Anybody Else Considering A Move To Cambodia?

[MrWorldwide]

Whatever issues you might be experiencing in Thailand which possibly make you consider a move, you will face all the same issues with no exception in Cambodia, and many of them will be worse than in Thailand, as well as quite a few more problems specific of Cambodia due to lack of development which are long eradicated in Thailand. The only thing where Cambodia really beats Thailand is the easy visa. As to Cambodia advocates on this thread talking about sincere smiles and other rubbish, in my opinion a fair number of them are just desperate for customers to make their hastily opened businesses at least marginally profitable.

I dont have a dog in this fight, but could you give us a little more of your own experiences in coming to those conclusions, pls ?

[Jip99]

Whatever issues you might be experiencing in Thailand which possibly make you consider a move, you will face all the same issues with no exception in Cambodia, and many of them will be worse than in Thailand, as well as quite a few more problems specific of Cambodia due to lack of development which are long eradicated in Thailand. The only thing where Cambodia really beats Thailand is the easy visa. As to Cambodia advocates on this thread talking about sincere smiles and other rubbish, in my opinion a fair number of them are just desperate for customers to make their hastily opened businesses at least marginally profitable.

Have you actually been to Cambodia ?

[morpho]

As they say, Cambodia is not for everyone. The same holds true for Thailand and other Southeast Asia countries.

I've lived in Chiang Mai for almost 2 and a half years and many things I've thoroughly enjoyed there and some things I have not. For the past 12 months, I've thought about leaving CM and Thailand in general. Vietnam, Philippines, and Cambodia have been my main options.

But it looks like I'll be making the move to Cambodia within the next 4-6 months. Mostly because I met a lovely Khmer girl who I want to develop a serious relationship with. But also because I feel much more welcomed here than in Thailand. I find Khmer people to be more friendly and welcoming than many Thais nowadays. I do have some reservations about moving to and living here. In general I think it will be more expensive to live here in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap than in Chiang Mai. And I will miss getting on a motorbike and taking drives up to Doi Suthep or into the beautiful countryside around Chiang Mai. But I do like the laid-back atmosphere and friendliness of people here in Cambodia. Only time will tell if I like it here as much as I hope and if things work out with the girl I met.

[jimmybarang]

It reminds me of Thailand a long time ago............................

[Sheryl]

With due respect, the issue may have less to do with the respective pros and cons of the 2 countries than with the psychology of emigration.

Specifically, I find that people who leave one country for another because they were unhappy in the first place and believed it to be the fault of that place's various flaws, and/or people who move to a place because they expect it to fulfill a list of requirements....do not end up happy.

The many people I know who have happily settled in Cambodia and in Thailand came for some specific purpose (often work-related), fell in love with the people (in general and sometimes someone in specific) and with the country, and stayed, fully aware that the country was -- like all countries -- an imperfect place not designed to meet their personal desires.

[rarky]

@Sheryl....great post! I fully agree with you.

I myself travelled to Cambodia 3 years ago in my mid-20's for a holiday, with no expectations of what to expect and definitely no plans to move there and live. I fell in love with the country, culture, lifestyle and people...my 2 week vacation turned into a 3 month vacation which has now turned into 3 years of living in a country that I still love, with a beautiful wife, young daughter and a home.

Anyone who is considering a move to Cambodia should really "try before you buy", come and spend at least 3 months (minimum) here before you make a decision...without any expectations. Short holidays will only give you a glimpse from a tourist's perspective.

I have met many expats here who have made the transition from living in Thailand to Cambodia, some love it and some despise it. I personally feel that I would not enjoy living in Thailand...the odd short holiday there is ok. Each to their own.

