Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Poipet

For one person, living is cheaper in Poipet: $518 a month against $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Poipet, Cambodia
Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$1,083
/mo nomad
Poipet
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$518
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phnom Penh and in Poipet

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

A single person spends $1,083 per month in Phnom Penh vs $518 in Poipet, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $1,083
  • Poipet $518

A couple spends around $1,778 per month in Phnom Penh vs $813 in Poipet, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $1,778
  • Poipet $813

A family of three spends $2,474 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,109 in Poipet, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $2,474
  • Poipet $1,109

Phnom Penh costs about 109% more than Poipet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phnom Penh and Poipet are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 20% lower, Poipet 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.55 ៛18.5K
$2.57 ៛10.5K
77.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.42 ៛164.7K
$20.39 ៛83.1K
98.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.01 ៛28.6K
$6.11 ៛24.9K
14.73%
Cappuccino
$2.84 ៛11.6K
$1.67 ៛6,805
70.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ៛6,999
$0.67 ៛2,749
156.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 ៛2,726
$0.40 ៛1,624
67.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 ៛4,186
$1.03 ៛4,183
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 ៛12.4K
$2.05 ៛8,355
48.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 ៛9,281
$2.22 ៛9,027
2.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.60 ៛6,535
$1.69 ៛6,867
-5.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.07 ៛4,377
$0.87 ៛3,540
22.99%
Eggs
$1.82 ៛7,427
$1.74 ៛7,108
4.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.70 ៛59.9K
$15.47 ៛63.0K
-4.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 ៛18.1K
$2.84 ៛11.6K
56.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.63 ៛39.2K
$10.24 ៛41.7K
-5.96%
Apples (1kg)
$4.14 ៛16.9K
$4.28 ៛17.5K
-3.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ៛6,946
$1.27 ៛5,168
33.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.49 ៛18.3K
$3.78 ៛15.4K
18.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.02 ៛8,216
$1.05 ៛4,262
92.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 ៛6,996
$1.28 ៛5,220
34.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ៛5,124
$1.12 ៛4,558
12.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 ៛5,657
$1.36 ៛5,535
2.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ៛3,146
$0.80 ៛3,271
-3.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.95 ៛7,931
$1.39 ៛5,667
40.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.14 ៛45.4K
$7.78 ៛31.7K
43.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 ៛4,121
$0.99 ៛4,035
2.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 ៛7,294
$2.30 ៛9,379
-22.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 ៛1,560
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.88 ៛40.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.10 ៛4,462
$2.01 ៛8,199
-45.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ៛4,125
$0.97 ៛3,960
4.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.02 ៛20.4K
$4.92 ៛20.0K
2.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ៛5,551
$1.26 ៛5,119
7.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K ៛141.8M
$25.0K ៛101.8M
39.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.6K ៛181.9M
$22.5K ៛91.9M
97.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 ៛481.7K
$102 ៛416.1K
15.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.32 ៛29.8K
$5.73 ៛23.4K
27.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.26 ៛102.9K
$15.50 ៛63.2K
62.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.94 ៛154.6K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.05 ៛45.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 ៛20.7K
$4.94 ៛20.1K
3.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$597 ៛2.4M
$289 ៛1.2M
106.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K ៛45.3M
$4,367 ៛17.8M
154.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.17 ៛114.7K
$25.81 ៛105.1K
9.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.25 ៛98.8K
$13.13 ៛53.5K
84.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.2 ៛367.4K
$68.6 ៛279.3K
31.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.1 ៛236.5K
$44.58 ៛181.6K
30.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$658 ៛2.7M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$406 ៛1.7M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,441 ៛5.9M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$950 ៛3.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,710 ៛11.0M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,523 ៛6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phnom Penh
Poipet
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$315 ៛1.3M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.94
9.2
-13.70%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Poipet: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phnom Penh
$406
Poipet
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phnom Penh
$258
Poipet
$236 8.4% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phnom Penh
$151
Poipet
$123 18.2% $27
Eating Out
Phnom Penh
$112
Poipet
$73 35.4% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Phnom Penh
$90
Poipet
$68 24.2% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Phnom Penh
$48
Poipet
$9.9 * 79.5% $38
Getting Around
Phnom Penh
$18
Poipet
$6.9 * 60.9% $11

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 $20 in Poipet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $236 – making Poipet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Poipet
🕒 Local time
01:41 1:41 AM
01:41 1:41 AM
Same time as Phnom Penh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,009,264 Capital
98,934
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,535 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phnom Penh Poipet 350 km
From you
  • Phnom Penh
  • Poipet

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 Poipet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Poipet cheaper than Phnom Penh?
Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,625 per month in Phnom Penh and $776 in Poipet. 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 Poipet?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,083 in Phnom Penh and $518 in Poipet. That’s a gap of about 109%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Phnom Penh and $289 in Poipet. 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 Poipet?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Poipet, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Phnom Penh at $1,083. In Poipet 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 Poipet?
It depends on your priorities. Phnom Penh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $518 in Poipet to $1,083 in Phnom Penh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Phnom Penh vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?