Cambodia declared the cheapest country to retire

[geovalin]

Image: TTR Weekly

 

International Living, a magazine that focuses on the best places to live and invest, named Cambodia the cheapest place to retire in 2019.

 

The Kingdom came first this year in the cost of living category in the publication’s Annual Global Retirement Index. Earning full marks in the category, the ranking highlights the Kingdom’s attractiveness for retirees and expatriates in general.

. .

This is the fourth year in a row that Cambodia has topped the list in the cost of living category. It was followed by neighbours Vietnam and Thailand, who came in second and third, respectively. “Centrally located in the beating heart of Southeast Asia it is a country undergoing a renaissance thanks to 15 years boom in economic growth and tourism centred on the world-renowned temples of Angkor Wat,” International Living said.

 

“When folks dream of visiting Cambodia they are initially more likely influenced by the exotic draw of these ancient temples, royal palaces, and saffron-robed monks or the beautiful beaches and undeveloped islands on the southern coast than anything else.

 

read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50576896/cambodia-declared-the-cheapest-country-to-retire/

[Puchaiyank]

My 1st impression when traveling from Thailand to Cambodia via vehicles...there were no dogs or cats running around...garbage blown into piles by the wind...and the relentless touts aggravating you to use them instead of walking a few blocks...makes getting around an unpleasant experience.

[4737 Carlin]

This is complete and utter BS. The Chinese have pushed up the prices of everything in Cambodia. Rent and supermarket prices are particularly high because of their greed.

[Sheryl]

Clearly did not factor in the cost of health care (which will often require traveling out of the country!).

 

Probably gave a lto of weight tio things like cost of dining out - which is indeed a bargain in camb.

[freebyrd]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Clearly did not factor in the cost of health care (which will often require traveling out of the country!).

 

Probably gave a lto of weight tio things like cost of dining out - which is indeed a bargain in camb.

Kind of curious that I live in Phnom Penh and was well taken care of by Sunrise Japan hospital 2 years ago when I had a stroke? Also, we don't eat out as often as it really isn't such a bargain anymore.

 

As always it seems like a case of one man's meat.....

[freebyrd]

1 hour ago, 4737 Carlin said:

This is complete and utter BS. The Chinese have pushed up the prices of everything in Cambodia. Rent and supermarket prices are particularly high because of their greed.

Supermarkets expensive? I live in Phnom Penh and always found Bangkok rather more expensive than it is here.

 

 

[freebyrd]

5 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

My 1st impression when traveling from Thailand to Cambodia via vehicles...there were no dogs or cats running around...garbage blown into piles by the wind...and the relentless touts aggravating you to use them instead of walking a few blocks...makes getting around an unpleasant experience.

When in Rome.... Living in Phnom Penh you just have to learn to ignore them or don't go to the riverside. There is more to the city than the touristy stuff.

Edited February 12, 2019 by freebyrd

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Probably gave a lto of weight tio things like cost of dining out - which is indeed a bargain in camb.

Yes, it's hard to find an Indian curry in Thailand for $4-$5.

Edited February 12, 2019 by BritManToo

[Kerryd]

40 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Clearly did not factor in the cost of health care (which will often require traveling out of the country!).

 

Probably gave a lto of weight tio things like cost of dining out - which is indeed a bargain in camb.

Here is how the International Living magazine rates countries:
https://internationalliving.com/the-best-places-to-retire/

However - it appears their data is pretty much entirely made up from the responses given to them by their "ever-expanding network of editors, correspondents, and contributors" so the results are probably somewhat suspect.

 

As in, we know more than a few people in Thailand are not making anywhere near as much as they claim, which is why so many of them are in panic mode over the recent changes in financial requirements. You can imagine that many of them wouldn't exactly be "honest" about their actual lifestyle either when answering a survey.

 

No doubt a lot of the "correspondents and contributors" from other places are also full of **** when it comes to describing life in their chosen corner of the world.  One guy who has a problem with Immigration (maybe his own fault) can make it seem like the whole system is screwed when really it's  that guy's fault. As you know, many of us have been here for years and never had a problem of any kind with immigration while others seem to have never ending problems with them. It would only take a couple of "bad apples" to make things seem worse than they actually are.

