So, is Cambodia more expensive than Thailand? Or not?

[ricku]

I'm thinking about spending the second part of my current Thailand trip away from Thailand, and go to Cambodia.

Cambodia seems interesting.. Weed is pretty much semi-legal, the girls seems friendlier than thai girls, e.t.c.

But there is one thing that I just have to ask.. Is Cambodia more expensive than Thailand or is it cheaper?

I've been trying to find some answers on this, but all I found was endless discussions.

[happy Joe]

And hop !

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp?title=2016&region=142

[TheSiemReaper]

You found endless discussions because the answer is both yes and no.

Cambodia is cheaper for - beer, smokes, general partying, low budget Western food, etc.

Thailand is cheaper for street food, food in general except low budget Western food, quality accommodation, etc.

For the kind of holiday you're talking about - you will find Cambodia cheaper than Thailand. Though there won't be so much in it that you go home and pay off the mortgage with the difference.

[shirtless]

I live there its way cheaper . more laid back

[Sheryl]

As Siem Reaper said, some things are more expensive and some things less. How this balances out will depend on your specific life style/habits.

BTW marijuana is not "semi-legal" in Cambodia, and you can be arrested and go to jail for it. http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/19871/expats-arrested-in-marijuana-bust/

[ricku]

Thanks for the info. Well then I guess the price difference i kinda innsignificsnt, since I'll only be staying for a short period.

Sheryl, I appreciate your input, but by 'semi-legal' i meant following:

Legal to posses if used for cooking / eating.

Police does not really care, as long as you don't go around segling it. (Dealing).

Illegal to Smoke, but who knows if you are planning to eat or smoke it?

Just look at all the 'Happy Pizza' joints and bars selling 'happy shakes.' Food and drinks, stuffed with marijuana, sold legally.

[Sheryl]

Actually, Police do care in that they will be very happy to have an opportunity to shake you down for a pay off under threat of arrest.

And foreigners have been arrested - and jailed - for simply smoking it.

Your information would have been fairly accurate circa the 1990's, much less so nowadays.

[Lex Talionis]

I've been living in Phnom Penh for the last three months and can compare it to Bangkok. PP is cheaper in every way except food. Western food that is. If you can eat Khmer then you're golden. But it just can't compare with Thai food. I've been learning to eat it via a KGF who is a good cook. But it's been a long, slow adjustment. It's an acquired taste.

A trip to a Lucky's or Bayon supermarket for western goods can send you into sticker shock real quick.

[Lex Talionis]

[fireplay]

I always found cambodia more expensive...those incredibly annoying rickshaw drivers pouncing on you asking you if you need a lift every 5 minutes...accomodations...more pricey...i dunno i lived in sinhoukville which was dirty and gross and full of people and kids harassing you to buy bracelets and food and crap on the dirty beach...and p.p is dusty and hot and dirty everything is run down....i find the kmers to be pushy...and the whole dirtball country to be more expensive....and difficult.

Edited March 15, 2016 by fireplay

[mike2011]

SHV will be cheaper than Pattaya and PP will cost you less than BKK. Siem Reap stands a bit out as there is not really a comparable town in Thailand. If you drink alcohol, your wallet will be happy.

[TheSiemReaper]

I've been living in Phnom Penh for the last three months and can compare it to Bangkok. PP is cheaper in every way except food. Western food that is. If you can eat Khmer then you're golden. But it just can't compare with Thai food. I've been learning to eat it via a KGF who is a good cook. But it's been a long, slow adjustment. It's an acquired taste.

A trip to a Lucky's or Bayon supermarket for western goods can send you into sticker shock real quick.

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1458063147.928389.jpg

It really depends what you buy. Marmite in Cambodia was half the price that it is in Thailand, for example. Cheese is way cheaper (though often not as good) in Cambodia than Thailand. And so on... my week's shopping in Cambodia including cigarettes was about $100 in Angkor Market, Lucky Market, Pencil or Bayon. In Thailand it's about $100 without the cigarettes. Either way - it's really not the end of the world.

Agree that Khmer food isn't Thai food and that Khmer food is, in general, the worst in Indochina too (though I find it a close run thing with Laos).

[Rinrada]

Just done a quick 90 days in/out and back visa run from CM to PP and it was Great.                                                                                         First went there back in "92 and many times over the next 20 years but last visit was almost 10 years ago  so had to check...and what changes...wow.

