Anybody Else Considering A Move To Cambodia?

[meatballs]

The only reason I'd move there is because of the cheaper nightlife activities. Otherwise, why bother? I've got all I need here in Thailand. And if you like those sorts of ladies well just travel to Surin and Buriram. Plenty around those parts.

[poanoi]

You obviously havnt try out Ancher beer, best thing ever,

beaches are also infinitely cleaner with bigger waves.

Rent is also cheaper, but above all the visa for us below 50 suckers is a a blessing,

1/3 cost and no hassle what-so-ever, no exiting country, just a single fee per year,

you can even run a biz on that visa if you wish.

Oh, and in your case: bar fine is also illegal there, so you save yourself 500 baht,

in addition to the fact that the girl you bar fined has no leverage to perform poorly,

if she aint good, you didnt lose 500 so she better behave

Edited March 1, 2013 by poanoi

[HeijoshinCool]

<Snip>I have read virtually everything available by Thai, Khmer, French, Chinese, Vietnamese and American scholars on the subject, <snip>

Joe,

I'm always interested to learn more. I'd be most great foul if you could recommend a good book or two on the subject.

Thanks.

T

If you ever travel to Phnom Penh, you can find tons of books at excellent prices. Also, take a visit to S-21, which is worth a thousand words.

[SteeleJoe]

I have read virtually everything available by Thai, Khmer, French, Chinese, Vietnamese and American scholars on the subject,

Joe,

I'm always interested to learn more. I'd be most great foul if you could recommend a good book or two on the subject.

Thanks.

T

If you ever travel to Phnom Penh, you can find tons of books at excellent prices. Also, take a visit to S-21, which is worth a thousand words.

True. Especially the latter (I'd been reading about it all for years before I ever went there - and to a great degree all that I read, and have read since, pale in comparison to that visit's impact).

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap

[Rancid]

Well the OP has dreams of a cheaper life with cheaper women in a cheaper country in a cheaper hovel with cheaper food. He is just living the dream of cheapness, a pentultimate objective in a fulfilling life if ever there was.

[poanoi]

Eh, is that the same as getting the best bang for the buck ?

[cardholder]

<Snip>I have read virtually everything available by Thai, Khmer, French, Chinese, Vietnamese and American scholars on the subject, <snip>

Joe,

I'm always interested to learn more. I'd be most great foul if you could recommend a good book or two on the subject.

Thanks.

T

If you ever travel to Phnom Penh, you can find tons of books at excellent prices. Also, take a visit to S-21, which is worth a thousand words.

Couple it with a trip out to the 'Killing Field' and you start to put the picture together.

The Killing Field is very well done and the audio cassette a must.My Thai GF was deeply moved - especially by the children's area.

Incomprehensible that genocide on this scale could occur in our living memory.

[chiangmaikelly]

<Snip>I have read virtually everything available by Thai, Khmer, French, Chinese, Vietnamese and American scholars on the subject, <snip>

Joe,

I'm always interested to learn more. I'd be most great foul if you could recommend a good book or two on the subject.

Thanks.

T

If you ever travel to Phnom Penh, you can find tons of books at excellent prices. Also, take a visit to S-21, which is worth a thousand words.

Couple it with a trip out to the 'Killing Field' and you start to put the picture together.

The Killing Field is very well done and the audio cassette a must.My Thai GF was deeply moved - especially by the children's area.

Incomprehensible that genocide on this scale could occur in our living memory.

I can think of two genocides in the 1990's. Not so unusual really. I guess no one really cares.

[MrWorldwide]

Well the OP has dreams of a cheaper life with cheaper women in a cheaper country in a cheaper hovel with cheaper food. He is just living the dream of cheapness, a pentultimate objective in a fulfilling life if ever there was.

Some folk also cited the easier visa system as an incentive for considering Cambo, but I think you have hit the nail on the head. In any case, a month in Cambo would answer a lot more questions than 500 of these threads.

[jamhar]

Just returned from Cambodia.

I find the women more attractive there than in TL.

just a personal preference i guess.

Just about everything else, i didnt see much difference.

People are just as lovely, just as friendly, just as corrupt, lol

Prices are just as low, and ferang prices just as different lol

but I don't believe there's any work over there for an EE

so its a moot point.

Not that there's a lot of work for an EE here!

[NeverSure]

Just returned from Cambodia.