I doubt many of their contributors would honestly report that they are actually living in a cheap "local" apartment and getting by on a plate or 2 of cheap street food a day. 

One of the contributors to the International Living index is a guy who says he's living in a "Western style apartment" (in Phnom Phem) and even with all his utilities (including air con and cable TV) is paying just $380 a month (12,500 baht roughly). 

I just looked at 2 other "cost of living" sites and one claims that Phnom Phem is more expensive to live in than Bangkok, while the other says it is cheaper !

 
https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/bangkok/phnom-penh

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=Cambodia&city1=Pattaya&city2=Phnom+Penh

When I was in Cambodia a couple years ago, I spoke to some locals (many of whom thought my g/f was Cambodian - keeping in mind that over the centuries a lot of what is now Thailand used to be "Cambodian" and visa-versa). 

Anyways, it seemed (according to those locals) that most everything in Cambodia was more expensive than in Thailand because almost everything in Cambodia had to be imported (except for rice). Gas, cigarettes, electricity, electronics, etc - all imported and more expensive than in Thailand apparently.
I recall reading as well that Phnom Phem was quite expensive to live in as it is growing rapidly and available housing is shrinking.

 

So I tend to have a jaundiced eye when I hear reports of how cheap it is to live in other places. One has to keep in mind as well that "cheaper" does NOT mean "better". In fact, it usually means "worse" for a lot of things.

Especially when it comes to things like healthcare. Hard to quantify something like that. It may be cheaper to get a broken arm set and casted in Cambodia, but you may find yourself wishing you'd had it done in Thailand instead.

(Sort of like the difference between getting anything done at a government hospital in Thailand compared to one of the better private hospitals.)

You pretty much have to live in a place, just like you are doing now, in order to really see what the differences are. Everybody's standards and expectations are different and what is "cheap" to one person maybe be expensive to someone else. What may be considered an "essential" to one person may be an unnecessary luxury to others. Some may consider a serviced apartment with a pool and gym as the "bare minimum" while others will claim that a tiny studio apartment with shared bathroom "down the hall" is more than sufficient.
(And so on and so on.)

 

Generally speaking, you can probably live a lot cheaper in Cambodia than in Thailand. However, you may find that the extra cost of living in Thailand is worth it. It depends on your standards and what compromises you are willing to make (and your budget of course).

 

[ChrisY1]

Just a sh!t hole.....run by crooks and the Chinese.....

[Redline]

Cambodia is unsanitary, and a bit more expensive-the western food is better than in Thailand, but a little expensive-Thai food is better than Cambodian food, except for the curry my friend’s mom makes

[BritManToo]

On 2/12/2019 at 4:28 PM, Kerryd said:

One of the contributors to the International Living index is a guy who says he's living in a "Western style apartment" (in Phnom Phem) and even with all his utilities (including air con and cable TV) is paying just $380 a month (12,500 baht roughly). 

I have a pal living in PP, his Condo costs $300/month inc aircon, cable TV, utils, internet.

I live in a 3 bed house I'm buying in CM, 12,500bht/month covers repayments & utils. 

 

Beer at 50c/pint in Cambodian bars makes a big difference to serious drinkers.

Edited February 20, 2019 by BritManToo

[phycokiller]

On 2/12/2019 at 10:45 AM, Puchaiyank said:

My 1st impression when traveling from Thailand to Cambodia via vehicles...there were no dogs or cats running around...garbage blown into piles by the wind...and the relentless touts aggravating you to use them instead of walking a few blocks...makes getting around an unpleasant experience.

no dogs is good, theres plenty of cats. the touts are good too, get a tuk tuk or motorbike without having to look. litter is a problem but really the planet is going to have deal with that at the source, hiding it might make people feel better but doesnt solve the problem

[Sheryl]

Touts are only in the tourist areas. Most of the city is free of them.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app