High rises everywhere..building boom,clean walkable streets,Hondas instead of bicycles,Moto Song quad 'tuc tucs" rather than cyclos and the beer prices have not changed much. FCC still a bit "peng" ( was in it the day it first opened) but loads of gin joints still doing a glass/bottle for $1....hey man...good vibes.

Booked 4 nights in a almost new hotel opposite the Cambodiana...with good facilities and breakfast of mixed O-ma-lets .rice.....and baked beans....plus not bad coffee (good kick starter for the hangover.)

Lucky S/M is good for food and has a cheap hamburger place next door...( used to be the site..location of the Aussi run Ettamooga Pub).

 

Touched on H of D, Howies, Freebird, Pontoon,Black cat,Sharkys and others..all. OK ...higher standards...a/c...good bogs etc...but  soooo...quiet ...Walkabout and Martini are no more or so I gather.

 

Had to check out my old bank CAMPU and thought it had gone....its all a building site but found it now located in the new Tower block next to its old HQ...My A/C had been suspended but they found it,got me a new bank book and a debit visa card to boot...all within about 20 minutes...great service ....and still had almost $ 1000 in account....more beer...

 

Met up with some old friends ..semi family and went to Aeon center next day for lunch near that new big casino....confused...but its positive......Must get back more often....Lehay and Arkun again...

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I'd given up on Phnom Penh and haven't been back this year. But once I accepted the idea of living in the Tuol Tom Poung (Russian Market) area, which is developing slowly but surely in terms of restaurants and bars now, I'm gradually thinking about moving back there from Bangkok. 

 

I'd only moved back to BKK from outside Pattaya three months ago. What a price shock! Everything from resto meals to supermarket groceries to transit has gotten very  expensive. My transport bill jumped from 550 baht a month in Pats to over 4,000 baht. My bar bills soared 30% to 50% because of the higher prices -- Black Label was about 110 baht in Pats, but is 160 to over 200 in BKK. Was recently in a new craft beer bar. An import beer was 250 baht, plus VAT and SC. Total 300 baht/$9US for a 12oz/330ml glass! I'd done some paper numbers but the shock hits you when you're going to the ATM and taking out 50% more every transaction compared to Pattaya.

 

As a smoker in Thailand, 125 baht a pack is way over the Cambodian price of $1.50/50 baht.

 

I've spent a lot of time trawling the PP property rental pages recently. Rents seem to be visibly coming down. Some properties with certain features used to be listed at $500-$550, even $600 a month are now down to $400 to $450. Some posted places have updated comments dropping the rent. Reading those rental pages used to scare me off, now it's not so bad. 

 

But prices aren't everything in decisions about where to live. I miss PP and the people I knew who are still there. Hope to be back before the end of the year.

 

 

 

 

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

I'd given up on Phnom Penh and haven't been back this year. But once I accepted the idea of living in the Tuol Tom Poung (Russian Market) area, which is developing slowly but surely in terms of restaurants and bars now, I'm gradually thinking about moving back there from Bangkok. 

 

I'd only moved back to BKK from outside Pattaya three months ago. What a price shock! Everything from resto meals to supermarket groceries to transit has gotten very  expensive. My transport bill jumped from 550 baht a month in Pats to over 4,000 baht. My bar bills soared 30% to 50% because of the higher prices -- Black Label was about 110 baht in Pats, but is 160 to over 200 in BKK. Was recently in a new craft beer bar. An import beer was 250 baht, plus VAT and SC. Total 300 baht/$9US for a 12oz/330ml glass! I'd done some paper numbers but the shock hits you when you're going to the ATM and taking out 50% more every transaction compared to Pattaya.

 

As a smoker in Thailand, 125 baht a pack is way over the Cambodian price of $1.50/50 baht.

 

I've spent a lot of time trawling the PP property rental pages recently. Rents seem to be visibly coming down. Some properties with certain features used to be listed at $500-$550, even $600 a month are now down to $400 to $450. Some posted places have updated comments dropping the rent. Reading those rental pages used to scare me off, now it's not so bad. 

 

But prices aren't everything in decisions about where to live. I miss PP and the people I knew who are still there. Hope to be back before the end of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

I am currently in a 3 month rental in PP, $300 a month inc. wifi, furnished, central location, 2nd floor walk up, clean and recently remodeled. 1 bedroom plus LR kitchen and bath, the latter with hot shower; washing machine.  It is not luxurious but quite adequate given that it is short term; for me personally I'd want nicer and larger if here long term, but I'm a stay-at-home type with a large extended Khmer family who visit a lot. Someone who tends to go out a lot would be probably be fine  in an apartment like this place for the long term. I spent exactly one day (plus some prep time online) to find it.

