Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $806 a month against $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
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Siem Reap Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index

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Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$806

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap and in Phnom Penh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $806 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Siem Reap $806
Phnom Penh $1,035

A couple spends around $1,247 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,675 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Siem Reap $1,247
Phnom Penh $1,675

A family of three spends $1,689 per month in Siem Reap vs $2,315 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Siem Reap $1,689
Phnom Penh $2,315

Siem Reap is about 22% cheaper than Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh are more affordable than the global median – Siem Reap 40% lower, Phnom Penh 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 ៛9,884

$4.09 ៛16.6K

-40.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 ៛98.1K

$39.96 ៛162.3K

-39.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ៛31.7K

$6.93 ៛28.2K

12.70%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ៛6,857

$2.97 ៛12.1K

-43.10%

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

$0.70 ៛2,854

$1.78 ៛7,248

-60.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ៛1,746

$0.66 ៛2,695

-34.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,148

$1.03 ៛4,176

-0.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ៛8,045

$2.95 ៛12.0K

-32.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ៛8,687

$2.19 ៛8,876

-2.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ៛7,159

$1.66 ៛6,757

6.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ៛3,540

$1.11 ៛4,518

-21.62%

Eggs

$1.72 ៛6,979

$1.70 ៛6,899

1.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 ៛61.9K

$15.06 ៛61.2K

1.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ៛11.5K

$4.13 ៛16.8K

-31.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ៛41.5K

$9.00 ៛36.5K

13.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 ៛17.6K

$4.04 ៛16.4K

7.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ៛5,008

$1.78 ៛7,228

-30.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 ៛14.9K

$4.35 ៛17.7K

-15.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ៛4,431

$2.10 ៛8,529

-48.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 ៛5,415

$1.57 ៛6,391

-15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 ៛4,534

$1.23 ៛4,990

-8.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ៛5,262

$1.18 ៛4,801

10.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ៛3,227

$0.77 ៛3,128

2.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.41 ៛5,709

$1.86 ៛7,555

-24.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 ៛31.5K

$11.01 ៛44.7K

-29.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,051

$1.00 ៛4,082

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ៛9,162

$1.73 ៛7,042

30.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 ៛3,949

$0.43 ៛1,741

125.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.14 ៛61.5K

$9.58 ៛38.9K

58.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ៛8,169

$1.09 ៛4,428

84.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,103

$1.03 ៛4,179

-1.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 ៛20.3K

$5.13 ៛20.9K

-2.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ៛5,310

$1.30 ៛5,284

0.77%

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

$24.8K ៛100.7M

$34.4K ៛139.7M

-27.91%

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

$22.7K ៛92.2M

$44.9K ៛182.4M

-49.43%

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

$103 ៛417.4K

$104 ៛424.3K

-1.62%

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

$5.82 ៛23.6K

$7.48 ៛30.4K

-22.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.37 ៛62.4K

$24.51 ៛99.6K

-37.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.20 ៛134.8K

$41.31 ៛167.8K

-19.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.27 ៛57.9K

$10.87 ៛44.2K

31.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.2K

$4.86 ៛19.7K

2.26%

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

$283 ៛1.2M

$669 ៛2.7M

-57.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,488 ៛18.2M

$11.0K ៛44.7M

-59.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.69 ៛108.4K

$28.43 ៛115.5K

-6.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.31 ៛54.0K

$23.93 ៛97.2K

-44.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.5 ៛278.3K

$91.7 ៛372.5K

-25.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.31 ៛184.1K

$59.8 ៛242.7K

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ៛1.3M

$658 ៛2.7M

-49.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ៛940.8K

$375 ៛1.5M

-38.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 ៛2.7M

$1,145 ៛4.6M

-41.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 ៛1.8M

$818 ៛3.3M

-46.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,454 ៛10.0M

$2,870 ៛11.7M

-14.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 ៛4.5M

$1,519 ៛6.2M

-27.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 ៛969.1K

$325 ៛1.3M

-26.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

8.07

14.00%

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

Last update for Siem Reap: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Siem Reap

$235 29.2%

Phnom Penh

$253 24.4% 7.6% $18

Accommodation & Living

Siem Reap

$232 28.7%

Phnom Penh

$375 36.3% 62.1% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siem Reap

$124 15.4%

Phnom Penh

$136 13.2% 10.1% $12

Eating Out

Siem Reap

$77 9.5%

Phnom Penh

$110 10.6% 43.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Siem Reap

$69 8.6%

Phnom Penh

$92 8.9% 32.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Siem Reap

$43 5.4%

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9% 18.3% $7.9

Getting Around

Siem Reap

$26 3.2%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7% 32.8% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Siem Reap versus $658 in Phnom Penh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 36% higher in Phnom Penh, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Siem Reap versus $40.00 in Phnom Penh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $253 – making Siem Reap the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

Same time as Siem Reap

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

171,800

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Siem Reap Phnom Penh 230 km

From you

Siem Reap
Phnom Penh

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

Siem Reap vs Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,209 per month in Siem Reap and $1,553 in Phnom Penh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 8% more in Phnom Penh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Siem Reap and $40.00 in Phnom Penh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Siem Reap, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Phnom Penh at $1,035. In Siem Reap it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phnom Penh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Siem Reap – 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 Siem Reap. 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.