I find the women more attractive there than in TL.

just a personal preference i guess.

Just about everything else, i didnt see much difference.

People are just as lovely, just as friendly, just as corrupt, lol

Prices are just as low, and ferang prices just as different lol

but I don't believe there's any work over there for an EE

so its a moot point.

Not that there's a lot of work for an EE here!

Agree on the women, but then I think the Buriram, Surin, Sisaket, etc. area has its beauties.

By EE if you mean electrical engineer, I heard there was a lot of hiring due to the fast increase in power generation facilities.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

compared to Chiang Mai (where I stay)

I would be interested in comparisons of

-Internet speed and reliablity

-Traffic safety

-Air quality

I can't imagine wanting to be in PP. Where is the CM or Cambo? SR?

[MrWorldwide]

compared to Chiang Mai (where I stay)

I would be interested in comparisons of

-Internet speed and reliablity

-Traffic safety

-Air quality

I can't imagine wanting to be in PP. Where is the CM or Cambo? SR?

Think of a city that would be the opposite of Chiang Mai, and that city would look a lot like Pnomh Penh. My advice is to get on a plane and find out for yourself. Other than CM's burning season, I'm stuffed if I know why you would swap a mountain retreat with a cool season for a flat. dusty plain with just two seasons - hot and wet. CM may not be the place it was when you moved there, but my guess is that PP will never approach CM as a drawcard for people from all over the world - for some here, that might even be a blessing. Others might be able to fill in the blanks re Siem Reap, but PP is very unlikely to be the place you are seeking. If your only priorities are cheap beer and cheap sex, go for it - for virtually everything else, I think you are better off where you are. Just my two bahts worth, but flights are cheap and nothing beats firsthand experience.

[phuketrichard]

ok my take on it;

Started visiting Cambodia in 2006 and In Sept 2008 i moved up to Phnom Penh from Phuket, had a nice 1 bedroom apt on the Tonle sap, ( $450/month) across from Phnom Penh and had a ferry from 50 meters away to the end of street 136. Loved it, Had my thai car over there an travelled all over the country, Have good friends in Shinkouville and sr so spent time in both

Back to Phuket june 2009 and stayed with a few trips up to Camboida and also had my Cambodia gf come down for 2-3 month trips.

Returned back up there July 2012 with the idea to stay, Once again drove in and started lookng for a place that i would feel comforatble living.

Spent time back in Phnom Penh, Shv, SR, Battambang, Kampot, looked seriously at rentals an all i found was shit compared to Phuket. Plenty of small studio and 1 bedrooms from $175-350/month but the 2 bedroom places were extremely overpriced for what u got,

I love the cambodia people an love walking the streets of PP wiht my camera. Food is ok, not as good as thai, more expensive at the lower end, mid end ( $4-7) u can get a good western style meal that would cost ya a few $ more than here. In some ways it is a lot like Essan 15 years ago.

Internet 4x the price for a 1/3rd the speed,

traffic safety ??? ur joking

Air Quality better as there is no real industrial plants and only bad air is cause of road construction outsdie and garmet factories

Shv is a shit hole and many of those that live there will tell ya the same, average food at average prices, plenty of beggars and corruption everywhere u look, some nice small bars if ttas ur thing ( not mine) Otres beach is ok but no where nearby to live, The downtown area is where u find most accomodations but after 2 weeks found nothing i could live in. Got tired of telling beggars to &lt;deleted&gt; off whenever u had a meal and poverty and filth is everywhere. Hanging out on the beach ur constantly having to tell people no to everything there selling ( like Phuket was years ago)

Kampot/Kep nice but to dam quiet an not even a 7/11 or mini mart or grocery store. Koh Rong is beautiful and if ur into nature a great pace to hang out but to live... nope...

I moved to phuket in 1984 and saw the changes and how it became more western, Lived wiht no fresh milk, cheese or grocery stores ( except sin & Lee in Phuket town, Bangkok post was a day late . Just didn't feel like going thru it all over.

Anyway have brought some land with the gf 5 minutes from the beach in kep as it was cheap with the future in mind but for now Phuket wins hands down in every respect.

I am on a retirement extension and getting the extension is not a problem so the visa situtation is not a reason to move, Don't smoke or drink in bars so that also has no attraction for me

The country is amazing and if i was 30 years younger with $20,000 in ur pocket u could do well an be part of the westernazation of Cambodia.

