Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $806 a month against $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
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Siem Reap Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap

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

A single person spends $1,035 per month in Phnom Penh vs $806 in Siem Reap, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,035
Siem Reap $806

A couple spends around $1,675 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,247 in Siem Reap, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,675
Siem Reap $1,247

A family of three spends $2,315 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,689 in Siem Reap, rent included.

Phnom Penh $2,315
Siem Reap $1,689

Phnom Penh costs about 28% more than Siem Reap, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 23% lower, Siem Reap 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ៛16.6K

$2.43 ៛9,884

68.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.96 ៛162.3K

$24.16 ៛98.1K

65.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 ៛28.2K

$7.81 ៛31.7K

-11.27%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ៛12.1K

$1.69 ៛6,857

75.74%

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

$1.78 ៛7,248

$0.70 ៛2,854

154.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ៛2,695

$0.43 ៛1,746

53.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,176

$1.02 ៛4,148

0.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ៛12.0K

$1.98 ៛8,045

48.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ៛8,876

$2.14 ៛8,687

2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,757

$1.76 ៛7,159

-5.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,518

$0.87 ៛3,540

27.59%

Eggs

$1.70 ៛6,899

$1.72 ៛6,979

-1.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.06 ៛61.2K

$15.24 ៛61.9K

-1.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ៛16.8K

$2.84 ៛11.5K

45.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ៛36.5K

$10.20 ៛41.5K

-11.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.4K

$4.33 ៛17.6K

-6.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ៛7,228

$1.23 ៛5,008

44.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 ៛17.7K

$3.68 ៛14.9K

18.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ៛8,529

$1.09 ៛4,431

92.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ៛6,391

$1.33 ៛5,415

18.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,990

$1.12 ៛4,534

9.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ៛4,801

$1.30 ៛5,262

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,128

$0.79 ៛3,227

-2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ៛7,555

$1.41 ៛5,709

31.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 ៛44.7K

$7.75 ៛31.5K

42.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,082

$1.00 ៛4,051

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ៛7,042

$2.26 ៛9,162

-23.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ៛1,741

$0.97 ៛3,949

-55.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.58 ៛38.9K

$15.14 ៛61.5K

-36.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,428

$2.01 ៛8,169

-45.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,179

$1.01 ៛4,103

1.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ៛20.9K

$4.99 ៛20.3K

2.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ៛5,284

$1.31 ៛5,310

-0.76%

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

$34.4K ៛139.7M

$24.8K ៛100.7M

38.72%

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

$44.9K ៛182.4M

$22.7K ៛92.2M

97.76%

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

$104 ៛424.3K

$103 ៛417.4K

1.64%

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

$7.48 ៛30.4K

$5.82 ៛23.6K

28.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.51 ៛99.6K

$15.37 ៛62.4K

59.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ៛167.8K

$33.20 ៛134.8K

24.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 ៛44.2K

$14.27 ៛57.9K

-23.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ៛19.7K

$4.97 ៛20.2K

-2.21%

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

$669 ៛2.7M

$283 ៛1.2M

136.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.7M

$4,488 ៛18.2M

145.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.43 ៛115.5K

$26.69 ៛108.4K

6.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.93 ៛97.2K

$13.31 ៛54.0K

79.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ៛372.5K

$68.5 ៛278.3K

33.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ៛242.7K

$45.31 ៛184.1K

31.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

$329 ៛1.3M

99.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ៛1.5M

$232 ៛940.8K

62.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 ៛4.6M

$669 ៛2.7M

71.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 ៛3.3M

$434 ៛1.8M

88.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ៛11.7M

$2,454 ៛10.0M

16.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,519 ៛6.2M

$1,099 ៛4.5M

38.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 ៛1.3M

$239 ៛969.1K

36.15%

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: October 11, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$375 36.3%

Siem Reap

$232 28.7% 38.3% $144

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$253 24.4%

Siem Reap

$235 29.2% 7.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$136 13.2%

Siem Reap

$124 15.4% 9.2% $12

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.6%

Siem Reap

$77 9.5% 30.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$92 8.9%

Siem Reap

$69 8.6% 24.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Siem Reap

$43 5.4% 15.5% $7.9

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Siem Reap

$26 3.2% 48.8% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Phnom Penh versus $329 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 36% 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 $40.00 in Phnom Penh versus $24.00 in Siem Reap. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $235 – making Siem Reap the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

Same time as Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

171,800

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Phnom Penh Siem Reap 230 km

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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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,553 per month in Phnom Penh and $1,209 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 $40.00 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 $806, than in Phnom Penh at $1,035. 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.