How Much Should You Budget for a Trip to Cambodia?
Cambodia remains a destination where eating and sleeping can cost very little. A hostel bed for just a few euros, a local meal for around €3, a scooter for less than €10 per day: on a daily basis, the country can feel particularly inexpensive.
But the real cost of a trip goes beyond that.
The temples of Angkor, transportation between different regions and certain activities can quickly cost more than everyday living expenses themselves.
After spending several months on the ground, we therefore chose to calculate our budgets by including accommodation, food, transportation, activities and small daily expenses.
So, how much should you budget for a trip to Cambodia?
To build your itinerary, you can also read our Cambodia 2-Week Itinerary: What to See in 14 Days?.
Your travel style, your budget
Here are the budgets corresponding to the itineraries in our guide. They do not include international round-trip flights.
| Trip length | Backpacker | Couple | Family of 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 days | €935 | €1,770 | €3,020 |
| 20 days | €1,570 | €3,300 | €5,530 |
| 30 days | €2,175 | €4,800 | €8,280 |
These amounts correspond to real itineraries including activities and multiple transfers, not simply a calculation based on the cost of a room and three meals a day.
How much does accommodation cost in Cambodia?
This is probably one of the easiest expenses to keep under control.
During our trip, we found dorm beds for around €5, and sometimes from as little as €3 in certain hostels. A double room meeting Western comfort standards was closer to €20 to €30, while a family room could cost around €45 to €50.
In our guide, we use the following daily benchmarks:
- €7 per day for a backpacker
- €35 per day for a couple
- €50 per day for a family
Location obviously makes a big difference. Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Koh Rong do not have exactly the same prices, and rates can vary depending on the season.
Our view: in Cambodia, you generally do not need to sacrifice much comfort to find reasonably priced accommodation.
How much should you budget for food?
Food is also very affordable.
A local lunch or dinner cost us around €3.40, while a Western-style meal in a tourist area could reach around €9. For breakfast, expect around €2.70 for a local option, compared with €5 to €6 in a more Western-style café.
A local beer cost around €1.80, as did a soft drink, while a cocktail or glass of wine could be closer to €4.50.
Your budget can obviously be lower if you eat almost exclusively in small local restaurants and markets.
Transportation: the expense you should not underestimate
Buses and minivans remain affordable, but once you build a complete itinerary, the journeys start to add up.
On our route, for example, Phnom Penh → Koh Rong, including the minivan to Sihanoukville and the ferry, costs around €25. Koh Rong → Kampot is close to €22.
Then you need to add tuk-tuks, ride-hailing services and scooter rentals to explore around each stop.
Angkor illustrates this perfectly: even after paying for your pass, you still need to organize transportation between the temples, often with a tuk-tuk booked for the day.
Across our complete itineraries, transportation therefore adds up to several hundred euros over the course of the trip.
Activities can make up a significant part of the budget
This is probably the most misleading aspect of planning a Cambodia trip based only on the local cost of living.
For our 10-day itinerary, the activities budget already reaches around €220 per backpacker, €440 for a couple and €880 for a family of four.
Among these expenses, Angkor is one of the biggest. For current prices for the different passes, check Angkor Enterprise – Official Angkor Ticketing.
On Koh Rong, for example, snorkeling and a bioluminescent plankton trip each cost around €9, while a boat trip around the island could reach around €20.
And of course, your choice of Angkor pass has a significant impact on this part of the budget.
If you are unsure which option to choose, we cover the question in detail in our article Angkor in 1, 3 or 7 Days: Which Option Should You Choose?.
Small expenses to plan for
A few price benchmarks from our trip help complete the budget:
- water, coffee or tea: around €0.90
- local beer: around €1.80
- laundry: around €1.10 per kilo
- SIM card: around €9
- scooter: around €9 per day, excluding fuel
Individually, these expenses are small. Over two or three weeks, however, they begin to add up.
So, is Cambodia a cheap destination?
Yes, but that statement needs some nuance.
Everyday life is inexpensive: you can sleep, eat and get around locally on a very reasonable budget.
However, a trip that includes Angkor, several regions, Koh Rong and multiple activities will naturally cost more than the price of a local meal might suggest.
Our view: Cambodia mainly offers excellent value for the experiences you can have. It is easy to travel simply, but also to add a higher level of comfort without making the overall budget explode.
Planning your trip?
The TAMAP Cambodia Guide includes our flexible itineraries, with transportation, travel times, best areas to stay, prices we observed, activities and alternatives. Each day can be followed exactly as written or integrated into your own route. Then it is yours to turn into your own trip.