How Much I Spent in Cambodia
Cambodia is a popular country to visit in Southeast Asia, especially on a round the world trip. The people are incredibly friendly and helpful, there’s so much history to explore, and it’s cheap. I got my fill of beaches while I was in Indonesia, so I didn’t go to any in Cambodia. But I spent 10 days between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and I enjoyed my time there so much I hope to return someday with Andy. I will show you here just how cheap my Cambodia budget was so you can plan your trip.
Update: I did return with Andy in early 2014, and you can see how much we spent traveling in Cambodia here.
Total Cambodia travel spending
- $180: Lodging for 10 nights, average $18 per night
- $95: Tuk-tuks and shuttle vans (I did fly in and out of Cambodia but I’m not including flight expenses here)
- $70: Activities
- $20: Visa
- $200: Food, alcohol and other miscellaneous purchases
The total comes to $565, so $56.50 per day.
Prices are listed in US dollars. I was traveling on my own here, and lodging costs are based on having my own room. You can spend a lot less if you stay in a hostel dorm. However, if you can afford $18 a night for a single (or a few dollars more for a double) in Siem Reap, I highly recommend Motherhome Guesthouse. Really great place.
I took a shuttle van from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The rest of the transportation spending was on tuk-tuks. This also includes paying tuk-tuk drivers to go to Angkor Wat for three days.
Activities include visiting the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and signing up for a $20 cooking class in Phnom Penh. It also includes a three day pass for Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples, which was the most expensive one at $40.
As was my habit throughout Southeast Asia, I didn’t really watch what I was spending on food. It’s really cheap, so even a nicer meal was still reasonably priced. It was also easy to have a few drinks and not worry about breaking my budget since there are so many places where a beer is just $1. In Siem Reap I regularly had a plate of chicken fried rice or noodles, a skewer of chicken, and a beer for a grand total of $3. But this category also includes things like laundry, a few t-shirts, postcards, contact solution, sunscreen, and shampoo.
It wouldn’t take too many changes for you to travel in Cambodia on a smaller budget than I did. There are plenty of hostels and guesthouses for under $18 a night. Be more careful with how much you spend on food and alcohol, and you can easily cut this down to about $10 a day. And you can probably walk a little more often instead of taking tuk-tuks and save yourself a few bucks. Cambodia is definitely one of the cheaper countries you can visit.
To view all posts about travel spending click here.
February 18, 2013 @ 2:27 PM
This will definitely help me convince Boyfriend to go to Cambodia, thanks Ali 😉
February 18, 2013 @ 2:43 PM
Glad to help, Sofie! Cambodia is great, you’ll love it!
February 18, 2013 @ 3:15 PM
Wow, Cambodia really is cheap to visit!
February 18, 2013 @ 7:10 PM
It definitely is!
February 18, 2013 @ 5:40 PM
It’s nice to know that it won’t cost an arm and a leg to travel overseas
February 18, 2013 @ 7:11 PM
Especially when you travel to countries like Cambodia in Southeast Asia!
February 18, 2013 @ 7:06 PM
Not bad at all. Is Cambodia the cheapest place you’ve visited?
February 18, 2013 @ 7:17 PM
Thanks Michael! Cambodia was cheap, but Laos turned out to be a little bit cheaper for me. I’ll do another budget post on Laos in a few weeks.
February 19, 2013 @ 5:18 AM
Cool, I’ll keep an eye out for it.
February 19, 2013 @ 11:32 AM
Thanks!
February 19, 2013 @ 5:03 AM
I agree. Cambodia is defintely a cheap place to travel to. I have been living here for over a year now for that reason. Who can say no to a delicious ice coffee for $0.50? 🙂
February 19, 2013 @ 11:32 AM
Exactly! Or a beer for $1? And the people in Cambodia are just so friendly. Great country!
March 21, 2014 @ 1:07 AM
Hi Ali,
With your over land travel in SE Asia did you pre-book any of it before you left or just book the night before? And how did you go about finding the cheapest companies?
I will be travelling through Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand and would liek to go by road rather than fly where I can.
Cheers
March 22, 2014 @ 11:23 AM
Hi Carly! Overland travel in SE Asia is really hard, if not impossible, to book ahead of time. You’ll be fine to do most of it a day or two before you want to go. Of course, if you’re in Cambodia (for example) and you know you want to go to Laos in a week, as long as you’re in the city you’ll be leaving from, you can book it that far out if you want to. But you probably won’t be able to book a bus from Phnom Penh to Laos while you’re in Siem Reap, as an example. As for prices, your best bet is to go to a few different travel agencies and even ask at your guesthouse to see what the prices are, and then try to negotiate. Usually the prices are negotiable, but sometimes it’s fixed. And while you’re traveling around, talk to other travelers and find out how much they paid for buses.
Just make sure you arrange for the visas you’ll need ahead of time. It varies by country and depending on which border crossings you use. You’ll need to apply for your Vietnam visa ahead of time no matter what, but the other countries really depend on where you’re entering since some border crossings will issue you a visa at the border while others will not.
I hope this helps, but feel free to email me with any other questions!
March 25, 2014 @ 1:33 AM
Thank you so much, your blog is amazing and SO helpful!!
March 25, 2014 @ 9:56 AM
Thanks Carly, that’s so great to hear!
Our Flashpacker Budget in Cambodia
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