[Wimbledon]

You get a jug of draft for 1.60 us abt. 5 glasses ....it's the cheapest liquor prices in the world ! You can buy 24 can of Singaporean beer for 8 us ....I bought a few stout beers and mixed and. Created amber type brews that had alot of taste. ...paid 300 us for a New studio type bit. Bigger with kitchen , new washing machine. New air. In bedroom ,balcony ...3 min walk to riverfront . real coffee by. The lb was 6us ... sapphire (pretty blue bottle) is 10 , was 8us not very long. Ago .I found Khmer a little more friendly , than thai but similar ,......in Pattaya tons of. Condos ,in. PP NOT a lot markets r excellent. For vegetables, dental was good by Aussie recommendations and a few who had extensive work done. Wifi everywhere ,restaurants and coffee and tea shops. Personally i think you need to be in a country for a min 4 to 6 months engaged in. What you woul like to investigate if it meets your satisfaction ! And time to. Graduate to find the the necessities because there all different for many of us ... do your own homework. ...be an adventurer... Ask,ask. Ask and after 4 to 6 months you can say that you are starting To make. An informed decision. . Oops definitely Not. Asian ....Miss. Universe i believe and VENEZUELA. Again ..... Country sucks but .... Oh there i go off on a tangent....

[phuketrichard]

It reminds me of Thailand a long time ago............................

I moved to Thailand in 1984, Thailand was not in that time as backward,poor or dirty as Cambodia is today

Nor were the roads as bad,

nor was the food as bad

nor was the accommodation as bad,

need i go on.

In my eyes ( and i have lived in Cambodia and been traveling there sine 1989)

Don't get me wrong , I like Cambodia hence reason i go back 2 +times /year and have a Cambodian GF BUT

Cambodia is nothing like Thailand was

[MrWorldwide]

Great post, Sheryl - yet again, you are the voice of reason in the midst of some very unreasonable voices

[Wimbledon]

I think thailand in. The last year has much inflation ie what I could rent just under a year ago in Pattaya is close to a 200 us increase monthly .... And regulations about visas are getting more complicated for some groups .. Thailand is great in many angles , however i think there going for a higher tourist quality now ...and raising prices accordingly ... If u have lived there for years , i am sure you can outwit this for the most part but recent or new people coming are going to find Thailand isn't as inexpensive as it historically was made out to be ..... I only have 6 months experience living in Thailand so iam NOT qualified to speak abt it , only as a novice ...lived in the Caribbean for years , checking out Asia ( bored of blue beautiful ocean living ) paradise gets boring after 10 yrs ... Skvlle in cambodia. Too back packy, sienreap ( too NGO , touristy But have not spent much time there so not qualified PP NOT BAD AND COMING ALONG ......needed time to delve in .....Higher quality in Thailand , but seeing woman looking at a mirror 8 hours aday in Pattaya ( do they do this in all Thailands tourism areas? Both countries beat living in conventional countries , these days !

[mrdome]

It reminds me of Thailand a long time ago............................

I moved to Thailand in 1984, Thailand was not in that time as backward,poor or dirty as Cambodia is today

Nor were the roads as bad,

nor was the food as bad

nor was the accommodation as bad,

need i go on.

Baffled by this post...

Dirty? Where [excluding cities, of course - won't find a clean one in all of SE Asia and the fact that beaches are not cleaned regularly (can't blame the country for the trash that washes ashore everywhere these days)]?

Most major roads are fairly decent. 2003 you would have been right.

The food is one of the things I look forward to in Cambodia during my stays. Where are you eating?

Accommodation bad? Where are you staying? The country is full of great GHs & hotels starting at less than $10. Yes, there are also overpriced "holes" but easy to avoid those by asking to see the room first.

[jethro69]

Cambodia will get it's share in the near future, as the Thais do everything they can to make it happen.

Now, there are the restrictions on land crossings, followed by traveling by air in August, as next measure, they will probably not issue TV, if you hold some already...

 

So, latest then it will be Goooood Morning  Vie....   Cambodia

[mrdome]

 

Cambodia will get it's share in the near future, as the Thais do everything they can to make it happen.

Not aiming this at you jethro69 but this is really my concern that Cambodia might get an influx of people who don't really want to be there but were forced there for economic reasons and who may behave accordingly,

[balo]

I will consider Cambodia next year if the visa situation gets too complicated here in Thailand. Phnom Penh is a lovely city with nice people and great food so would consider a longer stay there . But maybe next year there will be a queue of foreigners wanting to live in PP.

