita costs $845 versus $1,035 in Phnom Penh. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Bistrita. 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.