TheSiemReaper

Oh and the interbank rate is currently 4067 Riel to the dollar. Not even 4,100.

Siemreaper, work on your math a little.... or forward your post to your primary school teacher. She can explain the problem to you

Your post reflects your expart life-stile in Siem Reap which is limited to a small set of a few square miles. In other areas (large parts of the country), the USD is seen but not dominant or even frequent. It is an addition.

Mike; I'd work on my manners if I were you. The USD is accepted every where in Cambodia. I've spent in rural Ratnakiri and just about everywhere else. Don't make stuff up.

100 Riel is worth more than a 1/4 of a percent but if I were you; I'd try and find a money changer who will change at market rates with no commission before you talk nonsense about the savings. Can't? Oh that's right that's because money changer's need to make money too. Thanks for the schooling, next time I need information from the uninformed - I'll give you a shout.

Ordinary visa goes back ot becoming a Business visas

goes in effect Oct 1st

not now

expect long term extensions to climb to over $325 soon after. Plus u will need get a wp for $100

I expect the ordinary visa to emerge for those retired an not seeking work or wokring.

Good to know, but won't the same system of only two visa types continue even after Oct 1st? Or are you saying that there will be three visa types (tourist, business and ordinary) after then? Or just that there will be a name change of the ordinary to become business?

OK so things will become a little more expensive but that's OK.

Sadly, Richard claims to know what the Cambodian government does not. It has been indicated that there may be a new class of visa that isn't an ordinary visa - when that visa gets introduced no-one has any idea. There has been no statement regarding increases in long-term visa fees whatsoever. The ordinary visa was once a business visa and it's unlikely to revert to class.

The currency of Cambodia is the US Dollar and it's accepted everywhere in the nation. Changing money into Riel is a waste of time (though if you get the best exchange rates when the Riel goes out to 4,100 to the USD - you can make a 1/4 of a % on most transactions by changing dollars into riel and spending them - the accepted rate nearly everywhere whatever the official rate is is 4,000 Riel to the dollar). I throw all the Riel I get into the equivalent of a "coin jar" now and when it adds up to a reasonable amount; I give it to my friends' children to spend. It takes up too much space in my wallet and has so little value (the 100 Riel note is a pain in the backside in particular and you won't see smaller than that in a city though 50 Riel notes are stil in circulation). I get paid in dollars, I bank in dollars and I spend in dollars. Anyway why would you care about spending Riel rather than dollars? You can even spend greenbacks in Vietnam easily and they actually have a currency of common usage.

There are plenty of apartments in that area in that budget range which aren't shophouses but rather fairly unattractive apartment blocks with shops below. (There is a difference). By and large, security is a huge steel door which padlocks on the inside (these can be a pain in the backside late at night when slightly drunk but are otherwise very secure) and bars on all windows, plus (with just a little luck) razor wire around the balcony (if you have one).

Yes, burglary is rife in Cambodia. Yes, it can be avoided. I've lived in both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh without incident all my time here. Be sensible and try to get on with your neighbours who like thieves about as much as you do and who have far more to lose if the apartments start getting ransacked.

Per visitor Thailand is more dangerous than Cambodia (at least based on reported incidents) but... I agree it's almost always about common sense. I could leave my front door unlocked here (I live in a security controlled hotel apartment), indeed for a couple of days I left it without lock when I had to kick the door down because the hotel had lost their spare key for my room, but I don't because I figure it is always better to be safe than sorry. Elsewhere in Siem Reap if you live at ground level, in particular, you would be insane to leave the door or even window unlocked and certainly you would never leave them open unless you were in the same room.

I wouldn't start screaming at a local. I wouldn't get drunk and then head to the dodgiest part of town to walk down alleyways. And so on... by and large, people seem to bring shit upon themselves. My favorite are the couple here who have now been burgled (in the same place) 4 times. Each time they lose thousands of dollars worth of equipment but it just doesn't seem to occur to them to pay a bit more for their accomodation and live somewhere safer...

Mines are becoming much less of an issue now; UN demining efforts have been going on in force for years and while Cambodia won't be "landmine free" for a few more years - you would have to work to step/cycle on one as the number of landmine injuries for locals have dropped dramatically in recent years and they get much, much more exposure to Cambodia than any tourist on a bike will.

