Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Porto Alegre

For one person, living costs are similar in Phnom Penh and in Porto Alegre: $1,035 and $994 a month, rent and utilities included.

Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$1,035
/mo nomad
Porto Alegre
🇧🇷 Brazil
$994
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phnom Penh and in Porto Alegre

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

A single person spends $1,035 per month in Phnom Penh vs $994 in Porto Alegre, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $1,035
  • Porto Alegre $994

A couple spends around $1,675 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,550 in Porto Alegre, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $1,675
  • Porto Alegre $1,550

A family of three spends $2,315 per month in Phnom Penh vs $2,107 in Porto Alegre, rent included.

  • Phnom Penh $2,315
  • Porto Alegre $2,107

Phnom Penh costs about 4% more than Porto Alegre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phnom Penh and Porto Alegre are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 23% lower, Porto Alegre 26% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.09 ៛16.6K
$8.10 R$41.05
-49.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.96 ៛162.3K
$39.80 R$202
0.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.93 ៛28.2K
$7.19 R$36.43
-3.62%
Cappuccino
$2.97 ៛12.1K
$2.52 R$12.75
17.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 ៛7,248
$1.42 R$7.18
25.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ៛2,695
$1.06 R$5.36
-37.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 ៛4,176
$2.35 R$11.91
-56.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 ៛12.0K
$3.07 R$15.58
-3.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.19 ៛8,876
$1.04 R$5.28
110.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.66 ៛6,757
$1.67 R$8.45
-0.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 ៛4,518
$1.10 R$5.56
0.91%
Eggs
$1.70 ៛6,899
$2.49 R$12.63
-31.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.06 ៛61.2K
$10.34 R$52.4
45.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.13 ៛16.8K
$4.96 R$25.14
-16.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.00 ៛36.5K
$9.82 R$49.79
-8.35%
Apples (1kg)
$4.04 ៛16.4K
$2.39 R$12.10
69.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 ៛7,228
$1.47 R$7.45
21.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.35 ៛17.7K
$1.42 R$7.20
206.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 ៛8,529
$1.67 R$8.46
25.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 ៛6,391
$1.27 R$6.45
23.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 ៛4,990
$1.09 R$5.54
12.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 ៛4,801
$0.93 R$4.69
26.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ៛3,128
$0.82 R$4.17
-6.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.86 ៛7,555
$2.57 R$13.02
-27.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.01 ៛44.7K
$7.88 R$39.93
39.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ៛4,082
$1.13 R$5.73
-11.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ៛7,042
$2.16 R$10.97
-19.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ៛1,741
$0.97 R$4.92
-55.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.58 ៛38.9K
$60.8 R$308
-84.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 ៛4,428
$1.26 R$6.41
-13.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ៛4,179
$0.80 R$4.04
28.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.13 ៛20.9K
$8.14 R$41.29
-36.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 ៛5,284
$1.33 R$6.73
-2.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K ៛139.7M
$24.2K R$122.7K
42.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.9K ៛182.4M
$33.8K R$171.2K
32.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 ៛424.3K
$77.5 R$393
34.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.48 ៛30.4K
$12.31 R$62.4
-39.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.51 ៛99.6K
$22.33 R$113
9.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.31 ៛167.8K
$30.12 R$153
37.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.87 ៛44.2K
$30.69 R$156
-64.58%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 ៛19.7K
$7.16 R$36.29
-32.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$669 ៛2.7M
$569 R$2,883
17.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K ៛44.7M
$23.8K R$120.6K
-53.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.43 ៛115.5K
$51.2 R$259
-44.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.93 ៛97.2K
$57.6 R$292
-58.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.7 ៛372.5K
$104 R$529
-12.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.8 ៛242.7K
$81.2 R$412
-26.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$658 ៛2.7M
$489 R$2,477
34.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$375 ៛1.5M
$284 R$1,439
32.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,145 ៛4.6M
$791 R$4,011
44.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$818 ៛3.3M
$460 R$2,331
77.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,870 ៛11.7M
$1,716 R$8,698
67.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,519 ៛6.2M
$1,293 R$6,552
17.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phnom Penh
Porto Alegre
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$325 ៛1.3M
$550 R$2,790
-40.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.07
11.5
-29.83%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phnom Penh
$375
Porto Alegre
$284 24.4% $92
Groceries & Markets
Phnom Penh
$253
Porto Alegre
$207 18.2% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phnom Penh
$136
Porto Alegre
$112 17.8% $24
Eating Out
Phnom Penh
$110
Porto Alegre
$144 31.3% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Phnom Penh
$92
Porto Alegre
$132 44.4% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Phnom Penh
$51
Porto Alegre
$44 12.9% $6.6
Getting Around
Phnom Penh
$18
Porto Alegre
$70 299% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Phnom Penh versus $489 in Porto Alegre. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 69% higher in Porto Alegre, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Phnom Penh versus $40.00 in Porto Alegre. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Phnom Penh vs $207 in Porto Alegre – so Porto Alegre wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh
🇧🇷 Porto Alegre
🕒 Local time
15:49 3:49 PM
05:49 5:49 AM
10 h behind Phnom Penh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,009,264 Capital
1,332,833
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phnom Penh Porto Alegre 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phnom Penh
  • Porto Alegre

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 Porto Alegre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Porto Alegre cheaper than Phnom Penh?
Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,553 per month in Phnom Penh and $1,491 in Porto Alegre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Porto Alegre, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Phnom Penh and in Porto Alegre?
Groceries cost about 22% more in Phnom Penh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Phnom Penh or in Porto Alegre?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Phnom Penh and $40.00 in Porto Alegre. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phnom Penh or in Porto Alegre?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Porto Alegre, where all-in costs run around $994, than in Phnom Penh at $1,035. In Porto Alegre it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phnom Penh or Porto Alegre more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Porto Alegre – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Phnom Penh or Porto Alegre?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Porto Alegre. 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.

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