Edited March 3, 2013 by phuketrichard

[phuketrichard]

<snip>

I wasn't around at the time of the Kymer Rouge mass murders. I only heard about them second hand from people who were there at that time. There always will be conflicting view points.

I guess if you weren't around at the time, then you couldn't possibly know.

T

I was in Thailand a bit after the 74-79 slaughter in 1986 was living in Bo Rai on the border and we had plenty of Khmer rouge as our neighbors, My mother used to send me artticles from the Washington post stating there were no KR in Thailand and i would send her back photos of me in Thailand with truck loads of them :-)

They were backed by the Thai's and americans to stop the vietnamese from coming in.

as to knowing my gf lost most of her older family, ( grandparents, uncles.aunts etc) during 74-79 and I have spoken with her 1 remaining grandmother thru her about what it was like and the stores are unbelievable.

Most of the current govermet is ex KR and u wil never see coup there as HE controls the country like his own private playground, even the king that recently died refered to the population as his "children" still 35% lives on less than $1/day and 60 % are illiterate

Oh, and in your case: bar fine is also illegal there, so you save yourself 500 baht,

in addition to the fact that the girl you bar fined has no leverage to perform poorly,

if she aint good, you didnt lose 500 so she better behave

?? bar fine in all bars, karokes runs $5-10, (Camboida DOES NOT Have Go GO's but hostess bars) and beer bars and girls are asking the same as one woud pay in Thailand with a st starting at $20 an going up to $100/night.

Edited March 3, 2013 by phuketrichard

[cardholder]

compared to Chiang Mai (where I stay)

I would be interested in comparisons of

-Internet speed and reliablity

-Traffic safety

-Air quality

I can't imagine wanting to be in PP. Where is the CM or Cambo? SR?

Think of a city that would be the opposite of Chiang Mai, and that city would look a lot like Pnomh Penh. My advice is to get on a plane and find out for yourself. Other than CM's burning season, I'm stuffed if I know why you would swap a mountain retreat with a cool season for a flat. dusty plain with just two seasons - hot and wet. CM may not be the place it was when you moved there, but my guess is that PP will never approach CM as a drawcard for people from all over the world - for some here, that might even be a blessing. Others might be able to fill in the blanks re Siem Reap, but PP is very unlikely to be the place you are seeking. If your only priorities are cheap beer and cheap sex, go for it - for virtually everything else, I think you are better off where you are. Just my two bahts worth, but flights are cheap and nothing beats firsthand experience.

This is a comparison between chalk and cheese.

The differences are so vast, the only way is go and see for yourself - a few days would do it.

PP is the least impressive part of Cambodia - and I am a fan of the country.

I think CM may even win on cheap sex (and maybe beer).

Siem Reap is an interesting one and although I have been there more than a dozen times in the last 2 years it has never been for more than 4 days at a time. Go there for a fortnight and see what is on offer beyond Pub St etc. I think SR offers a more meaningful comparison with CM, although with an even greater emphasis on tourism.

[phuketrichard]

some other quick points;

If ur over 50 u are NOT allowed to marry a cambodian if ur under u must prove u have an income of over $2,500/month

Mobile service, the whole country is covered by 3 g!! u can get a 1 gig of data for about $2-3

Calls to thailand cost less than $.05/minute while calls from Thailand to camboda are 12 baht

Calls tothe states for under $.05/minute

Applances/electronics/mobile phones are about the same price but not as wide a selection

Electricy averages about $.25/kwh ( in apt)vs $..08 here

Cars

u
can get some great deals on 1997-99 honda crv or Toyata Rav4, ( all
from the states) for under $8,000 or buy a new range rover/Hummer for
$120,000!!

If ur TEFEL or CELTA certified easy to find teaching jobs at $8-12/hour

[cardholder]

some other quick points;

If ur over 50 u are NOT allowed to marry a cambodian if ur under u must prove u have an income of over $2,500/month

Mobile service, the whole country is covered by 3 g!! u can get a 1 gig of data for about $2-3

Calls to thailand cost less than $.05/minute while calls from Thailand to camboda are 12 baht

Calls tothe states for under $.05/minute

Applances/electronics/mobile phones are about the same price but not as wide a selection

Electricy averages about $.25/kwh ( in apt)vs $..08 here

Cars

u

can get some great deals on 1997-99 honda crv or Toyata Rav4, ( all

from the states) for under $8,000 or buy a new range rover/Hummer for

$120,000!!