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I spent a week in PP last year as a tourist, my first trip there, and focused on the place as a potential fall-back position from Thailand, should that ever be needed. And I found the city to be a pleasant and reasonably hospitable place. Generally friendly, English speaking people, especially among the younger generations. American money used. Lots more better and independent western/European eateries vs. pretty much just the international chains here in Thailand. Far better local beer. Vastly better wine choices.

 

The longer-term visa situation there is manageable for right now, just pay an annual fee and you're done. Transportation around PP is easy and cheap, being a smaller and less congested place than Bangkok (but no subway or elevated rail, of course). The locals told me the Internet was OK and getting better. But the big thing that usually crops up as a barrier to farangs moving from Thailand to Cambodia is what's considered to be Cambodia's much lower standard of medical care, even in the capital city of PP. Though perhaps that will change with time.

 

Of course, all of those impressions were before the Cambodian government started attacking its own citizen/protesters some months back amid big demonstrations -- not that that's an unknown occurrence here in the Land of S....

 

[Sheryl]

I would say the above sums it up pretty well.

 

Another aspect I like is the richness and variety of the expat community.

 

But the medical care is a drawback and it is not going to be of an acceptable level anytime soon, so moving to Camb one needs to factor that in. Maintaining a Thai medical insurance policy that will cover repatriation costs (such as BUPA platinum) is one option. Middle class Khmers and higher all go to Thailand or VN for their health care needs and you'll pretty much need to plan on doing the same for other than very minor things.

[seasia]

I spent a week in PP last year as a tourist, my first trip there, and focused on the place as a potential fall-back position from Thailand, should that ever be needed. And I found the city to be a pleasant and reasonably hospitable place. Generally friendly, English speaking people, especially among the younger generations. American money used. Lots more better and independent western/European eateries vs. pretty much just the international chains here in Thailand. Far better local beer. Vastly better wine choices.

 

The longer-term visa situation there is manageable for right now, just pay an annual fee and you're done. Transportation around PP is easy and cheap, being a smaller and less congested place than Bangkok (but no subway or elevated rail, of course). The locals told me the Internet was OK and getting better. But the big thing that usually crops up as a barrier to farangs moving from Thailand to Cambodia is what's considered to be Cambodia's much lower standard of medical care, even in the capital city of PP. Though perhaps that will change with time.

 

Of course, all of those impressions were before the Cambodian government started attacking its own citizen/protesters some months back amid big demonstrations -- not that that's an unknown occurrence here in the Land of S....

 

Interesting, on my tourist visit, slightly before yours, I got virtually the same impression of PP.

 

Taking a break from Thailand currently although fully intending to return.

 

PP just seemed  more laid back, more genuinely friendly, I`m comparing to Pattaya rather than BKK though.

 

I wouldn`t hesitate to go back to PP and also try to see more of Cambodia, the health care issue as mentioned a big deterrent to an actual move, visits fine though.

[Skins]

I found everything more expensive and more F'd up in Cambodia. Had fun but happy to be back in Thailand.

[Tomtomtom69]

Cambodia has easy visas and business start up requirements, plus it's a very nice country with most modern conveniences, at least in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. It's not nearly as developed as Thailand is, but it's surely making progress quite fast.

[Tomtomtom69]

 

I just came back from three weeks in Cambodia.  Nice to visit but I sure wouldn't care to live there full time.  It is considerably more "third world" than Thailand with more in your face poverty and beggars.  The roads were overall HORRIBLE and in my opinion very dangerous.  I sure would not want to do the Phnom phen to Sihanoukville or PP to siem reap road anymore than absolutely necessary.

 

I spent ten days in Sihanoukville mostly sitting on the beach reading books etc.  It is a nice beach there and the water appeared clear and mostly clean....at least along the main beach. ....but walk up toward Otres beach along the undeveloped section and it looks like a plastic garbage dump all along the beach as the cambodias seem to have zero regard for litter etc....it truly was pretty disgusting in spots.  The main beach area along serendipity beach is kept clean by paid workers who pick up the trash every morning.  Prices in Sihaoukville are overall cheap....tons of guesthouses and hotels etc from $3 usd a night up....I stayed in GBT 3 which is right in the middle of beach area...nice room, ocean front, tv with 50 channels, refrig, new a/c etc etc ...$18 a night and well worth it.

