Cost of living in Cambodia in 2024

HI Cheryl. I was kinda tossing around answering this. I really don't know any of the answers about food costs, utilities, and I stay away from the rent with our house owner. We rent a three bedroom house outside of Siem Reap. It's a small but nice house. It costs $200 a month I think. I pay $6 a month for internet on the phone. This is a plan which automatically renews and gives me 50gb of data and lots of text and talk time. For leisure activities we often travel outside of Siem Reap. Mostly we go on a minivan service to Phnom Penh and then go somewhere else like Kampot or Koh Kong. I don't pay these costs usually. My Khmer partner takes care of all that stuff. She also does all the shopping for clothing for me, shoes, food. We have potable water delivered. I don't know how much it costs. I don't moto so I spend some money on ride hailing each month using PassApp.  Probably about $10 a month for that. I try to go different places to walk from where we live now. Another expense is coffee. I go for coffee every day out. I spend $1 at local places for coffee. I don't drink much any more so the cost of beer is negligible. We don't go out to eat too often because Alin is an excellent cook of all kinds of food.

I guess these days I'm lazy. I just stay away from monthly costs. I probably would not understand how to do much of it anyways. I figure its just easier to have a Khmer person do all that and Alin willingly does it all. She knows my clothing and shoe sizes so when I need something I ask her to please go to 6th street market and look for me. I go through walking shoes every few months so she finds replacements for me of the kind I like.

None of this probably helps much since I don't really pay much of anything or know what it costs.

I'd have to agree with Miles' post above. In general, everyday costs in Cambodia are quite low, although maybe Phnom Penh is an exception? Most people pay $200-300/month for rent or even less, eating out twice a day is pretty reasonable but cooking will be even cheaper. It's common to have your own motorbike or bicycle to get around. Inter-city travel by bus, van or train is certainly affordable. There's a big second-hand market for household stuff and clothes. Even getting tailor-made clothing isn't prohibitively expensive. Electricity might be $40/month if you run the A/C constantly. So, basically you can enjoy life rather than think about money.

I guess two things that may upset your budget would be healthcare and having kids. Other than that, you need not worry too much about finances in Cambodia. You may not be living "high on the hog" but if you like a tropical climate, you'll be comfortable.

@jayrozzetti23

As an ex pat Brit you can have a comfortable life in Phnom Penh on $12000 p/a, Aircon can add $80 a month,  & health care is good in PP, and reasonable, but opperations, if your a brit and used to not paying, can be scary,

I pay $450/month for a 2 bed apartment on the 6th floor with 2 balconies in Phnom Penh.  It was recently renovated, 2 AC units, elevator, moto parking in BKK2.  Far enough from the expat areas that you are not likely to bump into someone you know every 10 minutes, but close enough that you can walk to TTP or BKK1 if you want.  We pay $5/month for tap water, $0.25/kWh for electricity, internet and garbage is included, and drinking water is $1.5 / 20-litre bottle.

We have a 9-month-old daughter and we both work full-time.  Our nanny's salary is $450/month.

We budget $640/month for food, drinks and general living expenses for all 3 of us.  Most months we are over budget by $100 or so.  We order food usually once or twice a week from "western" restaurants, which costs around $15-25 a time (although for that amount you get way more food than is necessary).  We prefer drinking good beer in smaller quantities, so half a pint can cost anywhere from $3-5.  Cheaper beer is available. 

Transport, depends on how far you want to go.  A 10-minute tuk tuk ride costs about $1-2, you pay more the further you go (obviously..).  You can travel around the country cheaply, for example a bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Sihanoukville (major tourist destinations) would cost about $15 one-way. 

Overall I'd say you can live quite comfortably on anything above $1000/month.

@Cheryl

Hi

I gave a $1000 a month for cost of living in Phnom Penh, which is unfair and limited,

So I have been in PP 10 years, British male, Khmer femail, both retired, no drink, no smoke, live in daun Penh,

These are our costs now, we own a home so no rent, p/a costs are as follows,

Rent n/a, Electricity $420, gas 2 x 15 kg bottles $36, water $24, waste $24, TV / WiFi, $324, visa $290, food $2880, tuc tuc $240, gym $600, meals out $240, miscellaneous $1000, just over $6000 p/a but we do have a contingency fund for medical, $3000 p/a, this on an overseas account, health care is the biggest problem, the older you get the worse it is, so you need to be fit & careful, no bikes lol, rents in Phnom Penh avg $ 4800 p/a, feel free to ask questions, 

    @Cheryl
Hi
I gave a $1000 a month for cost of living in Phnom Penh, which is unfair and limited,
So I have been in PP 10 years, British male, Khmer femail, both retired, no drink, no smoke, live in daun Penh,
These are our costs now, we own a home so no rent, p/a costs are as follows,
Rent n/a, Electricity $420, gas 2 x 15 kg bottles $36, water $24, waste $24, TV / WiFi, $324, visa $290, food $2880, tuc tuc $240, gym $600, meals out $240, miscellaneous $1000, just over $6000 p/a but we do have a contingency fund for medical, $3000 p/a, this on an overseas account, health care is the biggest problem, the older you get the worse it is, so you need to be fit & careful, no bikes lol, rents in Phnom Penh avg $ 4800 p/a, feel free to ask questions, 
   

    -@toni345th

600 a year for gym must be a nice gym. I'd buy a weight set for 600. Weird to list prices per year but I guess thanks for sharing. You are British but not English native?

@Small Box

I am a British citizen born & bred, 14 years ago I semi retired, to a more enlightened country Cambodia, the reason I put p/a is I'm a numbers man and when you totals you can keep track of your finachiel position in the big picture,