Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,037 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phnom Penh and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $1,037 per month in Phnom Penh vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,037
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $1,654 per month in Phnom Penh vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,654
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $2,271 per month in Phnom Penh vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Phnom Penh $2,271
Hong Kong $6,132

Phnom Penh is about 65% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phnom Penh sits 23% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 123% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ៛16.5K

$8.46 HK$66.4

-51.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.62 ៛160.5K

$63.2 HK$496

-37.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 ៛28.0K

$6.20 HK$48.66

11.45%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ៛12.2K

$4.90 HK$38.42

-38.37%

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

$1.87 ៛7,572

$1.27 HK$10.01

47.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ៛2,484

$1.06 HK$8.31

-42.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ៛3,964

$7.68 HK$60.3

-87.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ៛11.9K

$6.28 HK$49.24

-53.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ៛8,802

$2.86 HK$22.45

-24.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ៛6,506

$2.43 HK$19.10

-33.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,316

$2.18 HK$17.09

-50.92%

Eggs

$1.73 ៛7,023

$3.54 HK$27.80

-51.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 ៛60.6K

$25.12 HK$197

-40.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ៛16.5K

$8.89 HK$69.8

-54.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ៛37.5K

$17.63 HK$138

-47.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 ៛15.7K

$4.11 HK$32.23

-5.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,879

$2.72 HK$21.32

-37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 ៛17.4K

$4.59 HK$36.05

-6.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ៛8,646

$4.02 HK$31.52

-47.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ៛6,549

$3.25 HK$25.50

-50.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,172

$3.27 HK$25.70

-60.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ៛4,656

$1.60 HK$12.54

-28.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,099

$1.73 HK$13.56

-55.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ៛7,883

$13.14 HK$103

-85.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 ៛45.4K

$16.59 HK$130

-32.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,165

$2.01 HK$15.80

-48.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,263

$2.18 HK$17.13

-17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ៛1,900

$1.44 HK$11.31

-67.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.74 ៛39.4K

$89.1 HK$699

-89.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,455

$3.64 HK$28.54

-69.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ៛3,954

$1.31 HK$10.29

-25.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 ៛20.9K

$15.82 HK$124

-67.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ៛5,484

$4.06 HK$31.89

-66.75%

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

$35.5K ៛143.9M

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-19.90%

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

$43.9K ៛177.6M

$37.4K HK$293.2K

17.36%

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

$106 ៛431.3K

$247 HK$1,942

-56.97%

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

$7.39 ៛29.9K

$15.89 HK$125

-53.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.24 ៛102.2K

$21.46 HK$168

17.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.80 ៛165.2K

$91.4 HK$717

-55.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.94 ៛44.3K

$9.08 HK$71.3

20.48%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.1K

$13.96 HK$110

-64.40%

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

$665 ៛2.7M

$1,155 HK$9,068

-42.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.5M

$22.3K HK$174.6K

-50.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.67 ៛112.1K

$68.9 HK$541

-59.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.26 ៛98.2K

$40.44 HK$317

-40.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 ៛363.6K

$79.9 HK$627

12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ៛239.3K

$118 HK$923

-49.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ៛2.6M

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-70.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ៛1.5M

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-78.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 ៛4.7M

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-77.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ៛3.3M

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-77.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,883 ៛11.7M

$29.1K HK$228.7K

-90.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,488 ៛6.0M

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-91.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$330 ៛1.3M

$3,228 HK$25.3K

-89.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

3.91

106.39%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 6, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$370 35.9%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 365% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$252 24.5%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 64.8% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$139 13.5%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 105% $146

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.7%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 86% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$90 8.8%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 52.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 135% $69

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 497% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $639 in Phnom Penh versus $2,180 in Hong Kong. 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 877% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Phnom Penh versus $63.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $415 – making Phnom Penh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

11:51 11:51 AM

1 h ahead of Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,050 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Hong Kong 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
Hong Kong

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 Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,037 in Phnom Penh, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 188% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,556 per month in Phnom Penh and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Phnom Penh and $63.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,037 in Phnom Penh and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 188%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phnom Penh, where all-in costs run around $1,037, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Phnom Penh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,037 in Phnom Penh to $2,984 in Hong Kong. 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 Phnom Penh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.