I strongly disagree that Cambodia is particularly dangerous. Given the visitor volumes and hospital/police/embassy reports - Thailand is in fact much more dangerous than Cambodia to foreign visitors. Violent crime against foreigners is much, much rarer in Cambodia than in Thailand. Petty crime is rife but it is everywhere in Asia except for, perhaps, Singapore. While I know a few people who have been burgled here; I do not know any victims of anything more serious. In fact even bag snatching is so rare that whenever it happens to an expat it tends to make front page news here. Common sense will take you a long way in "lawless" Cambodia. Mainly because Khmer are relatively nice people by and large and they aren't looking to do you harm.

Mines are becoming much less of an issue now; UN demining efforts have been going on in force for years and while Cambodia won't be "landmine free" for a few more years - you would have to work to step/cycle on one as the number of landmine injuries for locals have dropped dramatically in recent years and they get much, much more exposure to Cambodia than any tourist on a bike will.

I strongly disagree that Cambodia is particularly dangerous. Given the visitor volumes and hospital/police/embassy reports - Thailand is in fact much more dangerous than Cambodia to foreign visitors. Violent crime against foreigners is much, much rarer in Cambodia than in Thailand. Petty crime is rife but it is everywhere in Asia except for, perhaps, Singapore. While I know a few people who have been burgled here; I do not know any victims of anything more serious. In fact even bag snatching is so rare that whenever it happens to an expat it tends to make front page news here. Common sense will take you a long way in "lawless" Cambodia. Mainly because Khmer are relatively nice people by and large and they aren't looking to do you harm.

I like Oscars too and Shanghai's good (hostesses are not pushy and generally looking for LTR rather than "you give me boom boom baby?"). If you head to Siem Reap; I can recommend Rosy's Guest House for a nice place to stay.

And strangely, I've just got back to SR after staying in the Silver River for a few days while I collected my passport.

No problem; please do. :-)

Yes, I live in Siem Reap - for me, it's one of the best places to be in Asia. It's beautiful, peaceful and has a bag load of facilities thanks to the tourists passing through each day. And I'm not ashamed to say; I don't think it's possible not to be blown away by the Angkor Temples each and every time you visit.

I'll be honest; I've only ridden in SR and PP (I don't do jungles for my incredible arachnophobia can't take it) - I've heard the Cardamoms are awesome for biking too (though potentially a little dangerous - it's bandit country) and that cycling in Ratankiri and Mondulkiri can be very rewarding too.

I am happy to pay tax anywhere as long as my taxes entitle me to all the rights and privileges of any ordinary citizen of that nation - excluding a vote (not that it turns out that voting is very useful in Thailand any way). Thailand does not provide that environment and I won't pay taxes there until does.

And so goes the ever moving goalposts..

First its if only there was a way.. Then iglu and umbrella companies came along..

Then its but thats got restrictions.. I want..

then its but thats 30% why should I..

and now we get only if I have full citizenship rights for my meagre contribution...

No moving goalposts at all. If you come to my country and pay tax - you get all the same rights as I do. That's fair; it's why you pay tax - to be treated equally under law with all the same benefits as other taxpayers. You don't get to vote because you're not a citizen (though stay for 7 years and you can become one - that's international law).

My taxes are not a "meagre contribution"; based on Thailand's tax rates - I'd be kicking in 100-200K Baht a month in income tax. That's more than most Thais will contribute in their whole lives in tax. You can bet I want something back for my investment in Thailand at that point.

You can rent decent mountain bikes in Siem Reap or Phnom Penh (decent not amazing - Giant brand mid-range bikes) and then cart them anywhere you want to cycle. I find it oppressively hot and cycling is uncomfortable for it - in the Winter months, it's a pure joy though.

Lets say conservatively that someone consumes 100.000 a month, with 7% VAT that is 7000 paid a month in taxes. We should then factor that the person who got the money will pay taxes on that money in the form of either business tax, personal income tax or VAT again in the form of consumption. I am not going to make that calculation now, but you money being earned abroad and spent in Thailand is what any economist would wish for. It is quite literally the best kind of situation there is for a country.

