Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Cham: $528 a month against $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Kampong Cham
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Kampong Cham Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Kampong Cham

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phnom Penh and in Kampong Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Phnom Penh versus $528 in Kampong Cham.

Phnom Penh $1,035
Kampong Cham $528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,675 in Phnom Penh versus $827 in Kampong Cham.

Phnom Penh $1,675
Kampong Cham $827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,315 in Phnom Penh versus $1,126 in Kampong Cham.

Phnom Penh $2,315
Kampong Cham $1,126

Living in Phnom Penh is roughly 96% more expensive than in Kampong Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phnom Penh 23% lower, Kampong Cham 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ៛16.6K

$2.55 ៛10.3K

60.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.96 ៛162.3K

$19.86 ៛80.7K

101.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 ៛28.2K

$7.85 ៛31.9K

-11.72%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ៛12.1K

$1.46 ៛5,924

103.42%

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

$1.78 ៛7,248

$0.48 ៛1,969

270.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ៛2,695

$0.45 ៛1,834

46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,176

$0.49 ៛1,970

110.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ៛12.0K

$1.52 ៛6,176

94.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ៛8,876

$2.21 ៛8,987

-0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,757

$1.73 ៛7,035

-4.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,518

$0.88 ៛3,586

26.14%

Eggs

$1.70 ៛6,899

$1.71 ៛6,955

-0.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.06 ៛61.2K

$15.48 ៛62.9K

-2.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ៛16.8K

$2.98 ៛12.1K

38.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ៛36.5K

$10.22 ៛41.5K

-11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.4K

$4.38 ៛17.8K

-7.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ៛7,228

$1.22 ៛4,955

45.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 ៛17.7K

$3.74 ៛15.2K

16.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ៛8,529

$1.10 ៛4,469

90.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ៛6,391

$1.29 ៛5,237

21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,990

$1.11 ៛4,526

10.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ៛4,801

$1.30 ៛5,300

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,128

$0.80 ៛3,248

-3.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ៛7,555

$1.36 ៛5,508

36.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 ៛44.7K

$7.83 ៛31.8K

40.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,082

$1.00 ៛4,043

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ៛7,042

$2.21 ៛8,977

-21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ៛1,741

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.58 ៛38.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,428

$1.98 ៛8,038

-44.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,179

$1.02 ៛4,158

0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ៛20.9K

$4.95 ៛20.1K

3.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ៛5,284

$1.30 ៛5,281

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

$34.4K ៛139.7M

$25.5K ៛103.5M

34.96%

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

$44.9K ៛182.4M

$22.1K ៛89.9M

102.93%

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

$104 ៛424.3K

$103 ៛420.4K

0.94%

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

$7.48 ៛30.4K

$5.58 ៛22.7K

34.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.51 ៛99.6K

$15.22 ៛61.8K

61.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ៛167.8K

$9.94 ៛40.4K

315.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 ៛44.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ៛19.7K

$5.10 ៛20.7K

-4.71%

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

$669 ៛2.7M

$277 ៛1.1M

141.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.7M

$4,463 ៛18.1M

146.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.43 ៛115.5K

$26.11 ៛106.1K

8.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.93 ៛97.2K

$13.23 ៛53.7K

80.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ៛372.5K

$67.8 ៛275.4K

35.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ៛242.7K

$44.90 ៛182.4K

33.10%

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

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

9.2

-12.28%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kampong Cham: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$375 36.3%

Kampong Cham

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$253 24.4%

Kampong Cham

$238 45% 6.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$136 13.2%

Kampong Cham

$124 23.5% 8.9% $12

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.6%

Kampong Cham

$71 13.4% 35.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$92 8.9%

Kampong Cham

$68 13% 25.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Kampong Cham

$20 3.8% 60.5% $31

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Kampong Cham

$7.1 * 1.3% 59.5% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Phnom Penh vs $20.00 in Kampong Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $238 per month, with Kampong Cham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Kampong Cham

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

Same time as Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

118,242

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Phnom Penh Kampong Cham 75 km

From you

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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 Kampong Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($1,035 vs $528 including rent). Kampong Cham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,553 in Phnom Penh and $792 in Kampong Cham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phnom Penh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,035 per month in Phnom Penh versus $528 in Kampong Cham – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $528 in Kampong Cham versus $1,035 in Phnom Penh, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kampong Cham but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. The gap between the two cities makes Kampong Cham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham 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 Kampong Cham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.