Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phnom Penh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phnom Penh and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $1,083 per month in Phnom Penh vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,083
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,778 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,778
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,474 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Phnom Penh $2,474
Chiang Mai $1,979

Phnom Penh costs about 16% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phnom Penh and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 20% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ៛18.6K

$2.24 ฿75.7

103.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.42 ៛164.9K

$19.00 ฿642

112.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ៛28.6K

$5.55 ฿188

26.31%

Cappuccino

$2.84 ៛11.6K

$1.67 ฿56.6

70.06%

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

$1.72 ៛7,011

$0.64 ฿21.56

168.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ៛2,731

$0.31 ฿10.32

116.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,193

$2.36 ฿79.6

-56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ៛12.4K

$3.66 ฿124

-16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ៛9,297

$1.95 ฿65.8

16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ៛6,546

$1.44 ฿48.51

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,384

$1.33 ฿45.07

-19.55%

Eggs

$1.82 ៛7,439

$2.28 ฿77.1

-20.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ៛60.0K

$16.45 ฿556

-10.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ៛18.2K

$2.78 ฿94.0

60.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 ៛39.3K

$9.31 ฿314

3.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 ៛16.9K

$2.35 ฿79.5

76.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,958

$0.97 ฿32.82

75.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 ៛18.3K

$1.60 ฿53.9

180.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ៛8,230

$1.50 ฿50.7

34.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 ៛7,008

$1.28 ฿43.15

34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ៛5,133

$1.10 ฿37.22

14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ៛5,667

$0.71 ฿23.84

95.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,151

$0.49 ฿16.38

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ៛7,944

$4.14 ฿140

-52.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 ៛45.5K

$17.52 ฿592

-36.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ៛4,128

$1.61 ฿54.5

-37.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,306

$2.78 ฿94.0

-35.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ៛1,562

$0.87 ฿29.33

-56.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.88 ៛40.3K

$54.1 ฿1,827

-81.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,470

$1.16 ฿39.08

-5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,132

$0.53 ฿17.82

90.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 ៛20.5K

$2.42 ฿81.8

107.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ៛5,561

$1.45 ฿48.93

-6.21%

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

$34.8K ៛142.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

65.30%

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

$44.6K ៛182.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

65.70%

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

$118 ៛482.5K

$62.2 ฿2,100

90.17%

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

$7.32 ៛29.9K

$12.17 ฿411

-39.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 ៛103.1K

$20.12 ฿680

25.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ៛154.8K

$37.31 ฿1,260

1.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.05 ៛45.1K

$3.77 ฿127

193.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ៛20.8K

$6.49 ฿219

-21.57%

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

$597 ៛2.4M

$736 ฿24.9K

-18.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K ៛45.4M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-24.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.17 ៛114.9K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-47.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.25 ៛99.0K

$24.64 ฿832

-1.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 ៛368.0K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.1 ៛236.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-19.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

$482 ฿16.3K

36.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ៛1.7M

$309 ฿10.4K

31.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 ៛5.9M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

43.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 ៛3.9M

$633 ฿21.4K

50.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,710 ៛11.1M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

14.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,523 ៛6.2M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-4.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$315 ៛1.3M

$590 ฿19.9K

-46.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.94

5.57

42.55%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 23.9% $97

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.4% $56

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 30.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 20.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 4.5% $2.1

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 249% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Phnom Penh versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 87% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 in Phnom Penh versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

Same time as Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,081 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Chiang Mai 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phnom Penh costs about 16% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,625 per month in Phnom Penh and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $658 in Phnom Penh.

Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Phnom Penh and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% 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.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,083 in Phnom Penh and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,083 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.