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

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $963 per month in Phnom Penh vs $920 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,487 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,398 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,011 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,876 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Phnom Penh costs about 5% more than Sihanoukville, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 28% lower, Sihanoukville 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.14 ៛20.7K

$4.07 ៛16.4K

26.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.79 ៛119.8K

$27.07 ៛108.9K

10.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ៛27.9K

$6.91 ៛27.8K

0.58%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ៛10.7K

$2.54 ៛10.2K

4.33%

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

$1.02 ៛4,111

$0.84 ៛3,377

21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,154

$0.43 ៛1,731

139.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ៛5,900

$0.99 ៛3,964

48.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ៛10.3K

$1.96 ៛7,876

30.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 ៛8,342

$2.15 ៛8,653

-3.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ៛5,853

$1.46 ៛5,889

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ៛4,156

$0.94 ៛3,767

9.57%

Eggs

$1.83 ៛7,346

$1.77 ៛7,116

3.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ៛50.8K

$13.01 ៛52.3K

-2.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.2K

$4.18 ៛16.8K

-3.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ៛42.0K

$9.25 ៛37.2K

12.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 ៛18.5K

$3.60 ៛14.5K

27.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ៛6,500

$1.38 ៛5,541

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 ៛15.3K

$3.87 ៛15.5K

-1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ៛5,823

$1.53 ៛6,166

-5.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ៛6,719

$1.31 ៛5,283

27.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ៛4,992

$1.14 ៛4,585

8.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ៛5,613

$1.39 ៛5,578

0.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ៛2,689

$0.67 ៛2,710

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 ៛8,167

$1.53 ៛6,159

32.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 ៛47.9K

$11.15 ៛44.8K

6.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ៛4,085

$0.96 ៛3,850

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ៛6,838

$1.62 ៛6,507

4.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 ៛6,138

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.79 ៛43.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ៛4,172

$1.08 ៛4,344

-3.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,065

$0.98 ៛3,950

3.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 ៛18.6K

$4.47 ៛18.0K

3.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ៛4,750

$1.17 ៛4,693

0.85%

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

$49.6K ៛199.6M

$48.0K ៛193.1M

3.38%

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

$36.8K ៛147.8M

$36.7K ៛147.4M

0.23%

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

$106 ៛426.7K

$105 ៛421.8K

1.18%

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

$6.41 ៛25.8K

$6.26 ៛25.2K

2.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.17 ៛93.2K

$18.96 ៛76.3K

22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ៛187.8K

$72.9 ៛293.1K

-35.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.54 ៛58.5K

$9.98 ៛40.1K

45.69%

Cinema Ticket

$4.62 ៛18.6K

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

$374 ៛1.5M

$331 ៛1.3M

12.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ៛47.0M

$4,988 ៛20.1M

134.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.36 ៛89.9K

$22.40 ៛90.1K

-0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.30 ៛89.7K

$19.63 ៛78.9K

13.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 ៛361.5K

$91.2 ៛366.9K

-1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ៛290.4K

$20.02 ៛80.5K

260.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ៛2.0M

$408 ៛1.6M

23.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 ៛1.1M

$296 ៛1.2M

-5.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ៛4.1M

$647 ៛2.6M

58.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 ៛2.3M

$495 ៛2.0M

14.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,925 ៛11.8M

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

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: May 30, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $504 in Phnom Penh versus $408 in Sihanoukville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Phnom Penh versus $27.00 in Sihanoukville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $234 – making Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 5%, 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 $1,379 in Sihanoukville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $963 in Phnom Penh and $920 in Sihanoukville. 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 $331 in Sihanoukville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sihanoukville, where all-in costs run around $920, than in Phnom Penh at $963. In Sihanoukville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sihanoukville – 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 Sihanoukville. 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.