Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $818 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
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Siem Reap Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$818

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Siem Reap and in Phuket

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 Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $818 in Siem Reap versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Siem Reap $818
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,338 in Siem Reap versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Siem Reap $1,338
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,858 in Siem Reap versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Siem Reap $1,858
Phuket $3,154

Living in Siem Reap costs roughly 36% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Siem Reap 40% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.51 ៛10.2K

$4.47 ฿151

-43.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.83 ៛97.1K

$32.41 ฿1,093

-26.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 ៛32.8K

$8.81 ฿297

-8.51%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ៛6,788

$2.83 ฿95.4

-40.99%

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

$0.71 ៛2,889

$0.87 ฿29.41

-18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ៛1,625

$0.49 ฿16.65

-18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,190

$2.56 ฿86.3

-59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ៛8,078

$3.68 ฿124

-46.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ៛8,875

$1.66 ฿55.9

31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 ៛7,078

$1.46 ฿49.31

19.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ៛3,824

$1.50 ฿50.5

-37.33%

Eggs

$1.75 ៛7,119

$2.09 ฿70.5

-16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 ៛62.1K

$19.07 ฿643

-20.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 ៛12.0K

$3.30 ฿111

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ៛41.0K

$10.91 ฿368

-7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.23 ៛17.2K

$2.93 ฿98.9

44.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,227

$1.69 ฿57.0

-24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 ៛15.6K

$2.25 ฿75.8

70.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ៛4,284

$2.08 ฿70.0

-49.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ៛5,377

$1.51 ฿51.0

-12.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,528

$1.38 ฿46.52

-19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ៛5,264

$1.07 ฿35.96

20.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ៛3,242

$0.52 ฿17.51

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.42 ៛5,773

$4.20 ฿142

-66.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.11 ៛33.1K

$18.79 ฿634

-56.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,070

$1.82 ฿61.5

-45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ៛9,450

$2.84 ฿95.8

-18.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ៛4,178

$1.45 ฿48.98

-28.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.11 ៛61.6K

$56.7 ฿1,912

-73.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ៛8,210

$3.02 ฿102

-33.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,134

$1.02 ฿34.33

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 ៛20.7K

$3.69 ฿125

37.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ៛5,065

$1.47 ฿49.76

-15.65%

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

$24.7K ៛100.6M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-7.79%

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

$22.7K ៛92.5M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-14.99%

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

$101 ៛410.7K

$96.4 ฿3,251

4.61%

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

$5.53 ៛22.5K

$11.26 ฿380

-50.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.38 ៛62.7K

$16.85 ฿568

-8.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.19 ៛135.3K

$67.2 ฿2,268

-50.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.75 ៛56.0K

$10.73 ฿362

28.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 ៛20.9K

$7.50 ฿253

-31.47%

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

$286 ៛1.2M

$476 ฿16.1K

-39.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,379 ៛17.8M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-61.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.54 ៛108.2K

$62.4 ฿2,104

-57.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.43 ៛54.7K

$28.41 ฿958

-52.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.5 ៛274.8K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-28.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.82 ៛182.6K

$85.8 ฿2,895

-47.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 ៛1.4M

$716 ฿24.2K

-52.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ៛993.1K

$491 ฿16.6K

-50.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 ៛2.8M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-64.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$603 ៛2.5M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-57.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,492 ៛10.2M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-40.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 ៛4.4M

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-64.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$234 ៛952.9K

$502 ฿16.9K

-53.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

5.57

65.17%

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

Last update for Siem Reap: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Siem Reap

$244 29.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 101% $247

Groceries & Markets

Siem Reap

$237 28.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 12.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siem Reap

$122 14.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 2.3% $2.8

Eating Out

Siem Reap

$78 9.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Siem Reap

$69 8.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 77.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Siem Reap

$43 5.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 89.2% $39

Getting Around

Siem Reap

$26 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 168% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $337 in Siem Reap and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Siem Reap vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $266 per month, with Siem Reap cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

Same time as Siem Reap

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

171,800

79,308

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,550 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Siem Reap Phuket 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Siem Reap
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siem Reap is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Siem Reap. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $337 in Siem Reap versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $286 in Siem Reap versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Siem Reap is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Siem Reap is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Siem Reap and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Siem Reap gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.