 

draft Angkor beer is avail everywhere with some bars offering 24/7 drafts for 50 cents though 75 cents is more common price....booze all over Cambodia is way way cheaper than Thailand...beer/wine/hard spirits a fraction of thai cost.  Food overall seemed more geared to western and was cheap as well....every night along the beach they have BBQ set up where you can have a really nice fresh tuna steak/ homemade fries/salad for $3...a real bargain.

 

Kinda weird that all prices are in US dollars and that is the currency used by most everyone....camob money is basically used as change as I never saw a single coin in use anywhere.

 

Several things you'll notice.  No songtaeows anywhere which is strange as it sure seems it would be a big hit.  Most of vehicles are passenger cars or vans with a fraction of the number of pickups as Thailand...motorbikes of course everywhere...their version of tuk tuks are little trailer carts pulled by a motorbike...it works but overall I think Thailand transport is vastly superior to Cambodia.  I found few Cambodians that knew very much Thai at all but overall I think they tend to speak more English than the average Thai.

 

Sitting on the beach is a constant stream of one armed/no legs type beggars who literally will drive you nuts after a few days...there are also lots and lots of  kids on the beach selling fruits etc but they aren't really all that aggressive and seem happy to sit and practice their English with you...of course they can be good smart sales kids getting a lot of tourist to agree to "later" thinking the kid won't be back...but they remember and do come back and point out that you told them "later" ....

 

Lots of backpacker types in sihanoukville and it is a big late night party place down around seredipty beach  with some really loud music until the wee hours...lots of cheap booze as well as nitrous oxide balloons...pot is openly smoked in many places in Cambodia and nobody seems to care at all.  I really didn't see that many older retired types in sihoukville as it seems most of them live/stay up near the victory hill area which is back away from the beach but has all kiinds of very cheap rooms/apts and more girly bars/massage and the like.

 

Siem Reap is a decent little town but of course very very transient with all the Angkor wat tourists coming and going to include a lot of pretty obnoxious Korean and Chinese tour groups...PP is of course the big city and can be interesting for a few days but I would have zero desire to live there.

 

The beaches and islands around sihanoukville are going to be developed a LOT over the coming years..there are miles and miles of beautiful beaches (expcept for trash everywhere) with no buildings in sight...there are boats going daily from the pier at serendipity beach out for day trips to "unspoiled islands"..there are also several big party boats aimed at the backpackers

 

The "girly bars" etc to me were really not all that great and overall I find the thai gals to be more fun.  Apparently farangs can run a biz in Cambodia and there are a lot of bars/restaurants/guesthouses with farang staff/managers.

 

All in all I enjoyed Cambodia for a visit but frankly I suspect that a lot of the thai guys talking of moving there might want to do a few visits first as overall I don't think it is nearly as pleasant as Thailand.....of course your experience may be different.

 

A very accurate report. I concur. Two years ago, I did the Cambodia thing...in a series of trips. First I flew in to Phnom Penh....it was not for me. Siem Reap was just way too touristy, in a bad sort of way. Sihanoukville had the tourists, but they were laid back, and I enjoyed their company on the beach at night. I had a gal with me and we spent mucho time on the beach under the lights. Alot of action....kids dancing, fireworks, inexpensive drinks, conversation, music. Sihanoukville was just enormous...but I managed to walk to all the beach areas. Took about 2 hours from Orcheteul Beach to Victory Beach. There was another in the middle. A few sleazy nightlife bars, you might be disappointed with the quality. A good gym near the Golden Lion Circle. Not much good for shopping. Found a casino.  I could live there, if I had to..but I just spent 15 years straight in the Philippines, and was looking to upgrade. Thailand was my choice...  Cambodia is just too pathetic in many ways..    beggars, thieves, children running wild, a feeling of imminent mugging.... etc. etc.

