Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Poipet Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Poipet

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $963 per month in Phnom Penh vs $480 in Poipet, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,487 per month in Phnom Penh vs $769 in Poipet, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,011 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,057 in Poipet, rent included.

Phnom Penh costs about 101% more than Poipet, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both Phnom Penh and Poipet are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 28% lower, Poipet 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.14 ៛20.6K

$2.53 ៛10.1K

103.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.79 ៛119.5K

$20.24 ៛81.2K

47.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ៛27.9K

$5.97 ៛23.9K

16.42%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ៛10.6K

$1.67 ៛6,689

58.68%

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

$1.02 ៛4,101

$0.69 ៛2,758

47.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,145

$0.50 ៛2,022

106.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ៛5,886

$0.98 ៛3,938

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ៛10.2K

$1.91 ៛7,644

33.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 ៛8,322

$1.76 ៛7,042

17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ៛5,839

$1.36 ៛5,451

7.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ៛4,147

$1.27 ៛5,099

-18.90%

Eggs

$1.83 ៛7,328

$1.58 ៛6,323

15.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ៛50.7K

$14.73 ៛59.1K

-14.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.2K

$3.54 ៛14.2K

14.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ៛41.9K

$10.23 ៛41.0K

2.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 ៛18.4K

$3.69 ៛14.8K

24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ៛6,485

$1.08 ៛4,347

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 ៛15.3K

$3.26 ៛13.1K

16.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ៛5,810

$1.28 ៛5,134

13.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ៛6,703

$1.25 ៛5,033

33.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ៛4,980

$0.96 ៛3,847

29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ៛5,600

$1.29 ៛5,180

8.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ៛2,683

$0.70 ៛2,802

-4.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 ៛8,148

$1.86 ៛7,449

9.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 ៛47.8K

$7.34 ៛29.5K

62.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ៛4,075

$0.73 ៛2,913

39.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ៛6,822

$1.99 ៛7,982

-14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 ៛6,124

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.79 ៛43.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ៛4,163

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,055

$1.01 ៛4,063

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 ៛18.5K

$5.08 ៛20.4K

-9.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ៛4,739

$1.12 ៛4,501

5.36%

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

$49.6K ៛199.2M

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

$36.8K ៛147.4M

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

$106 ៛425.7K

$74.1 ៛297.1K

43.32%

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

$6.41 ៛25.7K

$5.83 ៛23.4K

9.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.17 ៛92.9K

$19.23 ៛77.1K

20.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ៛187.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.54 ៛58.3K

Cinema Ticket

$4.62 ៛18.5K

$6.43 ៛25.8K

-28.15%

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

$374 ៛1.5M

$393 ៛1.6M

-4.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ៛46.9M

$4,929 ៛19.8M

137.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.36 ៛89.7K

$33.83 ៛135.7K

-33.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.30 ៛89.4K

$18.03 ៛72.3K

23.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 ៛360.6K

$54.4 ៛218.1K

65.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ៛289.7K

$36.65 ៛147.0K

97.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ៛2.0M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 ៛1.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ៛4.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 ៛2.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,925 ៛11.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,484 ៛6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 ៛1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

9.2

11.96%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: May 30, 2026

Last update for Poipet: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Phnom Penh versus $20.00 in Poipet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $221 – making Poipet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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 Poipet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 101%, and the gap shows up most in Sport & Entertainment. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,445 per month in Phnom Penh and $719 in Poipet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $963 in Phnom Penh and $480 in Poipet. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

Kindergarten costs $374 per month in Phnom Penh and $393 in Poipet. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Poipet, where all-in costs run around $480, than in Phnom Penh at $963. In Poipet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Poipet – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Poipet. 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.