Cost of living in Phnom Penh: real monthly budgets

Last updated: October 28, 2026 · By Wander Cambodia

Most cost-of-living pages for Phnom Penh are spreadsheet models built by people who have never paid an electricity bill here. This page works the other way: real price ranges for the things you will actually pay every month, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, so you can build a budget that survives contact with reality.

Three honest monthly budgets

Lean — $550 to $800. A room or small studio in Toul Tom Poung, Tuol Kork or further out ($150–350), local markets and street food for most meals, a motorbike or Grab rides, one air-conditioner used sensibly at night. This is the budget of teachers, volunteers and long-term travellers who cook some meals and do not need a pool.

Comfortable — $900 to $1,400. A modern one-bedroom in BKK1, Tonle Bassac or Chamkarmon ($450–700), a mix of Khmer restaurants and Western cafés, a gym, regular Grab cars instead of only tuk-tuks, and a weekend trip most months. Most working expats and digital nomads land here, and it buys a genuinely good life.

High-end — $1,500 to $2,500+. A prime condo or serviced apartment ($800+), imported groceries, frequent dining out, private healthcare cover and domestic help. Families should start here and then add schooling — international school fees are the one cost that can dwarf everything else on this page combined.

Rent, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

BKK1 and Tonle Bassac are the classic expat centre: embassies, cafés, gyms and the highest rents. Expect $450–900 for a good one-bedroom, more in new towers with a pool. Toul Tom Poung (the Russian Market area) gives you most of the same daily life for 20–30% less, with older buildings and a more local feel. Riverside and Daun Penh suit people who want the river and the Royal Palace on their doorstep; prices swing wildly by street. Tuol Kork is quieter, more residential and popular with families. Further out — Sen Sok, Chroy Changvar, the southern districts — rents drop again, but you trade money for traffic time.

Before you compare rents, read our guide to renting in Phnom Penh: the deposit, the electricity markup and what is included (cleaning, parking, internet, gym) change the real price of two apartments with the same headline rent by hundreds of dollars a year.

The bills nobody puts in the headline

Electricity is the famous one. The state rate is only part of the story — many landlords resell power at a marked-up per-kilowatt price, and air-conditioning is what makes the bill bite. A fan-only room might pay $20–40 a month; a one-bedroom with the AC on every night, $60–150. Always ask the per-unit price before you sign, in writing.

Water is cheap — often $5–15 a month, sometimes included. Internet runs about $15–30 for a home fibre line that is fast enough for remote work; a local SIM with a generous data plan costs only a few dollars more — see our eSIM vs local SIM guide for how visitors set this up. Visas belong in the budget too: a 12-month extension of stay costs roughly $285–300 through an agent — the full ladder is in our visa extension price guide, and it works out to about $25 a month.

Food: the local–Western gap

Eat where Cambodians eat and food is one of the great bargains of Asia: a market breakfast of kuy teav for around $1.50–2.50, a rice-and-grill lunch for $2–4, fruit by the kilo for loose change. Our guide to what to eat in Cambodia is the tasty starting point. Cook at home from local markets and a single person can eat well on $200–300 a month.

The gap appears the moment your trolley fills with imported cheese, wine, cereal and snacks from a Western-style supermarket — the same basket can cost two to three times the local equivalent, and a Western café habit ($4 coffees, $10 brunches) adds up faster than rent differences do. Most comfortable budgets are really a decision about this one line.

Getting around, health and the rest

Transport is cheap either way: short tuk-tuk and Grab rides are typically $1–3, a monthly motorbike rental runs roughly $60–100 plus fuel, and buying a used moto is common for anyone staying a year. See tuk-tuks and Grab in Cambodia for how the apps and the haggling actually work.

Healthcare is the line to plan, not to skip. Phnom Penh has good private clinics for everyday care, but serious cases still mean a medical evacuation to Bangkok — which is why long-stay insurance is a budget line, not an optional extra. Our Cambodia travel insurance guide and our SafetyWing review explain what cover actually needs to include. Everyday money mechanics — dollars vs riel, ATM fees, Bakong — are covered in Money in Cambodia.

So what should you actually budget?

Come with three months of your target budget in reserve, rent month-to-month for the first month or two while you learn the neighbourhoods, and re-check your real spending after 60 days — almost everyone discovers their food and electricity lines were the wrong way round. If the numbers work and the life suits you, the paperwork side is genuinely simple: start with the visa extension guide, and if you are 55 or over, the ER retirement visa guide and our honest take on retiring in Cambodia.

Frequently asked questions

Can I live in Phnom Penh on $1,000 a month?

Yes — comfortably, if your rent stays under about $500 and you eat local more often than not. At $1,000 the budget that breaks first is usually imported food and full-time air-conditioning, not rent.

Is Phnom Penh cheaper than Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City?

For rent and local food, generally yes. For imported goods, international schooling and top-end healthcare, the gap narrows or disappears — Cambodia imports a lot of what expats consume.

Do I need to budget in dollars or riel?

Both circulate. Rent and big bills are usually quoted in US dollars; small daily spending drifts to riel, and you will end up with a wallet that holds both. Our money guide explains the dual-currency system in plain terms.

Prices on this page are typical Phnom Penh ranges checked in October 2026 from current local listings and expat cost guides. Rents and agent prices move — treat every figure as a planning range, and confirm the exact number before you sign or pay.