And I am sure if there was a system in place that was crystal clear with a visa to boot, many people would not mind paying the tax

I am happy to pay tax anywhere as long as my taxes entitle me to all the rights and privileges of any ordinary citizen of that nation - excluding a vote (not that it turns out that voting is very useful in Thailand any way). Thailand does not provide that environment and I won't pay taxes there until does. Second rate anti-farang legal system does nothing to make me want to. The whole 51% Thai ownership of a business criteria is a joke. I don't mind not being allowed to own land but I'm sure as shit not handing over control of my business to anyone else. Cambodia on the other hand gleefully extends pretty much all the same rights (none) to expats as it does to citizens. Sadly, as the government here takes all the tax money and sends it to Switzerland - I don't see much benefit in paying tax on this side of the border either.

Siem Reap is a small town; it only has 80,000 permanent residents. That's a small town back in the UK and it's tiny compared to China where I used to live. Your friends in Siem Reap may not be hoping that things go up but many of the new professional expat class are. Siem Reap is gentrifying and that's good news for those of us who make a decent living. I'd rather pay a bit more and live in a town with better facilities. The good news for the cheapskates is that much of Cambodia will still be pleased to take them in - they can always go and live in some of those rural villages you're recommending.

And who's "playing down other countries"? Small town life here is better than Thailand. Big city life is better in Thailand. Horses for courses. Get over yourself.

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If you want a quiet life, Cambodia has better equipped "quiet life" spots than Thailand (whereas Thailand excels in big city life).

your surely dreaming Where??? >>>

there are hundreds , if not thousands of small towns/villages throughout Thailand that are far better ( try and get a good meal outside the main cities in Cambodia) and as quiet as anywhere in Cambodia

PLUS

your never more than a few hours to a big city

If you were a budding historian, I'd think that the Angkor Temples of Cambodia would offer far more to that type of person than anything in Thailand

as long as your willing to pay to visit them every day you do visit them

Been to Bagan> although not as impressive as Angkor Wat, there are thousands of Pagodas an Myanmar and Thailand have quite a lot of history

To each his own. i lived in Thailand for 24 years an moved up to PP in 2008-09 and traveled all over Cambodia between 2002-last year and came back to Thailand to live and make my home

Its a nice place to visit but living,,,, nope

I'm not shitting you in the slightest; I've already seen your commentary - it appears that you're ill equipped to deal with Cambodia; for those of us who aren't. It's way better in Cambodia than in small town Thailand. Way better.

A $20 fee to see one of the 7 wonders of the world? It's cheap at 10 times the price. We're all hoping it will go up - there won't be much left for future visitors if visitor numbers keep climbing the way they are. I'd like to see prices of a lot of things go up here in Cambodia - to keep out people who bitch about paying $20 for a temple pass and 50 cents for a beer too.

Bagan may be the most utterly boring place on earth. It's spectacular to see it the first time and then you realise... every single temple is the same, a shell nothing more. Mrauk U in Myanmar is much, much better than Bagan.

You are also stunningly unaware of all the wealth of temples in Cambodia you don't have to pay to see (try Koh Ker the ancient capital - it's ****ing incredible).

I love the idea that digital nomads have to be paupers. I clear more as a digital nomad than most multi-national's farang senior managers do in Thailand. As nowhere in Asia seem to want to make it easy for me to get residency and pay taxes (despite taking zero jobs from anyone); I've structured my incorporated status offshore and pay zero tax anywhere. That means I now make a LOT more than a senior manager of a multi-national in Thailand. Go figure.

Smart guy. But there's this horrible thing called 'tall poppy syndrome', which means if you're smart, do your own thing and end up better off, there'll be a queue of people who weren't as clever looking to bring you down.

Not a lot they can do to bring me down. I bring in my own clients, do all my own work, and the company structure is legit. They can sulk but that's all they can do. Oh the joys of being out of corporate life and not relying on the people around you for your living.