If ur TEFEL or CELTA certified easy to find teaching jobs at $8-12/hour

I will stand corrected PR but the way I read the rule was that even with $2,550 an over 50 can still not marry in Cambodia - full stop.

A foreigner (in general) wishing to marry a Cambodian must have $2,550 minimum income.

Nothing to stop them marrying outside Cambodia ?

[poanoi]

<snip>

I wasn't around at the time of the Kymer Rouge mass murders. I only heard about them second hand from people who were there at that time. There always will be conflicting view points.

I guess if you weren't around at the time, then you couldn't possibly know.

T

I was in Thailand a bit after the 74-79 slaughter in 1986 was living in Bo Rai on the border and we had plenty of Khmer rouge as our neighbors, My mother used to send me artticles from the Washington post stating there were no KR in Thailand and i would send her back photos of me in Thailand with truck loads of them :-)

They were backed by the Thai's and americans to stop the vietnamese from coming in.

as to knowing my gf lost most of her older family, ( grandparents, uncles.aunts etc) during 74-79 and I have spoken with her 1 remaining grandmother thru her about what it was like and the stores are unbelievable.

Most of the current govermet is ex KR and u wil never see coup there as HE controls the country like his own private playground, even the king that recently died refered to the population as his "children" still 35% lives on less than $1/day and 60 % are illiterate

>Oh, and in your case: bar fine is also illegal there, so you save yourself 500 baht,

in addition to the fact that the girl you bar fined has no leverage to perform poorly,

if she aint good, you didnt lose 500 so she better behave

?? bar fine in all bars, karokes runs $5-10, (Camboida DOES NOT Have Go GO's but hostess bars) and beer bars and girls are asking the same as one woud pay in Thailand with a st starting at $20 an going up to $100/night.

I have a friend who lived there recently, he was happy the police had decided bar fines was prostitution and thus illegal, so he didnt have to pay bar fine

[MrWorldwide]

Excellent posts from phuketrichard above, and I'm guessing he has poured some very cold water on the dreams of those who are over 50 and have no intention of starting a business in Cambodia. The constant search for 'Utopia' is self-defeating - as PR found, as soon as the rest of the Western world 'discovers' Utopia, prices go up. He also mentions something that is magically omitted in the rosier depictions of Cambo - beggars. I found them to be worse in the border towns than in PP, but they are definitely more aggressive than any beggars I've encountered in Thailand.

For a younger guy who could brush all that aside, endure the heat and forge a life for themselves, Cambo may well be the mythical 'Thailand of old', but at 54 I have no desire to live that frontier fantasy. Jam enough new Barang faces into PP and I guarantee that prices will skyrocket - if that sounds like bad news, imagine how much worse it is for the majority of Cambodians.

[NeverSure]

Cambodia is much like Thailand was, and some would like that. To each his own.

Here are some things that make Cambodia the better option for some.

There are no income or bank balance requirements. You can get a one year visa for about $US300 the day after you arrive with just your passport.

You don't have to be 50 years old.

You don't need a college degree to teach English and teachers are in demand. If you want decent pay you should have TEFEL or CELTA. The top schools will want the degree of course, but many are teaching without it.

So, a younger person without college and with little money, but with the ability to pass TEFEL or CELTA could walk in and survive. Teaching pays $8 - $12 an hour, and even less in some more rural areas.

For those that are into alcohol and/or cigarettes, they are much, much cheaper in Cambodia. I know there are lots of bars and bar girls and lots of freelancers but I don't know relative prices or actual prices.

So, if longing for frontier days and/or not qualifying for Thailand, and if willing to tolerate a lesser infrastructure, a person could certainly look at Cambodia.

[phuketrichard]

some other quick points;

If ur over 50 u are NOT allowed to marry a cambodian if ur under u must prove u have an income of over $2,500/month

Mobile service, the whole country is covered by 3 g!! u can get a 1 gig of data for about $2-3

Calls to thailand cost less than $.05/minute while calls from Thailand to camboda are 12 baht

Calls tothe states for under $.05/minute

Applances/electronics/mobile phones are about the same price but not as wide a selection

Electricy averages about $.25/kwh ( in apt)vs $..08 here

Cars

u

can get some great deals on 1997-99 honda crv or Toyata Rav4, ( all

from the states) for under $8,000 or buy a new range rover/Hummer for

$120,000!!

