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Tips from the Banker: What it Really Costs to Travel in Cambodia

by 44 Comments

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I spent almost the entire month of October in Cambodia, starting in Siem Reap, heading through Phnom Penh and to the coast, and then up north through Kratie and Banlung, hitting most of the spots backpackers tend to frequent, and even a few of the lesser-known ones.

It would appear that pricing in Cambodia has steadily gone up over the last few years.  This is inevitable as tourism continues to rise, but it is still, absolutely, a budget destination.  What’s more, the de-facto currency in Cambodia is US Dollars, making it a little easier for yours truly to navigate the system.

I have read in many places on the interwebs that a thrifty backpacker can travel through Southeast Asia for roughly USD $30/day, or $1000 per month.  Some insist it can’t be done while others swear by the figure.

My verdict? It can be done.  I know, because I did it.

Accommodation:

This will be the cheapest part of Cambodia if you work it right.  Stay in dorms whenever possible and accept that you most likely won’t have air conditioning or hot water.  This is pretty irrelevant as you will probably only be in your dorm while you’re sleeping, and it’s so hot in Cambodia, there’s really no need nor desire for a hot shower.

Transportation

Some great ways to cut corners include taking a push-bike vs. a tuk-tuk or motorbike, when possible.  One example is touring Angkor Wat.  A tuk-tuk costs $15/day while a bike costs $2.

Another way to cut corners is to walk out to the street to hail a tuk-tuk as opposed to allowing your guesthouse to do it for you.  You’ll also be much better off if you make friends with the driver and negotiate fair rates.  Always haggle.  One can also go even cheaper and take moto taxis.  I never took a standard cab, as most towns don’t have them.

The same logic applies for heading directly to the bus station to book tickets vs. through your guesthouse or a tour operator.  Most busses ran anywhere from $3 to $8 for anywhere from 2 to 9 hours worth of driving.

Food

Western food can be found for anywhere from $2 to $6 for a standard meal. Breakfast is available at any time of the day.  Street food isn’t as prevalent as in, say, Thailand, but it is still easy to find and relatively cheap.  Although, you might not really know what you’re eating, and you’ll need to be a little adventurous.

Cheap vs. Expensive Places in Cambodia

Cheap: The cheapest place I stayed at was Banlung, just south of Laos.  My guest house cost $2 for the dorm, but I also watched as two rats, followed by a frog, hopped across my guest house floor.  You can also stay in Sihanoukville practically for free, but I chose the less-seedy Otres beach and only paid $3/night for a basic room with mattress, mosquito net, and a shared bathroom.  It’s all you really need.

Expensive: The islands, particularly Ko Ta Keo and Koh Rong, were the most expensive.  Bungalows run anywhere from $15 to $25/night, but often accommodate several people.  This is a little tougher as a solo traveler, but one can find friends to bunk with.

Larger cities like Siem Reap and Phnom Penh also tend to cost a bit more than the smaller towns, but one can still easily find $5-$6 dorms.

Other Incidentals

As any long-term traveler will tell you, alcohol eats your budget up quickly.  I could have spent about $100 less had I not imbibed on $1 Angkor beers (but how can you resist?!).

What’s more, I spent about $10 total on unlimited 3G data for my iphone.  Now THAT is a steal. 

* I did visit Cambodia during what would be considered low season.  Naturally, pricing was a bit lower during this time.  I also traded a blog post in exchange for free SCUBA diving and accommodation, plus a trek while in Cambodia.  These all helped me keep my costs in check.

So, in my opinion, though Cambodia is more costly now than it was even two years ago, for example, it is still an absolute budget destination that can easily be done with only $1000 to your name.

Click for a budget breakdown in Laos and Thailand. 

Have you ever wondered what it would cost to travel Cambodia without an expensive tour? It is both easy and cheap to go it alone. Read tips here.


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Comments

  1. Good tips Ava. NIce to know it can actually be done for $30/day – Thailand is eating my budget alive! Also, three bucks a night for a WHOLE ROOM on Otres Beach? When I get there, I may never leave…

    Reply

  7. Is there any visa and consular expenses for americans? I traveled to 5 stans of central asia last year – had to get 5 visas :o. Thanks for good tips on Thailand.

    Reply

  10. I love reading all your posts, so helpful and exciting! 🙂

    My friend and I are going to SE Asia for 3 months at the beginning of March. We thought that was a lot of time but then now are feeling a bit rushed. We want to spend more time in Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines. Did you find it difficult getting around to each place? Hoping it wont take forever to travel around as it wastes time 🙁

    Reply

    • You’d be OK in Thailand, but honestly, I spent 6 weeks in Indonesia, 4 in the Philippines, and now about 16 collectively in Thailand. Indo and the Philippines are BIG and hard to get around. It’ll be a little more expensive because you’ll need to fly and boat a lot. If you just try to hit these 3 in the three months you’ll see lots of beautiful things and definitely will enjoy yourself. It’s when people try to hit 7 countries in three months that I just laugh and think of all that they’re missing by moving so quickly.