 

 

 

Correction: Cambodians near the Thai border will speak far more Thai (and far superior quality) than English. In Phnom Penh it would be difficult to find anyone who speaks Thai except for perhaps Thai embassy workers and former Cambodian migrant workers who have returned home. It's true that tuk-tuk drivers, hotel staff etc. speak far superior English in the major cities of Cambodia than their Thai counterparts.

 

I never felt threatened in Phnom Penh at night, and I have been there many times over the years, probably around 15 times or so, with 4 trips alone this year. However, like anywhere I wouldn't try to get myself into trouble and I generally choose to drive a car, motorcycle (if I hire one or bring my own) or use the services of a tuk-tuk or taxi rather than walk alone in questionable areas late at night just in case. Even so, even at midnight in the Sorya bar area I have never felt unsafe and in fact, I feel safer there than in similar bar areas in Thailand. Also, since I never visit girlie bars in Thailand it's easy to feel overwhelmed, whereas the Sorya bar area has a lot of restaurants/bars where you don't need to walk hundreds of meters past girls sitting on bar stools outside first. Each to their own I reckon.
 

[Tomtomtom69]

 

Every country has its good and bad.<br /><br />For starters Cambodia is still very un developed with huge poverty.<br /><br />I use to visit many times, but found each time after few days i started to feel "sad" or whatever the feeling is just seeing all the poorness and dirt.<br /><br />Before making a move, i would suggest living there for a few months just to get the feel of the place.<br /><br />I have thought about moving there many times, but then i always ask myself, how would it be different to Thailand? and the naswer is most likely after a while it will not.<br /><br />New people, new language, new everything. May not be as fun and easy to adjust as Thailand was

 

For what it's worth, I lived in TL for many years and I first travelled to Cambodia in '96. I eventually gave up on TL 6 years ago and moved to Phnom Penh. A couple of years ago I bumped into someone who lived in the same apartment as me in BKK in th early 90's. He moved here because he wanted the simple life he once had in TL, much the same as me. I spoke Thai because I had to to really enjoy life. I haven't found the need to speak anything but the most basic Khmer, occasionally. Admittedly, that's due in the main to having a Khmer GF.

 

Here's a thought, I worked in a hotel in BKK circa '94. A tour group from the UK came through and on the day they were leaving, I had a conversation with two middle aged English women who sat at the same poolside table 20 minutes apart.

 

Me: So how do you like BKK?

 

Lady A: It's dirty, disgusting, smelly and horrible and I will never come back.

 

Lady B: It's wonderful, the people are so nice, it's so exciting and different, I can't wait to visit again.

 

Like anywhere, it's what you make it, Cambodia suits some but not others, likewise TL these days it seems.

 

 

And then there are those Khmer expats that claim, incorrectly in my opinion, that Khmers who can speak English would rather speak Khmer with a Khmer speaking foreigner than Thais speaking Thai with Thai speaking foreigners, i.e. these expats claim that Khmers care whether a foreigner, who is a long time resident can actually speak their language after a while. I disagree with that claim mainly because the level of English spoken in Thailand, even in the tourist areas is quite low, so if you can speak Thai, any Thai it's usually reciprocated because English is such a struggle to so many Thais. On the other hand, not once has any Khmer inside Cambodia, apart from locals in the countryside or people selling petrol/gas out of bottles attempted to speak any Khmer with me because they all speak quite good English. OK, I admit that I don't speak more than a smattering of Khmer, mostly learned rather recently, but you'll find that Thais working in say 7-11 and anywhere non-touristy will likely tell you what the bill is in Thai, whereas at every similar store in Phnom Penh, even away from the touristy areas they will tell you how much to pay using English. This is of course done at first sight, before you have even opened your mouth.

 

Therefore to conclude: Thai in Thailand is far more useful than Khmer in Cambodia. Perhaps being a smaller language spoken by fewer people means it's less relevant to learn for foreigners and hence locals are more eager to learn English and speak it whenever they get the chance.