There are two course in Phnom Penh. Green fees vary but I think they're around $50 a round (it's been a while since I checked). One of the courses is very popular with Hun Sen (the Cambodian Premier) who is also a keen golfer.

Please note that the entry visa fee for Cambodia has just gone up by $10. It's the first raise in over 10 years. So the 1 month initial visa is now $35 not $25 for those looking to live here and a tourist visa is now $30 not $20. Don't forget that you cannot extend a tourist visa for more than an extra month; so don't try and save money if you're coming to live here by buying a tourist visa. For the moment 3 month, 6 month and 1 year extensions remain the same price as before.

It depends on what you want from your retirement. If you were a budding historian, I'd think that the Angkor Temples of Cambodia would offer far more to that type of person than anything in Thailand (Cambodia has everywhere beat when it comes to old and interesting temples, the new ones aren't too shabby too). If you like a beer, then Cambodia has Thailand beat on the price front by a mile. If you want a quiet life, Cambodia has better equipped "quiet life" spots than Thailand (whereas Thailand excels in big city life). And so on...

I'm not retired. But I can work from anywhere on the planet (pretty much). I choose Cambodia because I like it much more than Thailand. Basic medical care here is fine. High-end medical care is crap. Dentistry is better and cheaper here than in Thailand. The news of visa crackdowns has been greatly exaggerated; much fanfare but little/no actual action. My rent and bills here are far cheaper than the equivalent in Thailand. Western services in Siem Reap are growing apace and are much cheaper than in Thailand. There are plenty of Western goods in town (though they are annoyingly split between all the supermarkets making shopping a more complex affair than necessary). Western food is cheaper and generally better than in Thailand at the low and mid-market price points; the high-end is improving constantly and will one day catch up too. I do visit Bangkok regularly (every 3-4 months) to pick up some of the things I can't get in Cambodia but there's no desparate shortage of most of the things I need. And the Khmer people are genuinely friendly, rather than carrying fake plastic crocodile smiles like they do in LoS.

I've been around all of South East Asia and the only place I'd rather be than here is Malaysia. However, the high investment required for a long-term Malaysian visa isn't justifiable to me just yet. I'm not ready to commit to one place for the whole of the rest of my life.

TheSiemreaper that last point, number 7 about permanent residency status do you have any links or is all under the table? I know you can even get a passport if you pay enough to the right person but this sounds like a good one. I also have looked for long time to maybe set up office but I give up in Thailand on that as said before by others, its amazing stupid rules and BS. In Sihanoukville I also believe there is a tax free zone as they are serious about bring in company to set up business there. And dont forget you can lease/buy land on 99 year contract.

It's official though I can't remember which Prakas it's in - you should be able to find it easily enough the sum $25,000 is listed in Riel rather than USD.

I don't think the tax free zone is up and running in SHK yet but it has been proposed.

You can buy land easily enough if you use the right company structure (the 51% Khmer owner gets 0% of voting stock and no entitlement to propose, dispose or get paid from company assets) - the whole 99-year lease thing isn't necessary.

With you on the frustrations of living here , just feel like everything is stacked against you here I need to start up small business somewhere but crazy to try in Thailand. just managed to sell my last but no intention to put any more money into this place. I will start a new tread soon I get round to it to try get answers to this question:

Does Cambodia offer better conditions for small business startups? compared to Vietnam Loas or as someone mentioned Indonesia if any one can answer me that would be great

really need low cost of living till I can get my self on my feet . work opportunities and/ or favourable business conditions

Cambodia offers the best conditions for small business start ups possible. 1. It's legal to run a sole trading entity as a foreigner without registration.

2. It costs less than $2k to open a limited company (though travel companies need to pony up an extra $5k) and 100% foreign ownership is legal (taxes are a bit on the harsh side but... you are in the 3rd world)

3. You are not required to employ a single local if you don't want to (most businesses do - it's incredibly cost-efficient to do so but you're not forced to).

4. There are very few sectors of the local economy that are "protected" and none of them are likely to impact on a small business here

5. Visas are cheaper and easier to obtain that anywhere else in Asia

6. So are work permits if you decide you need them

7. An investment of $25k in the Cambodian economy also enables you to apply for permanent residency status