 

Just to give you an idea. And this is in BKK1 area, can get something  very nice for circa $500 in Toul Tom Poung, Beoung Tampun areas.

 

There has been a glut of construction of condos and apartments lately with the result that it is a renter's marker.

 

However should note that electricity costs are unusually high in Cambodia. I just paid $77 for a month in this 1 BR in which it wasn't particularly hot and used a/c only on some nights.  That's about what I pay this time of year for my huge two story house in Thailand. A larger place, or use of a/c in multiple rooms or round the clock, and it would be several hundred dollars easily.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

That's quite the electricity bill. I flit between two small Thai apartments. Total of 2 bills last month was $74.

 

The apartment situation is looking much better than early last year and the year before. TTP appears to be a much better value now. 

[Mekong Thunder]

From what I've seen a huge,brand new 2 bed 2 bath apartment of 80m2 or more in PP is around USD $500 per month in a  good location like the Russian Market/Toul Tompoung,Olympic Stadium,Toul Kork or Riverside (which I personally  would avoid like the plague!)

They make Bangkok's pokey little rabbit hutches with sticky carpets look like the total ripoff they are at double or triple the price!

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

15 hours ago, Mekong Thunder said:

From what I've seen a huge,brand new 2 bed 2 bath apartment of 80m2 or more in PP is around USD $500 per month in a  good location like the Russian Market/Toul Tompoung,Olympic Stadium,Toul Kork or Riverside (which I personally  would avoid like the plague!)

They make Bangkok's pokey little rabbit hutches with sticky carpets look like the total ripoff they are at double or triple the price!

 

Agreed. In the new Bangkok condos, the units are like coffins. $400US and more for 32 sq metres, plus plus plus. 

[Mekong Thunder]

5 hours ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

 

Agreed. In the new Bangkok condos, the units are like coffins. $400US and more for 32 sq metres, plus plus plus. 

I was thinking more of a direct comparison of 2 bed 2 bath apartments in a good area of Bangkok,like Sukhumvit or Sathorn?

Generally much smaller around 50 or 60m2 and prices from 35-70,000 Baht /USD $1-2,000 or more!

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Yup. If I wanted to pay western rents, I'd just stay in Canada but would get more for that kind of outlay, such as a downtown condo near the waterfront, with everything I could ever need all within walking distance, including much cheaper groceries! 

 

Just to add a thought: The Phnom Penh units are more interesting living spaces, with huge balcony or terrace; large full-size kitchens (although a bit of overkill); larger washrooms with nice tiling. Often enough, a PP unit's rent includes cable TV and internet, plus the garbage fee. Renting a BKK condo usually includes nothing. So cable TV, internet, electric and water charges are all on top. So you add 3000-4000 baht to a 16,000 rent. I've declined a couple of units because of this reason and remained in my studio apartment outside Pattaya. I also have a unit in Bangkok. But this is going to end soon.

[Mekong Thunder]

4 hours ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

Yup. If I wanted to pay western rents, I'd just stay in Canada but would get more for that kind of outlay, such as a downtown condo near the waterfront, with everything I could ever need all within walking distance, including much cheaper groceries! 

 

Just to add a thought: The Phnom Penh units are more interesting living spaces, with huge balcony or terrace; large full-size kitchens (although a bit of overkill); larger washrooms with nice tiling. Often enough, a PP unit's rent includes cable TV and internet, plus the garbage fee. Renting a BKK condo usually includes nothing. So cable TV, internet, electric and water charges are all on top. So you add 3000-4000 baht to a 16,000 rent. I've declined a couple of units because of this reason and remained in my studio apartment outside Pattaya. I also have a unit in Bangkok. But this is going to end soon.

Exactly all the ones I've seen have internet and cable included.As I say they are also brand new and huge with large separate kitchens attached as you point out.I've even found duplexes and one with a chandelier in the living room all for that USD $500 per month budget just incredible!

[NickJ]

Diapers are cheaper here. Have at it.

[bkk6060]

I just got back from Cambodia yesterday.  WOW, it is so much more expensive then it was 3 years ago.  Guys like to brag, "you can get a draft for 50 cents".  So what?  Twice as much or more now for food.  Hotels, transportation much higher.  This place is not a bargain if that is what you are looking for.  The prices in the markets, for clothes, etc. much higher.  If you are backpack Hostel and eat crap food then I guess.  Not worth it anymore  I do not think but the places are packed with tourists.  Back in Pattaya now, this place is so much better for me.  Especially for the lady venues. 

