Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Kampong Thom

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Thom: $628 a month against $1,080 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Kampong Thom, Cambodia
Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$1,080
/mo nomad
Kampong Thom
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$628
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,080 per month in Phnom Penh vs $628 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $1,080
  • Kampong Thom $628

A couple spends around $1,763 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,018 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $1,763
  • Kampong Thom $1,018

A family of three spends $2,447 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,408 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $2,447
  • Kampong Thom $1,408

Phnom Penh costs about 72% more than Kampong Thom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phnom Penh and Kampong Thom are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 20% lower, Kampong Thom 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.63 ៛18.8K
$4.60 ៛18.8K
0.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.95 ៛162.8K
$39.63 ៛161.5K
0.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.80 ៛27.7K
$7.20 ៛29.3K
-5.56%
Cappuccino
$2.85 ៛11.6K
$2.91 ៛11.9K
-2.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 ៛7,277
$1.77 ៛7,227
1.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 ៛2,730
$0.66 ៛2,684
1.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.02 ៛4,169
$0.99 ៛4,024
3.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 ៛12.4K
$2.92 ៛11.9K
3.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ៛8,843
$2.25 ៛9,154
-3.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.65 ៛6,705
$1.65 ៛6,732
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.09 ៛4,423
$1.05 ៛4,273
3.81%
Eggs
$1.79 ៛7,301
$1.76 ៛7,169
1.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.56 ៛59.3K
$14.22 ៛57.9K
2.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.42 ៛18.0K
$4.43 ៛18.0K
-0.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.44 ៛38.5K
$9.81 ៛40.0K
-3.77%
Apples (1kg)
$4.30 ៛17.5K
$4.15 ៛16.9K
3.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ៛6,863
$1.68 ៛6,857
-
Oranges (1kg)
$4.56 ៛18.6K
$4.67 ៛19.0K
-2.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 ៛7,852
$1.98 ៛8,050
-2.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.73 ៛7,041
$1.71 ៛6,960
1.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 ៛4,997
$1.25 ៛5,095
-1.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ៛5,468
$1.38 ៛5,611
-2.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 ៛3,112
$0.77 ៛3,118
-1.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.85 ៛7,532
$1.90 ៛7,759
-2.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.06 ៛45.1K
$10.85 ៛44.2K
1.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 ៛4,187
$0.94 ៛3,835
9.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 ៛7,326
$1.72 ៛7,028
4.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 ៛1,698
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.91 ៛40.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 ៛4,446
$1.10 ៛4,477
-0.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.97 ៛3,953
$0.98 ៛3,976
-1.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.10 ៛20.8K
$5.13 ៛20.9K
-0.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ៛5,376
$1.32 ៛5,369
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K ៛142.0M
$34.6K ៛140.8M
0.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.0K ៛179.2M
$45.0K ៛183.3M
-2.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 ៛459.1K
$119 ៛484.7K
-5.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.47 ៛30.5K
$7.64 ៛31.1K
-2.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.95 ៛105.7K
$25.24 ៛102.9K
2.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.06 ៛159.1K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.07 ៛45.1K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.87 ៛19.8K
$4.88 ៛19.9K
-0.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$585 ៛2.4M
$598 ៛2.4M
-2.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.6K ៛63.5M
$10.9K ៛44.4M
43.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.52 ៛116.2K
$27.55 ៛112.3K
3.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.13 ៛98.3K
$24.16 ៛98.5K
-0.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.9 ៛366.2K
$90.0 ៛366.9K
-0.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.8 ៛243.8K
$58.6 ៛238.8K
2.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$647 ៛2.6M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$407 ៛1.7M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,453 ៛5.9M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$931 ៛3.8M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,691 ៛11.0M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,528 ៛6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phnom Penh
Kampong Thom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$310 ៛1.3M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.94
7.94
-

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: November 3, 2026

Last update for Kampong Thom: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phnom Penh
$407
Kampong Thom
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phnom Penh
$256
Kampong Thom
$256 0.1% $0.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phnom Penh
$146
Kampong Thom
$152 3.9% $5.7
Eating Out
Phnom Penh
$113
Kampong Thom
$114 1.1% $1.2
Clothing & Footwear
Phnom Penh
$91
Kampong Thom
$90 1% $0.9
Sport & Entertainment
Phnom Penh
$49
Kampong Thom
$9.8 * 80% $39
Getting Around
Phnom Penh
$18
Kampong Thom
$6 * 65.9% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Phnom Penh versus $40 in Kampong Thom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $256 – making Phnom Penh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Kampong Thom
🕒 Local time
23:54 11:54 PM
23:54 11:54 PM
Same time as Phnom Penh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,009,264 Capital
19,951
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,562 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phnom Penh Kampong Thom 130 km
From you
  • Phnom Penh
  • Kampong Thom

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 Thom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kampong Thom cheaper than Phnom Penh?
Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,620 per month in Phnom Penh and $941 in Kampong Thom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Phnom Penh and in Kampong Thom?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,080 in Phnom Penh and $628 in Kampong Thom. That makes Kampong Thom about 42% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $585 per month in Phnom Penh and $598 in Kampong Thom. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phnom Penh or in Kampong Thom?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kampong Thom, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Phnom Penh at $1,080. In Kampong Thom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Phnom Penh or in Kampong Thom?
It depends on your priorities. Phnom Penh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $628 in Kampong Thom to $1,080 in Phnom Penh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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