Cost of Living in Cambodia
Image credit: PPS0011
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Cambodia: $7,009/capita.
Cities in Cambodia
Income Category
Happiness
4.3 / 10
#117 globally
GDP per Capita
Population
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 65% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Child Education
Public-school quality, expat access, instruction language, and homeschool legality for relocating families.
Public schools
How realistic the local public-school path is for a relocating family in Cambodia.
Quality
Limited public-school fit for expats
Expat access
Not practical for most expat families
hardInstruction
Khmer
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Cambodia's public school system faces significant resource and quality constraints. Instruction is in Khmer. International and private schools in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap serve most expat and worldschooling families.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can technically enroll in public schools, but language and quality barriers make it impractical for most international families. Private and international schools are the realistic choice.
❓ Homeschooling
Not regulatedCambodia has no specific homeschooling legislation. Education is compulsory in theory but enforcement is limited. Many expat families in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap homeschool without issue.
Homeschool legality in Cambodia — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current city samples for the family-support costs we track in Cambodia.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$225-$475
5 tracked cities, not a national average
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$375-$825
5 tracked cities, not a national average
Source: curated family relocation research
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Cambodia.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, doctor staffing is lighter, and hospital capacity looks tighter weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedA visible public hospital footprint help, but public coverage looks thinner and public funding looks lighter.
Private care
GoodA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
62/100
2023
Physicians
0.21/1k
2019
Hospital beds
0.73/1k
2018
Out of pocket
61%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
70.8 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
137/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
9.5/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedA visible private hospital base and multiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Cambodia yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2023 annual wages in Cambodia · Source: ILO ILOSTAT
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
About Cambodia
Cambodia presents a cost-effective relocation option, particularly for those prioritizing budget. Its cost of living, estimated between $500-800 per month for a comfortable expat lifestyle, sits significantly below the regional average. Phnom Penh, the capital, and Siem Reap are the primary hubs for foreign residents. The country operates on a tropical monsoon climate, meaning consistent heat and humidity throughout the year, with a distinct rainy season from May to October. Navigating the visa process is generally straightforward, with a 12-month multiple-entry tourist visa available for around $120-150 and an e-visa option. While English and French are commonly understood in tourist-heavy areas, Khmer is the official language. Relocators should be aware that internet connectivity can be unreliable, and healthcare facilities are concentrated in Phnom Penh, with more limited options elsewhere.
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Common questions about Cambodia
Sourced from SortaRich's public-data ranking engine — every figure links to its institutional source.
Is Cambodia a good country to live in?
Cambodia is a lower-rated country to live in per the World Happiness Report (4.3 of 10, ranking #117 globally). Whether it's right for you depends on your priorities — use SortaRich's free quiz to see how Cambodia ranks for your specific income, family, and visa profile.
Sources: World Happiness Report, SortaRich Methodology
How much does it cost to live in Cambodia?
The cost of living in Cambodia is about 65% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), with an overall cost-of-living index of 35. SortaRich personalizes these numbers to your home city's purchasing power so the comparison is real, not nominal.
Sources: SortaRich Cost of Living, World Bank ICP 2021
How far does $1 go in Cambodia?
$1 goes about 3.0x further in Cambodia than in the baseline market — your home-country income stretches that much more (current PPP ratio: 2.99). The figure adjusts every year as exchange rates and local prices shift. SortaRich uses World Bank ICP 2021 as the anchor and Penn World Tables 11.0 for cross-validation.
Sources: World Bank ICP 2021, Penn World Tables 11.0
What visa do I need to move to Cambodia?
To move to Cambodia you have these visa options: Tourist entry: visa_on_arrival. Visa rules change frequently — confirm the current terms with the official immigration authority before booking flights.
Source: SortaRich Visa Database
What are the best cities to live in Cambodia?
The best cities to live in Cambodia are Phnom Penh — those are the most-searched options among the 1 cities profiled in the SortaRich database. Each city page includes a personalized PPP comparison versus your home city plus subnational price data where available.
Source: SortaRich City Index