 

[Tomtomtom69]

 

OP - The Chinese have definitely NOT bought up Burma - Chinese cars aren't even allowed to drive more than 10km inside Burma and Burma's government back in 2010 or 2011 suspended a dam project, the Myitsone project I believe it's called due to environmental and social concerns. There is a considerable anti-Chinese sentiment in Myanmar (not to the point of violence or anything like that, just simply a distrust and dislike of the Chinese). Even in the Chinese-Myanmar border town of Mu-se the atmosphere is overwhelmingly Burmese, with the Burmese influence in neighboring Ruili much more prominent than any Chinese influence over on the Myanmar side in Mu-se so I don't know who told you otherwise. Foreign language signs, including those in Chinese language are supposedly banned in Burma, with only English and Burmese being allowed and some Chinese language signs were removed in a neighborhood of Mandalay recently according to a news story published by elevenmyanmar. You will see a few Chinese signs in the Chinese border areas but it's minimal compared to neighboring Laos. Perhaps you mean Laos being bought up by the Chinese - where so many parts of the north are full of Chinese investments, traders, business people, tourists, Chinese registered vehicles and Chinese language signs etc. that you could be forgiven for thinking that those parts of Laos have been annexed by China.

I don't see how that does not mean that China has not bought it up !?!
 
I don't know of any mining operation in the northern region which is not Chinese owned and run. I and a group of friends have been looking for a good sized plot on the coast in the south with a combined US$7,000,000 but all sold, to Chinese businessmen or groups.

 

Still I think the OP has been overthinking his claims. If he meant that one can expect to see Chinese all over Myanmar, bringing in their own people, cars, sinifying everything then no, he is wrong. That would however be quite true for Laos but having spent lots of time in Myanmar, including some border areas near China that have only recently opened up to foreigners (including Chinese tourists) I can attest to what I have said as being true.

[Tomtomtom69]

 

OP - The Chinese have definitely NOT bought up Burma - Chinese cars aren't even allowed to drive more than 10km inside Burma and Burma's government back in 2010 or 2011 suspended a dam project, the Myitsone project I believe it's called due to environmental and social concerns. There is a considerable anti-Chinese sentiment in Myanmar (not to the point of violence or anything like that, just simply a distrust and dislike of the Chinese). Even in the Chinese-Myanmar border town of Mu-se the atmosphere is overwhelmingly Burmese, with the Burmese influence in neighboring Ruili much more prominent than any Chinese influence over on the Myanmar side in Mu-se so I don't know who told you otherwise. Foreign language signs, including those in Chinese language are supposedly banned in Burma, with only English and Burmese being allowed and some Chinese language signs were removed in a neighborhood of Mandalay recently according to a news story published by elevenmyanmar. You will see a few Chinese signs in the Chinese border areas but it's minimal compared to neighboring Laos. Perhaps you mean Laos being bought up by the Chinese - where so many parts of the north are full of Chinese investments, traders, business people, tourists, Chinese registered vehicles and Chinese language signs etc. that you could be forgiven for thinking that those parts of Laos have been annexed by China.

 

Just so if you want to know the rebels and all in the shan state and the automonous regions have lots of chinese influence. These were former nationalists that lost to the communists during the chinese civil war. The shan state where they produce heroin and so on yes it's the Wa army has a leader with a mandarin name and i believe he is chinese or a chinese national from nearby yunnan.

 

 

I am aware of those things but that still doesn't make Myanmar any more "Chinese", certainly not compared to what the situation is over in Laos or certain other countries in the region, even Malaysia and Singapore (though those countries mostly have long settled ethnic Chinese residents rather than recent arrivals). FYI Ruili, which is the Chinese border town neighboring Myanmar is as I have stated above is far more Burmese in character than the Chinese influence in it's border town across the border. Although a couple of border regions in Shan, mostly next to China use the Chinese language etc. aside from that, further inside the country Myanmar is very much a Burmese country with few overly Chinese influences. In fact, I was surprised at the number of Indian-Burmese, ethnic Indians now living inside Myanmar. There are considerable numbers of ethnic Indians that have moved all over the country, even to rural areas. Places like Kawkareik, Kyondo, Gyaing, Hpa-an, Myawady etc. that are located along the Myawady-Hpa-an overland corridor have large ethnic Indian populations, which surprised me at first because i thought there wouldn't be any living outside of Moulmein/Mawlamyine, a traditional trading port where large numbers of ethnic Indians have settled.
 

