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: $800 in Siem Reap versus $652 in Battambang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,252 in Siem Reap versus $1,034 in Battambang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,704 in Siem Reap versus $1,416 in Battambang.

Living in Siem Reap is roughly 23% more expensive than in Battambang, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Siem Reap 41% lower, Battambang 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.53 ៛10.3K

$2.52 ៛10.2K

0.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.36 ៛98.9K

$17.85 ៛72.5K

36.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 ៛31.7K

$6.34 ៛25.7K

23.34%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ៛6,970

$1.36 ៛5,529

26.47%

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

$0.66 ៛2,663

$0.68 ៛2,744

-2.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ៛1,839

$0.52 ៛2,096

-13.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,124

$0.85 ៛3,454

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ៛7,923

$2.21 ៛8,975

-11.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ៛8,792

$2.17 ៛8,812

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ៛7,132

$0.98 ៛3,962

79.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ៛4,231

$1.03 ៛4,161

0.97%

Eggs

$1.68 ៛6,809

$1.69 ៛6,879

-0.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 ៛57.2K

$14.71 ៛59.7K

-4.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ៛11.1K

$2.34 ៛9,511

17.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 ៛41.5K

$9.07 ៛36.8K

12.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 ៛16.9K

$4.00 ៛16.2K

4.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,192

$1.27 ៛5,166

0.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 ៛15.6K

$4.32 ៛17.5K

-11.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ៛4,399

$2.10 ៛8,545

-48.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 ៛5,385

$1.61 ៛6,539

-17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ៛4,384

$1.14 ៛4,623

-5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ៛5,524

$0.78 ៛3,159

74.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,144

$0.73 ៛2,953

5.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 ៛6,163

$1.88 ៛7,615

-19.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ៛30.5K

$10.89 ៛44.2K

-30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,166

$0.64 ៛2,610

60.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ៛9,071

$1.02 ៛4,146

118.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 ៛4,004

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.12 ៛61.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ៛8,168

$0.89 ៛3,629

125.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ៛4,161

$0.84 ៛3,422

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 ៛20.4K

$5.15 ៛20.9K

-2.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ៛5,104

$1.20 ៛4,874

5.00%

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

$25.2K ៛102.3M

$34.4K ៛139.6M

-26.70%

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

$22.7K ៛92.1M

$34.1K ៛138.2M

-33.39%

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

$105 ៛425.5K

$63.2 ៛256.7K

65.76%

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

$5.90 ៛24.0K

$2.68 ៛10.9K

120.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.48 ៛58.8K

$24.57 ៛99.7K

-41.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.29 ៛143.3K

$22.76 ៛92.4K

55.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.02 ៛56.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.2K

$5.11 ៛20.7K

-2.74%

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

$278 ៛1.1M

$91.0 ៛369.4K

206.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,477 ៛18.2M

$3,825 ៛15.5M

17.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.36 ៛107.0K

$19.70 ៛80.0K

33.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.20 ៛53.6K

$24.35 ៛98.9K

-45.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 ៛279.5K

$89.6 ៛363.9K

-23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.34 ៛184.0K

$44.51 ៛180.7K

1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ៛1.3M

$228 ៛925.7K

44.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 ៛970.8K

$152 ៛617.6K

57.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 ៛2.7M

$426 ៛1.7M

56.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 ៛1.7M

$330 ៛1.3M

29.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,512 ៛10.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 ៛4.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$231 ៛939.4K

$203 ៛825.4K

13.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

7.25

26.90%

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

Last update for Siem Reap: September 20, 2026

Last update for Battambang: September 19, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $329 in Siem Reap and $228 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Siem Reap pays 14% 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 for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $232 vs $227 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

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 23% 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.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Siem Reap, 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: $329 in Siem Reap versus $228 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $278 in Siem Reap versus $91.0 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 $652 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 23% less than in Siem Reap. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.