If ur TEFEL or CELTA certified easy to find teaching jobs at $8-12/hour

I will stand corrected PR but the way I read the rule was that even with $2,550 an over 50 can still not marry in Cambodia - full stop.

A foreigner (in general) wishing to marry a Cambodian must have $2,550 minimum income.

Nothing to stop them marrying outside Cambodia ?

read my note.

over 50 can not marry

Under 50 need $2,500 income;

TO marry a Cambodia u need a letter from the government office that states ur single ( as one does in Thailand,

I looked into it,

Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Singapore & Cambodian embassies will not provide such letter.

Bars do Charge Bar fines be it legal or not. Freelancers at Martinis /Walkabout, the new Sorya mall ask for $20-25 ST.

Girls at the hostess bars up to $50, I was just up there 3 weeks ago.

Its not anywhere near a frontier town, (maybe 15 years ago it was) now its just a struggling, poverty ridden third world country trying to join the race with amazing places to visit an super friendly people.

Edited March 4, 2013 by phuketrichard

[MrWorldwide]

I'd be really interested to see the look on a Thai woman's face when her Farang husband announced that he was moving the family to Cambodia. A video of her reaction would be an extremely valuable addition to this thread.

[phuketrichard]

i know a few thai ladies that are living in Cambodia, (PP, SR and Shv) with their farang bf/husbands

Not a problem for them

[NeverSure]

Again, I don't think Cambodia is cheaper than Thailand. Some things are cheaper and some more expensive and I think it balances out. Both countries have rural areas where expats claim to live for far less than they'd spend in a city, but with a lesser lifestyle also.

The issues are the visas, and the work rules. For those who need to work, or who want to work in a business they own, or who don't have the money to meet Thai visa requirements, or who aren't 50 years old, Cambodia can be an option.

But for an expat to think he can escape to Cambodia for a cheaper retirement while maintaining a similar lifestyle, I don't think so.

[poanoi]

Yes, it balances out,

except if you are below 50, and like beer a lot

[MrWorldwide]

Any of the recent visitors able to recall what the THB-USD exchange rate was on the street in Cambo ?

[poanoi]

There isnt any such thing per see,

you can use the thai baht at the border area, but not in sihanookville or PP

[MrWorldwide]

You misunderstood. All large denomination purchases are made in USD - they give you your change in Riel, but it's just too unwieldy to expect someone to carry a hundred dollars worth of Riel around, much less a thousand (not advisable, but bear with me). Unless things have changed drastically since 2010, the best rate I could get was on the street - down near the river - and even then I felt I was getting slammed by the cross rates.

FWIW, I have used THB at the border crossings, but those seemed to be Thai-owned casino / eateries - the staff were Thai and the announcements were in Thai. Very nice little earners too, based on the Chinese-Thais I watched gambling enthusiastically. Food was cheaper than I thought it would be - probably subsidized by my Chinese-Thai friends.

[NeverSure]

You misunderstood. All large denomination purchases are made in USD - they give you your change in Riel, but it's just too unwieldy to expect someone to carry a hundred dollars worth of Riel around, much less a thousand (not advisable, but bear with me). Unless things have changed drastically since 2010, the best rate I could get was on the street - down near the river - and even then I felt I was getting slammed by the cross rates.

FWIW, I have used THB at the border crossings, but those seemed to be Thai-owned casino / eateries - the staff were Thai and the announcements were in Thai. Very nice little earners too, based on the Chinese-Thais I watched gambling enthusiastically. Food was cheaper than I thought it would be - probably subsidized by my Chinese-Thai friends.

With all due respect, I think we're failing to communicate, LOL. You asked about THB-USD exchange rate on the street, and I've never done that. THB-Riel and USD-Riel and I agree, on the street isn't a good place.

FWIW, I thought, without any serious study, that the USD was holding up better in Cambodia than in LOS in the shops and around. I didn't feel much increase in prices in Cambodia over the past 5 years.

There is just so dimn much poverty in Cambodia, and such a very low per capita income, that common people seem to still be scratching for every Riel. There is no such thing as a 300 B per day minimum wage.

Rent is about the same, utilities and internet higher in Cambodia, but consumer goods including cars and scooters are cheaper. Laws for importing used cars are better with lower tariffs (so I'm told) so used cars are cheaper. New cars and scooters are cheaper, again due to tax structure.