Author: dan

Costs to Retire in Siem Reap Cambodia

February 2025: Siem Reap is my favorite place to live in Cambodia after spending time in expat-favorite cities such as Kep, Kampot, Battambang, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap.

This report includes my cost of living data collected for Siem Reap with my feet on the ground here in 2025. I last shared my cost of living data for Siem Reap 5 years ago. That is available in the full report so you can judge how things have changed here in 5 years.

I travel the world and report on the best places to retire overseas. I left the United States 18 years ago, 73 countries so far. I am happy to report that Cambodia is still one of the cheapest places to live, as I will now explain.

The bus from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to Siem Reap, Cambodia, took 5 hours and cost $9 USD. As usual, I found the ground transportation on RometoRio.com. The Grab taxi from where the bus stops in Siem Reap to my accommodations was $4 USD.

The cost of living numbers I am about to share with you are for someone who decides to live in Cambodia for a year. But I recommend visiting first before determining if Cambodia is right for you. So, start with short-term accommodations for your exploratory visit.

My short-term accommodations were $18 USD per night. The hot water pressure was below what most Westerners expect, so I suggest booking elsewhere. But book within the area of this Google map, so everything you need in daily life is walkable for your exploratory visit.

Walkable areas appear on Google maps with the tan colored marking, as shown in this Google Map. The link to this map is on the first link in the notes below this YouTube video.

In this video, I will share my updated cost of living numbers, but the full written report includes retirement desirability factors such as Medical, Walkability, Internet, Food, Weather, Things to Do, Social considerations, Expat Community, Real Estate, and My Overall Retirement Desirability Score for Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The written report also includes my favorite restaurants, things to do, nightlife walking tour, city walking tour, and other useful information, plus my report from 5 years ago.

Okay, here are my estimated costs of living converted into US dollars if the two of us moved to Siem Reap year-round on a tight budget. As I go, I will also share what more typical middle-range expats might spend.

Estimated Cost to Retire in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Rents: My Sonya from Nan with a Backpack YouTube Channel has a video showing you the apartment she got for $200 USD on a one-year lease. If you rent for a shorter period on Airbnb, it would be much more expensive.

If you rent a larger apartment on a one year lease, the middle range rent would be higher, around $500 USD per month depending upon area and size.

Here is the process we use to find great apartments. So, we will show you a table of all expenses in a moment. We will use $200 per month for our lower rent estimate and $500 per month rent for the middle cost of living estimate for expats who want a little more space.

If you are willing to ride public transportation or drive a scooter or car 10 minutes outside of central. You could easily save an additional 20 to 40% on rent.

Utilities: We estimate that the year-round average for our utilities would be about $50 USD per month. The utilities would cost more for the larger space, starting at around $100 USD per month.

Groceries: When possible, we would purchase fruits and vegetables from the Farmer’s Market, small shops, and street vendors to save money. But we would also shop in grocery stores for nonperishable foods and other things like shampoo and detergents. We estimate about $250 per month for groceries. Other expats are likely to shop more often in expensive grocery stores, often spending more than $350 per month on groceries.

Restaurants: We would eat out twice per week, mostly in more local-style restaurants a few blocks back from the tourist areas, for about $2 to $4 USD per meal per person and one or two splurges per month of $6 to $10 USD per meal per person. If you add all that up, we would spend around $140 per month for the two of us in restaurants. We may have a beer here and there, but that is covered below in alcohol.

Other expats are likely to eat more often at expensive expat-style restaurants and less in local-style restaurants, and cook less at home, so they would likely spend more like $280 per month for 2 people in restaurants. It is lifestyle-dependent.

Cell Phone Data: The cost to get a single prepaid SIM card for your unlocked smartphone is about $10 USD per month. When we were out of the house together, both phones could be online using the hotspot. Other expat couples are likely to buy two prepaid SIM cards, so they would spend $20 USD per month.

Laundry: Many long-term apartments in Siem Reap have a washing machine, and my above grocery estimate includes laundry detergent, so laundry would cost nothing extra. People in SE Asia hang dry their clothes.

Drinking Water: We didn’t see reverse osmosis delivery in 20-liter jugs here so we would probably get a Brita water filter for the refrigerator. The filter refills would be about $5 USD per month.

Internet: Many apartments include 15 MBPS WIFI in the rent. But other expats might be willing to buy their own dedicated WIFI for 50 MBPS up and down for about $45 USD for in-home wifi.

Transportation: The city of Siem Reap is very centralized so we just walked everywhere. The also have have Grab Taxi Tuk-Tuks that are pretty cheap. But, we would walk mostly and spend about $20 USD per month for transportation.