[Tomtomtom69]

1.u don' need a wallet full of $ when u get to PP.

   a.  there is an atm in the arrival area (PP airport) where u pick up ur luggage before customs and it will give u $US 50. also every atm in Cambodia gives    $US  for some reason they don't give u $100

 

   b.  Also if u fly from Bangkok there are Siam commercial bank atms after u clear immigration that will give u $ or euros!!!

 

   c.  Or u just take Baht to any Thai bank in Thailand and buy $$  i just brought $12,000 worth for the rate of 30.4 baht to the $

 

2.  Baht to riel; as i said the money changers near the markets near street 108 an d130, 1 block off riverside.

they will change for u

.

apx 100 baht = 13,400 riel= $3.35

 

 

3. yes i know 3 bars in PP that do not charge Bar fines

Martinis, walkabout an Sharkies and also plenty of freelancers at the new soya mall where there are like beer bars on street 51

BUT these girls are freelancers and do NOT work for the bar,

I think u will find any hostess bar/karaokes will charge u a bar fine or it will be included in the girls fee ( if u take one from a brothel) One in SR is called top  something or other

 

I apologize if my English is not up to your standards as i come from the American education system :-)

 

Some Cambo ATMs do give you $100 notes. What I find so amazing about that is in such a poor country ATMs regularly give out 50s and even 100s but in the States you can only get out 20s. Of course in the States robbery and fraud are the main reasons why larger notes (and ATM withdrawal limits) are not available as well as the fact that most locals use debit and credit cards for just about everything; cash is definitely not king in the USA whereas in Cambodia it still is.
 

[phuketrichard]

atm withdrawal limits is set by the bank

here in Thailand  i can get 20,000 baht/day

Cambodia is goes from $400-600/day

 

 

[Sheryl]

I use 2 banks in Cambodia (FTB and ANZ) and they both allow $1,000/day.

[mrdome]

I found everything [...] more F'd up in Cambodia. ...

 

Well, for that to fully make sense, we'd need to know what you exactly mean by that.

 

 

Also, considering the current political mess in Thailand that was certainly "effing up" life for many and may still flare up again in the future, that is quite a statement to make, no?

[TheSiemReaper]

I spend a lot of time in Thailand but I live in Siem Reap; I have no idea how anyone can find Cambodia more expensive than Thailand.

 

$550 a month = 1 bedroom hotel apartment (living room, kitchen, bathroom and large bedroom) including all utility bills (electric, cable TV and internet) and regular maid service. Hotel has a salt water swimming pool (large one) and a pool table. Never have to carry anything heavy - hotel staff do it for you.

 

Beer, cheapest in town is 35 cents a beer in an incredible setting. Marlboro - $1.10 for 20. There's an artisan cheesemaker in town, best mature cheddar in Asia - $18 a kilo (try getting cheese for that price in Thailand), bread from a bakery is around $1 a loaf. Giant sized tub of marmite - $9 (roughly the same as a small pot in Tesco in Bangkok). And so on...

 

There is less choice than Bangkok. It is hard to find large sized clothing but a run to Bangkok every now again is both cheap and easy to solve that.

 

There's no cinema and entertainment options are more limited. Health care is poor but dentists are cheaper than Thailand and very good.

 

Could you live comfortably on $1,500 for two here? I know an Australian couple who live here with 5 children (of their own) who managed comfortably on less than $1,000 a month until recently.

 

$10 a meal in a restaurant? Sure, there are restaurants that charge that much. There are restaurants that charge more too. There are plenty of others that charge $2 a meal - dozens of them.

 

Long-term visas must be the easiest and cheapest of any destination in the world. One year, multiple entry, no police registration, no regular check ins, etc. = $285

 

It takes time to get to know Siem Reap - when you arrive, it's easy to get sucked into thinking that tourist Siem Reap is all that there is - it's not true. Cambodia is incredibly cheap to live in, and incredibly easy to live in.

