Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Ta Khmau Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Ta Khmau

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $932 per month in Phnom Penh vs $463 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,486 per month in Phnom Penh vs $751 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,041 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,039 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

Phnom Penh costs about 101% more than Ta Khmau, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both Phnom Penh and Ta Khmau are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 30% lower, Ta Khmau 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.02 ៛20.1K

$2.48 ៛9,962

102.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.85 ៛119.7K

$23.56 ៛94.5K

26.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.97 ៛27.9K

$7.17 ៛28.8K

-2.79%

Cappuccino

$2.60 ៛10.4K

$1.68 ៛6,722

54.76%

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

$0.99 ៛3,988

$0.73 ៛2,918

35.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 ៛4,156

$0.48 ៛1,905

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ៛6,058

$1.02 ៛4,096

48.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 ៛9,898

$1.91 ៛7,644

29.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ៛8,725

$1.76 ៛7,053

23.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ៛5,906

$1.38 ៛5,528

6.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ៛4,066

$1.02 ៛4,110

-0.98%

Eggs

$1.81 ៛7,262

$1.63 ៛6,548

11.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.73 ៛51.1K

$12.90 ៛51.7K

-1.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.14 ៛16.6K

$3.66 ៛14.7K

13.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 ៛40.9K

$10.28 ៛41.2K

-0.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 ៛17.9K

$3.54 ៛14.2K

26.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ៛6,432

$1.08 ៛4,340

48.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 ៛15.7K

$3.35 ៛13.4K

17.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ៛5,886

$1.28 ៛5,130

14.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ៛6,771

$1.25 ៛5,008

35.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ៛4,838

$0.96 ៛3,854

26.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ៛5,528

$1.30 ៛5,222

6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ៛2,861

$0.66 ៛2,659

7.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 ៛8,085

$1.90 ៛7,626

6.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.71 ៛46.9K

$7.27 ៛29.2K

61.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ៛4,248

$0.77 ៛3,108

37.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ៛6,505

$1.69 ៛6,779

-4.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ៛5,863

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.73 ៛43.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ៛4,260

$1.03 ៛4,115

2.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,066

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 ៛18.5K

$4.53 ៛18.2K

1.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ៛4,530

$1.12 ៛4,481

0.89%

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

$49.7K ៛199.2M

$48.2K ៛193.5M

2.95%

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

$37.5K ៛150.4M

$36.6K ៛146.6M

2.59%

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

$108 ៛431.3K

$75.0 ៛300.7K

43.44%

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

$6.17 ៛24.7K

$5.98 ៛24.0K

3.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.21 ៛93.1K

$19.27 ៛77.3K

20.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.84 ៛183.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.59 ៛58.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ៛17.5K

$4.42 ៛17.7K

-1.13%

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

$373 ៛1.5M

$367 ៛1.5M

1.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ៛45.7M

$4,938 ៛19.8M

130.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.26 ៛89.3K

$22.22 ៛89.1K

0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.54 ៛90.4K

$18.65 ៛74.8K

20.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 ៛366.5K

$54.0 ៛216.4K

69.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 ៛298.4K

$36.67 ៛147.1K

102.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ៛2.0M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 ៛1.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 ៛4.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 ៛2.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,922 ៛11.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,507 ៛6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$320 ៛1.3M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

9.2

11.96%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: June 14, 2026

Last update for Ta Khmau: June 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Phnom Penh versus $24.00 in Ta Khmau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $214 – making Ta Khmau 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 Ta Khmau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 101%, 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 $1,397 per month in Phnom Penh and $694 in Ta Khmau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $932 in Phnom Penh and $463 in Ta Khmau. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Phnom Penh and $367 in Ta Khmau. 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 Ta Khmau, where all-in costs run around $463, than in Phnom Penh at $932. In Ta Khmau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ta Khmau – 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 Ta Khmau. 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.