Budget: how much does Cambodia cost?

Cambodia is often overshadowed by its neighbors Thailand and Vietnam. Still, Cambodia is well worth a visit. The cost is low and in 2 weeks you can visit all the most famous destinations and get a good idea of the country.

In this article, we take you through the budget for Cambodia. Costs are broken down into activities, accommodation, transportation, food and beverages and other. This is all based on two people. At the bottom of this article you will find a handy overview of common expenses in Cambodia. We spent 7 weeks in Cambodia ourselves, from February to April 2023.

What currency is used in Cambodia?

In Cambodia, payment is made with two currencies: the U.S. dollar and the Cambodian riel. Prices are often quoted in dollars, but you can always pay with riel. Basically, the following rule is used everywhere: $1 = 4,000 riel. In the beginning it takes some getting used to with the conversion but you quickly get the hang of this. For converting U.S. dollars to Euro, you don’t have to go to any trouble. In fact, this differs very little. 100 U.S. dollars is about €92.

Cost of accommodation in Cambodia

We always try to spend as little money as possible on accommodation. Since this is often just the place where you sleep and barely spend any other time, we don’t mind a bit of simple sleeping. We have only two criteria: it must be clean and it must be near the center.

In Cambodia, we almost always slept in a double room, sometimes in a hostel and sometimes a private apartment. On average, we collectively spent €16.50 per night on accommodations, so €8.25 per person. This is a good average for a couple in Cambodia. Are you a solo traveler? Then you will spend between €5 and €10 for a good hostel.

Tip: check out the nicest hostels in Cambodia via the image below!

Costs for activities in Cambodia

The cost of activities in Cambodia varies greatly. For an entrance ticket to Angkor Wat, you already spend $37. You also have to arrange a tuktuk for your transportation between the temples or go with this good tour for $15. You also pay between $5 and $8 admission for the Landmine museum and Apopo Rat center. In addition, in Phnom Penh you will delve into Cambodia ‘s fierce history. An entrance ticket to the S21 prison costs $10 per person. This includes an audio tour. An entrance ticket to the Killing Fields costs $6 per person, also including an audio tour.

Furthermore, the scooter rental was very variable in price. In Siem Reap, you pay $9 for a scooter for a day. In Koh Rong this is $10 and in Kampot $5. So per destination, this is very different. What is notable is that some activities in Cambodia are also free. For example, the tour at the pepper plantation in Kampot is completely free. In total, we spent €8 per day on activities for us together.

Cost of food and drink in Cambodia

Cambodia generally has tasty cuisine. The dishes are less spicy than in Thailand, and the curries in particular are very creamy. In terms of price, there is a big difference in Cambodia between street food and eating in a restaurant. In a restaurant, you often pay 2 or 3 times as much for the same dish.

In addition, beer in Cambodia is very cheap. You pay an average of $0.75 – $1 for a can or bottle of beer. Even in restaurants. Buy a can of beer somewhere in Cambodia? Then look closely at the tab. If it says $1 or 1 free beer you can, for a 1,000 riel ($0.25) fee get a new beer. If you save up the tabs you can get quite a few free beers in return.

Together, we spent a total of €26 per day on food and drinks. This includes occasional beers and often dinner at a restaurant. This is by far the biggest expense in our Cambodia budget.

Cost of transportation in Cambodia

Cambodia is an expensive country in terms of transportation. For an hour on the bus, you pay an average of $4. Thus, for a 4-hour ride, you can easily spend $15. The speedboat from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong is also expensive. For a return ticket, where you spend a total of 1.5 hours on the boat, you pay $25.

On average, we collectively spent €10.50 per day on transportation. These are the costs of the buses, ferries and cabs we took. This includes 2 bus rides where you cross a land border. These bus rides are even more expensive. Count on €25 – 35 if you want to travel from Cambodia to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh.

Other expenses in Cambodia

In addition to the above costs, we did some laundry, bought toiletries, tipped and bought SIM cards. A SIM card with unlimited data for 30 days costs around $10. For laundry, you pay $1 a kilo almost everywhere. In total, we spent a combined €3.50 per day on other expenses.

The visa for Cambodia costs $30. We had to apply for these 2 times because we had to do a visa run to Thailand. That’s why we also lost $120 total for the visas.

Average daily budget for Cambodia

After 7 weeks in Cambodia, we arrive at a daily budget of almost €34 per person. This is an average amount in Asia. If you pay even more attention to cheap lodging and do fewer activities, you can certainly travel through Cambodia on a lower budget. In that case, count on about €30 per person. Travelers who want to stay a little more luxuriously will have to expect to pay €40 per person.

Cost overview budget Cambodia

To get your budget right, we have written down below the common costs of your trip through Cambodia. This will make it easier to set your budget for Cambodia. Please note that this is an average, in high season prices are a bit higher everywhere and obviously lower in low season.