 

And for the record, I've never been burgled, I've never been mugged and I've never seen a group of Khmer kicking the life out of a Westerner - no matter how much of an idiot that Westerner has been.

[Tomtomtom69]

I spend a lot of time in Thailand but I live in Siem Reap; I have no idea how anyone can find Cambodia more expensive than Thailand.

 

$550 a month = 1 bedroom hotel apartment (living room, kitchen, bathroom and large bedroom) including all utility bills (electric, cable TV and internet) and regular maid service. Hotel has a salt water swimming pool (large one) and a pool table. Never have to carry anything heavy - hotel staff do it for you.

 

Beer, cheapest in town is 35 cents a beer in an incredible setting. Marlboro - $1.10 for 20. There's an artisan cheesemaker in town, best mature cheddar in Asia - $18 a kilo (try getting cheese for that price in Thailand), bread from a bakery is around $1 a loaf. Giant sized tub of marmite - $9 (roughly the same as a small pot in Tesco in Bangkok). And so on...

 

There is less choice than Bangkok. It is hard to find large sized clothing but a run to Bangkok every now again is both cheap and easy to solve that.

 

There's no cinema and entertainment options are more limited. Health care is poor but dentists are cheaper than Thailand and very good.

 

Could you live comfortably on $1,500 for two here? I know an Australian couple who live here with 5 children (of their own) who managed comfortably on less than $1,000 a month until recently.

 

$10 a meal in a restaurant? Sure, there are restaurants that charge that much. There are restaurants that charge more too. There are plenty of others that charge $2 a meal - dozens of them.

 

Long-term visas must be the easiest and cheapest of any destination in the world. One year, multiple entry, no police registration, no regular check ins, etc. = $285

 

It takes time to get to know Siem Reap - when you arrive, it's easy to get sucked into thinking that tourist Siem Reap is all that there is - it's not true. Cambodia is incredibly cheap to live in, and incredibly easy to live in.

 

And for the record, I've never been burgled, I've never been mugged and I've never seen a group of Khmer kicking the life out of a Westerner - no matter how much of an idiot that Westerner has been.

 

Although I've never lived in Cambodia, although I do hold the same 1-year multiple entry business visa you hold as I travel to Cambodia often, I agree with all your statements. In fact I'm like you but the reverse - live in Thailand but spend lots of time in Cambodia. I find that Cambodia isn't expensive at all, but there is less choice and you'll probably find yourself gravitating towards more expensive western style bars and restaurants where a meal easily costs $10 or more, but isn't that the same in Thailand?

 

Health care in Cambodia is improving with new hospitals such as the Bangkok Hospital affiliated Royal Phnom Penh hospital close to completion. I went into the parking lot there just last month and it's nearly complete. However, it will take a while before standards in the rest of the country catch up.
 

[TheSiemReaper]

Truthfully? $10 for a meal would be hard to achieve in Siem Reap away from Pub Street. I reckon on average I spend $5-$6 on a meal here. There's only one place I go where the whole check following a meal comes to more than $10 (including a couple of drinks either alcoholic or non-alcholic) and I usually only eat in Western-style places. Even a delivered large Western-style pizza from a pizza chain (not a Khmer "happy pizza" place) only costs $10. Outside of the 5-star hotels I can only think of about half-a-dozen places that it would be worth spending more than $10 for a meal; Abacus, Dakshin's, Barrio, etc. but they tend to be "special occasion" places. Not because of the money, but because they're farther away from home than I normally want to go for dinner.

 

There is also a lot of choice in places to eat but... I'll be honest I'd lived in Siem Reap for a couple of months before I knew that. It's a funny city there's a lot hidden out of plain sight and it takes time to explore. The same is true for Phnom Penh (or perhaps even more true in PP - finding the tourist tat of the riverfront and girly bar districts is easy - but most of the best stuff in PP is in really weird locations).

 

I do prefer an air-conditioned bar and pay a premium for my beer. A bottle of Tiger costs a massive... $2! Find a decent bar serving beer all day, every day for 60 Baht in Bangkok... if you can they'll be serving Chang and not an imported beer.