Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,033 in Phnom Penh versus $530 in Kampong Cham.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,666 in Phnom Penh versus $815 in Kampong Cham.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,300 in Phnom Penh versus $1,100 in Kampong Cham.

Living in Phnom Penh is roughly 95% more expensive than in Kampong Cham, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phnom Penh 25% lower, Kampong Cham 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 ៛15.0K

$2.57 ៛10.4K

44.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.48 ៛159.5K

$19.61 ៛79.2K

101.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ៛28.5K

$8.07 ៛32.6K

-12.76%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ៛12.1K

$1.47 ៛5,934

102.72%

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

$1.85 ៛7,471

$0.51 ៛2,069

262.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ៛2,678

$0.46 ៛1,861

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ៛5,883

$0.49 ៛1,964

197.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ៛12.2K

$1.53 ៛6,176

96.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ៛8,622

$2.21 ៛8,933

-3.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ៛6,660

$1.70 ៛6,862

-2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ៛4,458

$1.03 ៛4,159

6.80%

Eggs

$1.73 ៛7,003

$1.67 ៛6,762

3.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 ៛59.1K

$13.73 ៛55.5K

6.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ៛17.0K

$2.67 ៛10.8K

57.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 ៛38.0K

$9.84 ៛39.8K

-4.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 ៛15.4K

$4.36 ៛17.6K

-12.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 ៛7,100

$1.23 ៛4,971

43.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 ៛16.9K

$3.71 ៛15.0K

12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 ៛8,878

$1.09 ៛4,424

101.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 ៛6,244

$1.32 ៛5,325

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,968

$1.07 ៛4,323

14.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ៛4,602

$1.30 ៛5,247

-12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ៛2,984

$0.80 ៛3,249

-7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 ៛7,725

$1.47 ៛5,957

29.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 ៛44.0K

$7.55 ៛30.5K

44.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ៛3,895

$1.00 ៛4,032

-4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ៛7,285

$2.22 ៛8,984

-18.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ៛1,745

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.82 ៛39.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,442

$1.94 ៛7,841

-43.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ៛3,950

$0.97 ៛3,922

1.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 ៛21.0K

$5.09 ៛20.6K

1.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ៛5,570

$1.31 ៛5,275

5.34%

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

$35.1K ៛142.0M

$25.5K ៛102.9M

38.00%

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

$44.0K ៛177.8M

$22.4K ៛90.4M

96.79%

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

$108 ៛438.3K

$105 ៛426.1K

2.85%

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

$7.79 ៛31.5K

$5.91 ៛23.9K

31.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.04 ៛101.2K

$14.49 ៛58.6K

72.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.29 ៛162.8K

$9.91 ៛40.1K

306.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.94 ៛44.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 ៛20.1K

$5.14 ៛20.8K

-3.50%

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

$671 ៛2.7M

$276 ៛1.1M

142.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K ៛45.0M

$4,498 ៛18.2M

147.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.29 ៛114.3K

$25.85 ៛104.4K

9.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.54 ៛95.1K

$13.57 ៛54.8K

73.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 ៛371.9K

$69.1 ៛279.1K

33.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 ៛240.4K

$45.41 ៛183.5K

31.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 ៛2.6M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ៛1.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 ៛4.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 ៛3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,911 ៛11.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,495 ៛6.0M

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: August 30, 2026

Last update for Kampong Cham: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $39.00 in Phnom Penh vs $20.00 in Kampong Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $229 per month, with Kampong Cham cheaper across the board.

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 95% in total monthly costs ($1,033 vs $530 including rent). Kampong Cham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,549 in Phnom Penh and $794 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 9% higher in Phnom Penh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,033 per month in Phnom Penh versus $530 in Kampong Cham – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $530 in Kampong Cham versus $1,033 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 95% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.