Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Hawalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $667 a month against $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phnom Penh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

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

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
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Hawalli Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,035 per month in Phnom Penh vs $667 in Hawalli, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,035
Hawalli $667

A couple spends around $1,675 per month in Phnom Penh vs $2,779 in Hawalli, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,675
Hawalli $2,779

A family of three spends $2,315 per month in Phnom Penh vs $4,892 in Hawalli, rent included.

Phnom Penh $2,315
Hawalli $4,892

Phnom Penh costs about 55% more than Hawalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phnom Penh and Hawalli are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 23% lower, Hawalli 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ៛16.6K

$4.89 KWD 1.51

-16.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.96 ៛162.3K

$64.8 KWD 19.97

-38.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 ៛28.2K

$8.77 KWD 2.70

-20.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Cappuccino

$2.97 ៛12.1K

$4.79 KWD 1.48

-38.00%

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

$1.78 ៛7,248

$0.44 KWD 0.14

304.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ៛2,695

$0.29 KWD 0.09

127.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,176

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ៛12.0K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ៛8,876

$1.58 KWD 0.49

38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,757

$1.53 KWD 0.47

8.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,518

$1.96 KWD 0.60

-43.37%

Eggs

$1.70 ៛6,899

$2.08 KWD 0.64

-18.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.06 ៛61.2K

$3.14 KWD 0.97

379.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ៛16.8K

$4.72 KWD 1.45

-12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ៛36.5K

$3.27 KWD 1.01

175.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.4K

$2.47 KWD 0.76

63.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ៛7,228

$1.90 KWD 0.58

-6.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 ៛17.7K

$1.76 KWD 0.54

147.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ៛8,529

$1.47 KWD 0.45

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ៛6,391

$1.31 KWD 0.40

19.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,990

$1.42 KWD 0.44

-13.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ៛4,801

$2.35 KWD 0.72

-49.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,128

$0.53 KWD 0.16

45.28%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ៛7,555

$2.74 KWD 0.84

-32.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 ៛44.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,082

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ៛7,042

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ៛1,741

$0.83 KWD 0.26

-48.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.58 ៛38.9K

$49.05 KWD 15.11

-80.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,428

$4.73 KWD 1.46

-76.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,179

$3.29 KWD 1.01

-68.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ៛20.9K

$15.74 KWD 4.85

-67.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ៛5,284

$0.35 KWD 0.11

271.43%

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

$34.4K ៛139.7M

$21.0K KWD 6,484

63.38%

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

$44.9K ៛182.4M

$20.3K KWD 6,246

121.47%

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

$104 ៛424.3K

$66.5 KWD 20.49

57.08%

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

$7.48 ៛30.4K

$22.61 KWD 6.97

-66.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.51 ៛99.6K

$25.42 KWD 7.83

-3.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ៛167.8K

$63.8 KWD 19.66

-35.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 ៛44.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ៛19.7K

$11.40 KWD 3.51

-57.37%

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

$669 ៛2.7M

$299 KWD 92.1

123.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.7M

$9,529 KWD 2,936

15.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.43 ៛115.5K

$31.80 KWD 9.80

-10.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.93 ៛97.2K

$39.08 KWD 12.04

-38.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ៛372.5K

$97.7 KWD 30.09

-6.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ៛242.7K

$89.1 KWD 27.45

-32.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ៛1.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 ៛4.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 ៛3.3M

$3,238 KWD 998

-74.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ៛11.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,519 ៛6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 ៛1.3M

$1,865 KWD 575

-82.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

6.53

23.58%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hawalli: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$375 36.3%

Hawalli

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$253 24.4%

Hawalli

$151 22.6% 40.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$136 13.2%

Hawalli

$115 17.2% 16.1% $22

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.6%

Hawalli

$126 18.9% 14.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$92 8.9%

Hawalli

$116 17.4% 26.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Hawalli

$87 13% 69.7% $36

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Hawalli

$74 11% 320% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 474% higher in Hawalli, 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 $65.0 in Hawalli. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Phnom Penh vs $151 in Hawalli – so Hawalli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

10:19 10:19 AM

4 h behind Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

164,212

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, 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).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Hawalli 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
Hawalli

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 Hawalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,035 in Phnom Penh, $667 in Hawalli – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,553 per month in Phnom Penh and $1,001 in Hawalli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 68% 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 $65.0 in Hawalli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawalli, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Phnom Penh at $1,035. In Hawalli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hawalli has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $667 in Hawalli to $1,035 in Phnom Penh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Hawalli. 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.