Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poipet and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Poipet: $518 a month against $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Poipet, Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Poipet
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$518
/mo nomad
Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$1,083
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Poipet and in Phnom Penh

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Poipet and in Phnom Penh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $518 per month in Poipet vs $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

  • Poipet $518
  • Phnom Penh $1,083

A couple spends around $813 per month in Poipet vs $1,778 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

  • Poipet $813
  • Phnom Penh $1,778

A family of three spends $1,109 per month in Poipet vs $2,474 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

  • Poipet $1,109
  • Phnom Penh $2,474

Poipet is about 52% cheaper than Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Poipet and Phnom Penh are more affordable than the global median – Poipet 62% lower, Phnom Penh 20% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.57 ៛10.5K
$4.55 ៛18.5K
-43.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.39 ៛83.1K
$40.42 ៛164.7K
-49.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.11 ៛24.9K
$7.01 ៛28.6K
-12.84%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ៛6,805
$2.84 ៛11.6K
-41.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 ៛2,749
$1.72 ៛6,999
-61.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ៛1,624
$0.67 ៛2,726
-40.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 ៛4,183
$1.03 ៛4,186
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ៛8,355
$3.05 ៛12.4K
-32.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.22 ៛9,027
$2.28 ៛9,281
-2.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.69 ៛6,867
$1.60 ៛6,535
5.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.87 ៛3,540
$1.07 ៛4,377
-18.69%
Eggs
$1.74 ៛7,108
$1.82 ៛7,427
-4.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.47 ៛63.0K
$14.70 ៛59.9K
5.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.84 ៛11.6K
$4.45 ៛18.1K
-36.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.24 ៛41.7K
$9.63 ៛39.2K
6.33%
Apples (1kg)
$4.28 ៛17.5K
$4.14 ៛16.9K
3.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.27 ៛5,168
$1.70 ៛6,946
-25.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.78 ៛15.4K
$4.49 ៛18.3K
-15.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 ៛4,262
$2.02 ៛8,216
-48.02%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ៛5,220
$1.72 ៛6,996
-25.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 ៛4,558
$1.26 ៛5,124
-11.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ៛5,535
$1.39 ៛5,657
-2.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 ៛3,271
$0.77 ៛3,146
3.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.39 ៛5,667
$1.95 ៛7,931
-28.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.78 ៛31.7K
$11.14 ៛45.4K
-30.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 ៛4,035
$1.01 ៛4,121
-1.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 ៛9,379
$1.79 ៛7,294
28.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.38 ៛1,560
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.88 ៛40.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.01 ៛8,199
$1.10 ៛4,462
82.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.97 ៛3,960
$1.01 ៛4,125
-3.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.92 ៛20.0K
$5.02 ៛20.4K
-1.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 ៛5,119
$1.36 ៛5,551
-7.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.0K ៛101.8M
$34.8K ៛141.8M
-28.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K ៛91.9M
$44.6K ៛181.9M
-49.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ៛416.1K
$118 ៛481.7K
-13.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.73 ៛23.4K
$7.32 ៛29.8K
-21.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.50 ៛63.2K
$25.26 ៛102.9K
-38.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.94 ៛154.6K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.05 ៛45.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 ៛20.1K
$5.09 ៛20.7K
-2.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$289 ៛1.2M
$597 ៛2.4M
-51.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,367 ៛17.8M
$11.1K ៛45.3M
-60.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.81 ៛105.1K
$28.17 ៛114.7K
-8.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.13 ៛53.5K
$24.25 ៛98.8K
-45.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.6 ៛279.3K
$90.2 ៛367.4K
-23.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.58 ៛181.6K
$58.1 ៛236.5K
-23.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$658 ៛2.7M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$406 ៛1.7M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,441 ៛5.9M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$950 ៛3.9M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,710 ៛11.0M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,523 ៛6.2M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Poipet
Phnom Penh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$315 ៛1.3M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.2
7.94
15.87%

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

Last update for Poipet: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Poipet
$236
Phnom Penh
$258 9.1% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Poipet
$123
Phnom Penh
$151 22.2% $27
Eating Out
Poipet
$73
Phnom Penh
$112 54.9% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Poipet
$68
Phnom Penh
$90 31.9% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Poipet
$9.9 *
Phnom Penh
$48 387% $38
Getting Around
Poipet
$6.9 *
Phnom Penh
$18 156% $11
Accommodation & Living
Poipet
- *
Phnom Penh
$406

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Poipet versus $40 in Phnom Penh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $258 – making Poipet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Poipet
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh
🕒 Local time
23:08 11:08 PM
23:08 11:08 PM
Same time as Poipet
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
98,934
2,009,264 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,534 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Poipet Phnom Penh 350 km
From you
  • Poipet
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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
Poipet vs Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Poipet cheaper than Phnom Penh?
Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $776 per month in Poipet and $1,625 in Phnom Penh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Poipet and in Phnom Penh?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $518 in Poipet and $1,083 in Phnom Penh. That’s a gap of about 109%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $289 per month in Poipet and $597 in Phnom Penh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Poipet or in Phnom Penh?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Poipet, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Phnom Penh at $1,083. In Poipet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Poipet or in Phnom Penh?
It depends on your priorities. Phnom Penh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $518 in Poipet to $1,083 in Phnom Penh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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