Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $802 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,037 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,259 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,654 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,717 per month in Siem Reap vs $2,271 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Siem Reap is about 23% cheaper than Phnom Penh, driven mainly by 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

$2.57 ៛10.4K

$4.08 ៛16.6K

-37.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.53 ៛95.5K

$39.62 ៛160.7K

-40.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 ៛32.6K

$6.91 ៛28.0K

16.21%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ៛6,805

$3.02 ៛12.3K

-44.37%

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

$0.71 ៛2,895

$1.87 ៛7,585

-62.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ៛1,737

$0.61 ៛2,488

-29.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ៛3,937

$0.98 ៛3,970

-1.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ៛8,000

$2.94 ៛11.9K

-32.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 ៛8,977

$2.17 ៛8,818

1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 ៛6,788

$1.61 ៛6,518

3.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ៛3,565

$1.07 ៛4,324

-17.76%

Eggs

$1.73 ៛7,032

$1.73 ៛7,035

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.52 ៛63.0K

$14.96 ៛60.7K

3.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.83 ៛11.5K

$4.07 ៛16.5K

-30.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 ៛41.8K

$9.25 ៛37.5K

11.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 ៛17.6K

$3.87 ៛15.7K

12.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,979

$1.70 ៛6,891

-27.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 ៛15.1K

$4.30 ៛17.4K

-13.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ៛4,258

$2.13 ៛8,661

-50.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 ៛5,425

$1.62 ៛6,560

-17.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,345

$1.28 ៛5,181

-16.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ៛5,259

$1.15 ៛4,664

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ៛3,046

$0.77 ៛3,105

-2.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.34 ៛5,437

$1.95 ៛7,897

-31.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ៛32.4K

$11.20 ៛45.4K

-28.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ៛4,006

$1.03 ៛4,172

-3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ៛9,437

$1.79 ៛7,275

30.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ៛4,124

$0.47 ៛1,904

117.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.93 ៛60.6K

$9.74 ៛39.5K

53.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ៛8,279

$1.10 ៛4,462

85.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ៛4,139

$0.98 ៛3,961

4.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 ៛20.8K

$5.15 ៛20.9K

-0.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ៛5,199

$1.35 ៛5,493

-5.19%

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

$25.2K ៛102.1M

$35.5K ៛144.2M

-29.19%

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

$22.8K ៛92.3M

$43.9K ៛177.9M

-48.10%

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

$101 ៛411.0K

$106 ៛432.0K

-4.87%

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

$5.65 ៛22.9K

$7.39 ៛30.0K

-23.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.04 ៛61.0K

$25.24 ៛102.4K

-40.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.98 ៛137.9K

$40.80 ៛165.5K

-16.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 ៛57.2K

$10.94 ៛44.4K

28.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 ៛20.2K

$4.97 ៛20.2K

0.20%

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

$279 ៛1.1M

$665 ៛2.7M

-58.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,410 ៛17.9M

$11.0K ៛44.6M

-59.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.49 ៛107.5K

$27.67 ៛112.3K

-4.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.44 ៛54.5K

$24.26 ៛98.4K

-44.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 ៛280.2K

$89.8 ៛364.2K

-23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.87 ៛182.1K

$59.1 ៛239.8K

-24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 ៛1.4M

$639 ៛2.6M

-46.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ៛962.1K

$370 ៛1.5M

-35.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 ៛2.7M

$1,148 ៛4.7M

-41.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 ៛1.8M

$803 ៛3.3M

-45.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 ៛10.0M

$2,883 ៛11.7M

-14.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 ៛4.4M

$1,488 ៛6.0M

-27.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$231 ៛938.9K

$330 ៛1.3M

-29.94%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $339 in Siem Reap versus $639 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 43% 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: $236 vs $252 – making Siem Reap 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

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

Yes – Phnom Penh is pricier by about 29%, and the gap shows up most in Eating Out. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,203 per month in Siem Reap and $1,556 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 7% 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 $802, than in Phnom Penh at $1,037. 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.