      Reply

  12. Hello All,

    You sound like you travel like us…or me in my younger days….

    My kids (20, 17, 13) and I planning on a quick trip, traveling to SE asia, only 2 1/2 – 3 weeks (the job problem)…Flying into Siem Reap ~ June 26th and traveling across by land to Guiyang China for a wedding July 12, 2014.
    We are pretty low budget (I feel too old for super seedy, and try to treat myself sometimes!) travelers (because we like it . Prefer no rats, but fairly adventurous, don’t need fancy accomodation, intersting is always good, friendly propriators that you feel good about giving your hard earned money to, like local food, people etc.

    We have to be fairly superficial etc…obviously, but, our plan is to travel maybe to Phenom Pehn, did you go to the Elephant Valley Project? or one of the other elephant places (not to ride, but to visit) up through Laos (did you like La Prabang, was it worth time?), did you go to the Bolaveen Plateau?

    We plan to be in Hanoi by ~ July 8 and spend a night on the boat (did you have a driver/boat group that seemed good? What would be a reasonable cost?)

    Do you have any “not to miss” stops, cool, unique (reasonable) guest houses (this Mom will want AC at night!)

    Is this an unrealistic itinerary?

    If you met any reliable safe, (nonsmoking ??!!) drivers etc that you would want to refer to us, let us know and we will try to use them.

    Any suggestions are welcome.

    Reply

    • Hi Ann,
      If you check out the pages I have broken down by country under the destinations tab, or the travel map link at the top of the homepage, you can see my exact itinerary along with all of my travel tips on each destination. My Cool Places to Sleep tab also talks about my favorite accommodation options.

      Reply

  13. Hi,

    Are teaching jobs easy to find in Cambodia? I’m planning to go there to find a teaching job. I have a degree, but no certificate.

    Thanks.

    Reply

    • I’ve never looked into it, John. I had a friend who taught there for 6 months, though. I don’t think it was too difficult for her.

      Reply

  14. I’m Cambodian 🙂 and in Cambodia there are so many places that is amazing 🙂 such as : Angkor Temple, Preah Vihear Temple, and so on …. 🙂
    Anyway : thanks for your tips

    Reply

  15. Hi Kristin,

    This is a fantastic post that gives some great tips on how to save a bit of cash in Cambodia (which is first thought to be a very cheap country).

    I agree that travel can start to get expensive especially when you are not keeping track of your spends. The Tuk Tuk swap for a bike is a must!

    My boyfriend and I also did a trip to Cambodia and documented most of it, feel free to have a read as it has some great stories and advice in there!

    http://www.whoneedsmaps.com/destinations/cambodia/

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  16. I had a journey in Asia last year. And I found the travel cost is so low, especially in China, Taiwan, Thailand etc.

    Reply

  17. Cambodia is really a good place to visit in Asia. Last Year, I’ve been to Cambodia. I think the total cost is not too high or too low. It is reasonable. Basically, if you are an American, the cost for you in Asia is very low.

    Reply

    • any time, really. It’s a bit warmer and rainier in some parts than others but all year it’s hot and humid for the most part.

      Reply

  21. Hi,

    I’m doing a solo trip as a female in my 40’s and it sounds relatively safe. I am flying to Siem Reap from Da Nang Vietnam and am finding it surprisingly expensive! Anyhow, after Angkor, I plan to bus it to Phnom Penh for a couple days, and then bus again to Ho Chi Minh City to fly home. Is it a beautiful/scenic bus to Phnom Penh and the next leg back into Vietnam? I understand there is also a partial Mekong River route…would you happen to know much about that in regards to how comfortable it is and how long it takes to get to Phnom Penh from Siem Reap or Phnom Penh to HCMC? It appeals to me if it doesn’t take over a day. Curious to know if any of you on this post have done that option? Any help you can provide would be helpful! I’m leaving in 16 days! I fly into Hanoi and am doing Halong Bay, then flying to Da Nang.

    Reply

    • I’ve only bussed from Siem Reap to PP and if memory serves it was fine and took maybe 7-ish hours, but we had a breakdown, which is normal. I’ve heard horror stories about bussing from Laos to Vietnam, though, so it’s possible it’s equally unpleasant to go from Cambodia. Not sure!

      Reply

  22. Hello Lovely,

    Great Post!!!

    My self and my partner are going to travel SE asia next year just wondering do you think that 16-18K for 4 and a half months is enough?

    Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  23. Hi! Thanks for the great info!

    Just wondering where you get the 3G card from when your there?

    Thanks,

    Danielle

    Reply

  24. i have been to cambodia, only a short trip. I found a hostel in siem reap for 3$ usd. i guess it depends where you go. After siem reap i went to battambang and i stayed for 2 nights in a 2$ dorm! i found cambodia the cheapest after many trips in thailand and one month in vietnam. thanks for sharing this site and i enjoy you’re insight. Cheers!

    Reply

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