Cost of Living inSihanoukville, Cambodia
Image credit: Kiensvay
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Cambodia: $7,009/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 65% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
Happiness
4.3 / 10
#117 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost β the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
Public-schooling rules are set nationally for Cambodia; Sihanoukville-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.
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.
β 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 β check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$275-$425
monthly Β· confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$475-$725
monthly Β· confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Sihanoukville: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Airport
International airport
Sihanouk International gives the city direct domestic and some regional coverage, with Phnom Penh still acting as the deeper backup gateway.
Urban transit
Tuk-tuk and shuttle mix
City movement is still mostly road-based and tourism-oriented, with no meaningful rail backbone and only light local bus structure.
Rideshare
Grab and local ride apps
App-hailed rides are a practical fallback for beach-area trips, port transfers, and airport runs when hotel shuttles or buses are less direct.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
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
LimitedPublic coverage looks thinner, public funding looks lighter, and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
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
LimitedPrice transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
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 Β· 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 | β |
| Agriculture & Farming | β |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | β |
| Construction | β |
| Education | β |
| Finance & Insurance | β |
| Healthcare & Social Work | β |
| Hospitality & Food Service | β |
| Information & Technology | β |
| Manufacturing | β |
| Mining & Quarrying | β |
| Other Services | β |
| Professional & Scientific Services | β |
| Public Administration & Defence | β |
| Real Estate | β |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | β |
| Transport & Logistics | β |
| Utilities | β |
2023 annual wages in Sihanoukville, Cambodia Β· Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page β no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Sihanoukville compared with the US?
Your money goes about 3.1x further in Sihanoukville than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Cambodia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Sihanoukville cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Sihanoukville is cheaper overall than New York City β overall living costs are about 65% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Sihanoukville. We are using the country-level cost index for Cambodia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Sihanoukville compare with New York City?
Rent in Sihanoukville is about 90% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Cambodia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Sihanoukville?
Groceries in Sihanoukville are about 58% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 75% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Cambodia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville is Cambodia's principal deep-water port, with about 73,000 residents in the city proper on the Gulf of Thailand coast, and serves as the country's main maritime trade gateway and a base for offshore islands. The local economy has undergone rapid transformation since 2016 with heavy Chinese investment in casinos, hotels, and construction, followed by a sharp adjustment after the 2019 ban on online gambling that left significant unfinished construction and changed the foreign resident mix. Khmer is essential, with Chinese widely used in commercial districts and English functional in tourism. The climate is tropical with a strong wet season from May to October. Sihanoukville is volatile relative to other Cambodian cities; relocators should prefer Phnom Penh or Siem Reap for established expat infrastructure.
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