How much does it cost to travel in Cambodia?

Well, of course, it all depends on the way of traveling, but I hope this can be used as orientation.

Compared to other asian countries, I found prices in Cambodia similar to Laos, slightly cheaper  (things that cost 1 euro in Laos were about 1 US dollar in Cambodia).

Cambodia has a double currency: riel and US dollars. Notes of 1 to 10 dollars are accepted everywhere, and the change is given in a mixture of riels and dollars. Anything less than 1$ is paid in riels, with a change of 1$ = 4000riel. Some ATM provide dollars only, others dollars or riels. It is a good idea to get the money when the bank is open and ask to exchange the big notes (50$ – 100$) to smaller ones (5$, 10$, 20$).

I spent 25 days traveling in Cambodia in January – February 2015, and I spent: 

• Visa: 29,1 euros
• Basic expenses: 285,88 euros (11,44 euros/ day)
• Visits and extra expenses: 67,37 euros

That makes an average of 15.3 euros per day… not even USD$20 per day, everything included!  

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Visa

Total for visa and associated fees: 29,1 euros

• 1 month tourist visa on arrival, obtained in the Lao-Cambodian border: 35$, paid in dollars (the official price is 30$, but they charge 35$, see explanation here).
• plus 1$ for the medical check. 

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Basic expenses

Basic expenses include: accommodation, food, transport (except international flights), phone, bank commissions and other basic stuff as toiletries.

Total for basic expenses: 285,88 euros, that is 11,44 euros/ day

Change rate: 1 euro = 1,17 dollars approx;  1 dollar = 4000 riel approx

Way of traveling and examples of prices:

• Accommodation: I always slept in guesthouses and had a private room with a fan and bathroom with only cold water. A couple of times I shared room with someone I had met during the trip, and I stayed once in a dorm.
  • Average: 4,44 $/ day
  • Double room with private bathroom (except Phnom Penh and Siem Reap)
    • fan and cold water: 4-5$
    • fan and hot water: 7-8$
    • A/C and hot water: 15$
  • Dorm (except Siem Reap): 2-4$
  • Single room with shared bathroom (Siem Reap): 4$ (that was the cheapest in town, usual prices were 4-5$ for a dorm, and 8$+ for a basic room).

• Transport: I always took local buses or minivans to move from one city to another. Inside the cities there is no public transport so the only option is to take a tuk tuk or a moto taxi.
  • average: 3,95 $/ day
  • local bus: 1-2$/hour approx
  • minivan: 3$/hour approx
  • bicycle renting for one day: 1-2$/day
  • motorbike: 6$/day, 1$/liter for the fuel
  • tuk tuk: 1-2$ for a short ride

• Food: I usually ate in local restaurants or guesthouses, and bought food in the market/ supermarket/ small shops.
  • average: 4,45 $/ day 
  • main dish in a local restaurant: 1-2$
  • main dish in a touristic restaurant or guesthouse: from 2,5-3$
  • street food: 0,25$ for rice + 0,5$ for cooked vegetables/meat
  • fruit shake: 1$
  • bottle of water: 0,25-0,5$

• Phone (Cellcard): 0,5$ for the SIM card + 5$ for 3,5Gb of data valid 30 days + 1$ for calls.

• Bank commissions: Cambodian banks charge a 3-4$ commission to foreign cards to get money from ATM.

• Laundry: I always wash myself by hand, but I saw that laundry service costs 1$/ kg.

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Visits and extra expenses

Total for visits and extra expenses: 67,37 euros

Visits include the tickets to the waterfalls and lake in Ban Lung (0,5-1,5$), the museums in Phnom Penh (3-6$) and Angkor temples (40$).

Extra expenses include everything else which is not really necessary (as presents, postcards and stamps).

Pin it for later!

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