Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Battambang Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Battambang

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $724 in Siem Reap versus $630 in Battambang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,077 in Siem Reap versus $1,003 in Battambang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,430 in Siem Reap versus $1,376 in Battambang.

Living in Siem Reap is roughly 15% more expensive than Battambang, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both cities sit below the global median: Siem Reap 46% lower, Battambang 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.44 ៛9,809

$2.45 ៛9,864

-0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.74 ៛95.4K

$18.16 ៛73.0K

30.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 ៛28.5K

$5.92 ៛23.8K

19.76%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ៛6,601

$1.53 ៛6,133

7.19%

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

$0.74 ៛2,971

$0.64 ៛2,568

15.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ៛2,025

$0.49 ៛1,969

2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ៛3,969

$0.73 ៛2,946

35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ៛7,773

$1.47 ៛5,913

31.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ៛7,163

$2.07 ៛8,303

-14.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ៛5,475

$1.47 ៛5,915

-7.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ៛3,828

$0.98 ៛3,933

-3.06%

Eggs

$1.57 ៛6,314

$1.83 ៛7,349

-14.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 ៛50.6K

$12.85 ៛51.6K

-2.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ៛14.6K

$4.16 ៛16.7K

-12.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 ៛40.9K

$10.38 ៛41.7K

-2.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 ៛14.2K

$2.55 ៛10.2K

38.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,479

$1.56 ៛6,270

-28.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 ៛13.1K

$2.27 ៛9,123

43.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ៛5,237

$1.50 ៛6,047

-13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ៛5,206

$1.52 ៛6,109

-14.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ៛3,603

$1.19 ៛4,774

-24.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ៛5,490

$1.46 ៛5,861

-6.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ៛2,678

$0.49 ៛1,951

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 ៛7,443

$1.97 ៛7,914

-6.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ៛29.4K

$11.33 ៛45.6K

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ៛3,132

$0.87 ៛3,497

-10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ៛6,843

$0.98 ៛3,932

73.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ៛4,068

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ៛4,151

$1.01 ៛4,063

1.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ៛4,117

$0.97 ៛3,900

5.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 ៛17.7K

$3.97 ៛16.0K

11.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ៛4,350

$1.14 ៛4,575

-5.26%

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

$49.4K ៛198.4M

$48.9K ៛196.7M

0.89%

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

$37.6K ៛151.0M

$36.9K ៛148.5M

1.69%

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

$73.2 ៛294.3K

$53.5 ៛215.0K

36.87%

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

$5.93 ៛23.9K

$1.49 ៛5,977

297.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.28 ៛77.5K

$23.41 ៛94.1K

-17.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.55 ៛142.9K

$22.74 ៛91.4K

56.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.48 ៛14.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ៛18.2K

$4.51 ៛18.1K

0.44%

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

$376 ៛1.5M

$90.5 ៛363.6K

315.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,095 ៛20.5M

$3,851 ៛15.5M

32.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.35 ៛89.8K

$19.76 ៛79.4K

13.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.43 ៛74.1K

$22.27 ៛89.5K

-17.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.1 ៛217.3K

$44.80 ៛180.1K

20.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.77 ៛143.8K

$41.47 ៛166.7K

-13.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 ៛1.3M

$247 ៛992.8K

26.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 ៛896.5K

$173 ៛693.9K

29.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 ៛2.0M

$478 ៛1.9M

6.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ៛1.3M

$350 ៛1.4M

-6.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,509 ៛10.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,095 ៛4.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$236 ៛950.5K

$199 ៛798.5K

19.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

15.00%

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

Last update for Siem Reap: June 16, 2026

Last update for Battambang: June 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $313 in Siem Reap and $247 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Siem Reap pays 19% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Siem Reap vs $18.00 in Battambang. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $223, with Siem Reap cheaper for home cooking.

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

Siem Reap vs Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Siem Reap. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Siem Reap pays 19% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $313 in Siem Reap versus $247 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $376 in Siem Reap versus $90.5 in Battambang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $24.00 in Siem Reap. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Battambang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $630 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Siem Reap and Battambang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Battambang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Siem Reap. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.