Other expats may take more Grab Taxis, walk less, and possibly buy a scooter, so I estimate $120 per month for them.

Alcohol (Optional): Domestic beers in corner markets are about $1 USD for a half-liter, which is about 16 ounces. That works out to be about $0.75 USD for a standard-size can of beer in the USA. In bars and restaurants, domestic beers range from around $1 to $6 USD. So, we estimate about $80 per month on alcohol for the two of us.

Other expats often spend a higher amount for imported foreign or craft beers in convenience stores, bars, and restaurants, so we estimate about $200 USD per month for 2 people.

Entertainment (Optional): We would budget about $200 per month for entertainment for the two of us. We generally enjoy doing more do-it-yourself kinds of entertainment, so other expats would spend a little more, maybe $300 per month, for the 2 of them?

Estimated Costs to Retire in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap

Cambodia

Lower

(USD)

Middle

(USD)

Rent

200

500

Utilities

50

100

Groceries

250

350

Restaurants

140

280

Cell Data

15

30

Laundry

0

0

Drinking Water

5

5

Internet

0

45

Transportation

20

120

Total

$680

$1430

 

 

 

Alcohol

80

200

Optional Total

$760

$1630

 

 

 

Entertainment

200

300

Optional Total

$960

$1930

We gathered this data with our feet on the ground here in January of 2025, so adjust for inflation after that. The above lower estimated cost of living would be if the two of us lived in Siem Reap on a tight budget.

The middle estimate is just an example of what more typical expats might spend if they moved here.

To understand what it would cost you to live here, you must put your feet on the ground, see how you would choose to live, eat, and entertain yourself, and add it all up. It doesn’t matter what anyone else spends because we are all different.

So, what would it cost you to live in Siem Reap, Cambodia?

If you are going to try to retire cheap offshore, make sure to read my report, the Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Early for Cheap Offshore, which explains why you should have emergency funds available for unexpectedly large expenses (and how much).

To get a better understanding of things you should add to our estimated cost of living, watch this video: 9 Reasons You Can’t Retire on $1000 Month Overseas.

Most people will likely be unable to retire for the lower range estimate above. I give example reasons why in this report. Plus, this other report explains how to avoid coming home early with your tail between your legs.

You should also add anything to the above table that you spend money on in your home country that is not listed in the above table. Presumably, you find those things necessary in life.

To do that, visit Numbeo Siem Reap and add anything not mentioned in the above table. Anything not on Numbeo you should add during your exploratory visit to Siem Reap so you learn your personal cost of living before deciding to move here.

Never move anywhere until you have visited first personally to verify the living costs for your lifestyle and needs. I am not guaranteeing these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different depending on your lifestyle and the time since this post.

Many of the expats we meet living overseas are self-insured for medical care. That means that not everyone buys health insurance when they move overseas. That probably sounds crazy to many of you.

I didn’t carry medical insurance for most of my first 17 years living overseas. But last year I bought medical insurance. If you are wondering what it costs and what it covers, watch my medical insurance video at this link. This is not an affiliate link.

More typical expats’ living costs in Siem Reap range from about $1600 to $3000 per month. But people who spend that much often have higher savings, incomes, or pensions. They often report spending more on accommodations and entertainment, eating out more, traveling more, and drinking more alcohol. Many also have more expensive cars, houses, or apartments.

Cambodia Visas

Check to see if these visas have changed since this was written. 

Tourist Visa: Many countries can get a visa on entry for $40 USD. Make sure to bring one passport-size photo and US cash for your visa on entry. The USD cash you give to immigration must be the most recent version; they do not accept past versions even though past versions are legal tender in the USA. The notes must also be in pristine condition with no tears, marks, ink, or fading. I am not kidding. You can also apply for a tourist T-type visa before arriving in Cambodia.

Retiree Visa: If you think you may want to get a long-stay visa while you are in Cambodia, you must apply and obtain an E-Type visa before you arrive in Cambodia. If you enter Cambodia with an E-Type visa instead of a tourist visa, you will be eligible to apply for an ER-Type visa (retirement).

Employment or Business Visa: If you are under age 55, and you think you may want to get a long-stay visa while you are in Cambodia, you must apply and obtain an E-Type visa before you arrive in Cambodia. If you enter Cambodia with a tourist or T-Type visa or a tourist visa on arrival, you will be required to exit Cambodia and re-enter with an E-Type visa. Once in Cambodia, you can apply for a work permit if you need one, as discussed by the following two guests who were too young to get a retirement visa.

Interviews: Expats Living in Cambodia

2025 Restaurants Update