PS:  Someone on here mentioned about the tuk tuk drivers.  It is hard to describe but in 2 days I must have had 200 tuk tuk offers.  They will bother you until you acknowledge them and say no.  Terrible and so annoying it can make you crazy! I will never go back to this place and why go?

Edited October 24, 2016 by bkk6060

[mike2011]

BKK - I buy my shirts, shoes, and some other items in Cambodia. All good brand quality stuff, no seconds and western sizes. The prices have been stable for the past 5 years. It depends on your knowledge of the place. Most shops charge the same or more than in the west. However, some places have the shirts at 10% of the European price (Shirts) and a third for good shoes. Limited choice, for sure, but if it fits your needs bargains are there.

 

Food: 15% more in places I eat for the same stuff. These are not backpacker not high end places. Places Cambodian eat at who have a job (like lunch break office staff) and can afford a bit.

 

Hotels: About the same for what I need/use.

 

Transport: SHV is a joke. In PP it is reasonable if you use motorbikes and stick to 1 USD. If some driver wants a conversation, not with me, 1 USD and no debate. Enough drivers around to take the deal.

[Sheryl]

1 USD is actually a lot unless you go far.

 

I pay 1500 - 2000 riel for most moto trips.

 

Best thing to do if you can is ask a local in advance what the cost should be, and just pay that, no discussion.

 

Tuks tuks of course are more.

[Naam]

On 9/27/2016 at 1:57 PM, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

As a smoker in Thailand, 125 baht a pack is way over the Cambodian price of $1.50/50 baht.

advice: buy only cigarettes which are not wrapped in 24 karat leaf gold.

[Anthony5]

On 10/9/2016 at 5:09 PM, Mekong Thunder said:

I was thinking more of a direct comparison of 2 bed 2 bath apartments in a good area of Bangkok,like Sukhumvit or Sathorn?

Generally much smaller around 50 or 60m2 and prices from 35-70,000 Baht /USD $1-2,000 or more!

 

So you want to compare Sukhumvit or Sathorn with any area in PP?

[mike2011]

You are breaking my heart. I was proud to hold the 1 USD line. :))

Well, I try it next month in PP.

 

You have intel on the 'real' SHV moto prices. The characters down there make their PP colleagues look like Sunday school kids.

[phuketrichard]

Yes

except for alcohol, cigs , medicine, cheap western food  and cheap cheap rents

for most things its even more expensive than here in Phuket

Edited October 31, 2016 by phuketrichard

[chris455]

On 24/10/2016 at 11:59 AM, bkk6060 said:

I just got back from Cambodia yesterday.  WOW, it is so much more expensive then it was 3 years ago.  Guys like to brag, "you can get a draft for 50 cents".  So what?  Twice as much or more now for food.  Hotels, transportation much higher.  This place is not a bargain if that is what you are looking for.  The prices in the markets, for clothes, etc. much higher.  If you are backpack Hostel and eat crap food then I guess.  Not worth it anymore  I do not think but the places are packed with tourists.  Back in Pattaya now, this place is so much better for me.  Especially for the lady venues. 

PS:  Someone on here mentioned about the tuk tuk drivers.  It is hard to describe but in 2 days I must have had 200 tuk tuk offers.  They will bother you until you acknowledge them and say no.  Terrible and so annoying it can make you crazy! I will never go back to this place and why go?

You have to figure various things.

 

For example add $1 a day onto Cambodia costs for the 1 month visa fee. Thailand doesn't require a Visa fee for 1 month.

 

Then look at daily costs: Cambodia has better,cheaper budget accomodations than Thailand, period. In Phnom Penh an $8 room will outclass a similar priced one in Bangkok. Food? Can be cheaper in Cambodia. But similar to Thai prices, and Thai food's tastier. Alcohol is much cheaper than Thailand. Transport: tUK tUKs cheap in Cambodia, as are Buses. Regarding Weed? It is illegal, and travellers face hefty fines if caught. Beware.

 

For long term'ers, Thailand may end up being cheaper in terms of Appartment costs and services. This is why Phuket Richard thinks Thailans can be cheaper. For short term travellers though, Cambodia seems heaps cheaper.

Edited July 15, 2017 by chris455