Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Phnom Penh vs $808 in Siem Reap, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,666 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,243 in Siem Reap, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,300 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,679 in Siem Reap, rent included.

Phnom Penh costs about 28% more than Siem Reap, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 25% lower, Siem Reap 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 ៛15.0K

$2.48 ៛10.0K

49.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.48 ៛159.5K

$24.01 ៛97.0K

64.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ៛28.5K

$7.99 ៛32.3K

-11.89%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ៛12.1K

$1.64 ៛6,647

81.71%

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

$1.85 ៛7,471

$0.70 ៛2,845

164.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ៛2,678

$0.46 ៛1,843

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ៛5,883

$0.99 ៛3,984

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ៛12.2K

$1.94 ៛7,851

55.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ៛8,622

$2.22 ៛8,952

-4.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ៛6,660

$1.75 ៛7,066

-5.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ៛4,458

$1.03 ៛4,156

6.80%

Eggs

$1.73 ៛7,003

$1.67 ៛6,746

3.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 ៛59.1K

$14.20 ៛57.4K

3.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ៛17.0K

$2.72 ៛11.0K

54.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 ៛38.0K

$9.82 ៛39.7K

-4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 ៛15.4K

$4.29 ៛17.3K

-10.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 ៛7,100

$1.28 ៛5,174

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 ៛16.9K

$3.68 ៛14.9K

13.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 ៛8,878

$1.08 ៛4,377

103.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 ៛6,244

$1.28 ៛5,162

20.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,968

$1.13 ៛4,551

8.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ៛4,602

$1.35 ៛5,446

-15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ៛2,984

$0.81 ៛3,285

-8.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 ៛7,725

$1.48 ៛5,986

29.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 ៛44.0K

$7.53 ៛30.4K

44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ៛3,895

$1.02 ៛4,135

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ៛7,285

$2.26 ៛9,119

-20.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ៛1,745

$0.98 ៛3,966

-56.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.82 ៛39.7K

$15.07 ៛60.9K

-34.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,442

$2.03 ៛8,220

-45.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ៛3,950

$0.98 ៛3,951

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 ៛21.0K

$4.95 ៛20.0K

4.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ៛5,570

$1.30 ៛5,249

6.15%

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

$35.1K ៛142.0M

$25.0K ៛101.0M

40.60%

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

$44.0K ៛177.8M

$22.4K ៛90.6M

96.34%

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

$108 ៛438.3K

$108 ៛434.5K

0.87%

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

$7.79 ៛31.5K

$5.77 ៛23.3K

35.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.04 ៛101.2K

$14.57 ៛58.9K

71.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.29 ៛162.8K

$35.30 ៛142.7K

14.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.94 ៛44.2K

$13.77 ៛55.6K

-20.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 ៛20.1K

$5.06 ៛20.4K

-1.98%

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

$671 ៛2.7M

$277 ៛1.1M

141.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K ៛45.0M

$4,510 ៛18.2M

147.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.29 ៛114.3K

$26.35 ៛106.5K

7.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.54 ៛95.1K

$13.50 ៛54.6K

74.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 ៛371.9K

$70.6 ៛285.1K

30.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 ៛240.4K

$45.40 ៛183.5K

31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 ៛2.6M

$332 ៛1.3M

90.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ៛1.5M

$233 ៛942.5K

59.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 ៛4.5M

$677 ៛2.7M

66.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 ៛3.3M

$432 ៛1.7M

89.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,911 ៛11.8M

$2,486 ៛10.0M

17.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,495 ៛6.0M

$1,101 ៛4.5M

35.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 ៛1.3M

$238 ៛962.2K

36.63%

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 Siem Reap: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $633 in Phnom Penh versus $332 in Siem Reap. 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 37% higher in Phnom Penh, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Phnom Penh versus $24.00 in Siem Reap. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $231 – making Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 28%, and the gap shows up most in Eating Out. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,549 per month in Phnom Penh and $1,211 in Siem Reap. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Siem Reap, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Phnom Penh and $24.00 in Siem Reap. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Siem Reap, where all-in costs run around $808, than in Phnom Penh at $1,033. In Siem Reap it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Siem Reap – 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 Siem Reap. 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.