Population 17.0 million. GDP per capita 2,490 dollars. Khmer speaking, constitutional monarchy, the structural Mekong region anchor and the lowest tax ceiling in mainland Southeast Asia. The 2026 work entry runs through the EB business visa extension; the Phnom Penh cost basket runs at 680 dollars a month for the central BKK1, Daun Penh, and Tonle Bassac corridor, the second cheapest atlas tier 1B Southeast Asian capital behind Vientiane.
Phnom PenhCapital of Cambodia
6.6
Atlas Index
№ 01 , The Quick Take
The country, in numbers.
Population17.0M
GDP/capita$2,490
CurrencyKHR
Tax ceiling20%
Cambodia runs the structural Mekong region anchor and the lowest personal income tax ceiling in mainland Southeast Asia on the 2026 cycle. The 181,000 square kilometer footprint hosts 17 million residents concentrated in the Tonle Sap basin and the Mekong Delta entry. The 2026 GDP per capita of 2,490 dollars sits at the lower middle income Southeast Asian band, recovering from the 1975 to 1979 Khmer Rouge demographic collapse. The dual currency system (the structural Cambodian riel and the de facto US dollar at 75 percent of urban transactions) runs the operational anchor for the foreign professional and the digital nomad.
The atlas profiles five Cambodian cities: Phnom Penh (the capital and the structural economic anchor, population 2.2 million), Siem Reap (the Angkor temple complex tourism capital, population 230,000), Sihanoukville (the southern coast port and the structural Chinese investment cluster, population 195,000), Battambang (the northwestern second city and the structural Cambodian cultural arts capital, population 155,000), and Kampot (the southern riverside town and the structural pepper origin, population 47,000). The Phnom Penh cluster runs the structural government, finance, and garment manufacturing concentration; the Siem Reap cluster runs the tourism economy; the Sihanoukville cluster runs the port and the casino concentration.
№ 02 , The Top 5 Cities
Where the atlas readers are looking.
Five Cambodian cities anchor the atlas profile. Cost basket figures from Numbeo crowdsourced reports for the 2026 cycle, cross referenced against Mercer.
Phnom Penh runs the structural Cambodian capital and the largest metro on the 2026 cycle. Population 2.2 million on the municipal footprint, at the confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac rivers. The cost basket runs at 680 dollars a month at the central BKK1 (Boeng Keng Kang 1), Daun Penh, Tonle Bassac, and Chamkar Mon residential corridor. The structural Cambodian headquarters concentration runs ACLEDA Bank, Canadia Bank, ABA Bank, the National Bank of Cambodia, the Phnom Penh Stock Exchange, the major garment manufacturers (the structural Cambodian export sector at 13 billion dollars annually), and the regional offices of Smart Axiata, Cellcard, and the structural Chinese state owned enterprise concentration. Software engineer compensation runs 14,000 dollars a year at the median, 32,000 dollars at the senior, the structural moderate Southeast Asian rate. The 2026 safety profile runs the structural Cambodian moderate at 44 on the crime index.
Siem Reap runs the structural Cambodian tourism capital and the Angkor temple complex base on the 2026 cycle. Population 230,000 on the municipal footprint, on the northwestern shore of the Tonle Sap lake 320 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh. The cost basket runs at 480 dollars a month at the central Old Market area, Sok San Road, and Wat Damnak residential corridor. The economic anchor runs the structural Angkor Archaeological Park tourism inflow (3.2 million annual visitors at the 2024 cycle, recovering from the 2019 peak at 6.6 million), the hospitality cluster at 480 hotels and 320 boutique guesthouses, and the structural Cambodian digital nomad concentration on the Pub Street and the Wat Bo neighborhood. The cultural anchor runs the Angkor Wat temple complex (the structural global heritage anchor, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, the largest religious monument in the world by land area at 162.6 hectares).
Sihanoukville runs the structural Cambodian southern coast port and the Chinese investment cluster on the 2026 cycle. Population 195,000 on the municipal footprint, on the Gulf of Thailand coast 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh. The cost basket runs at 580 dollars a month at the central Otres, Independence Beach, and Victory Hill residential corridor. The economic anchor runs the Port of Sihanoukville (the structural Cambodian deep water port at 1.1 million TEU annually, the only major Cambodian sea port), the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, the structural Chinese capital concentration at the casino sector (the structural Macau model online and offline gaming cluster, with the 2019 to 2023 boom and the partial regulatory crackdown), and the petroleum import terminal. The 2026 safety friction runs the structural counterweight: the rapid Chinese capital inflow has produced the structural construction site density, the elevated traffic accident rate, and the operational risk premium on the casino sector adjacent districts.
04
6.6Atlas
Battambang
Northwestern Cambodia, CA
Rent 1BR center$220
Coffee$1.40
Safety6.8
Battambang runs the structural Cambodian northwestern second city and the cultural arts capital on the 2026 cycle. Population 155,000 on the municipal footprint, on the Sangker River 290 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh and 170 kilometers south of Siem Reap. The cost basket runs at 360 dollars a month at the central Phsar Nat area and along the Sangker River residential corridor. The economic anchor runs the structural Cambodian rice basket function (Battambang Province produces 25 percent of the national rice output), the agricultural processing belt, and the small scale tourism inflow on the structural French colonial architecture and the Phare Ponleu Selpak circus and arts NGO. The cultural anchor runs deep: the Battambang Provincial Museum, the structural Khmer art scene at the Sangker Studios and the Romcheik 5 Art Space, and the Bamboo Train (the norry, the structural local rail transport).
Kampot runs the structural Cambodian southern riverside town and the global pepper origin on the 2026 cycle. Population 47,000 on the municipal footprint, on the Praek Tuek Chhu River 150 kilometers south of Phnom Penh and 80 kilometers east of Sihanoukville. The cost basket runs at 460 dollars a month at the central Old Market area and the Riverside residential corridor. The economic anchor runs the structural Kampot pepper origin (the Protected Geographical Indication since 2010, the structural global pepper benchmark grown on the Damrei Mountains foothills), the salt fields (the structural Cambodian sea salt origin), the durian belt, and the growing digital nomad and remote worker concentration on the structural cheap river view housing. The cultural anchor runs the French colonial architecture, the Bokor Mountain National Park (the abandoned 1920s French hill station), and the structural Phnom Chhnork limestone cave complex.
№ 03 , Visa Overview
The visa stack.
Cambodia offers the structural easiest mainland Southeast Asian work and residency entry path on the 2026 cycle. The Ordinary Visa (the E Class visa, also referred to as the business visa) runs as the structural foreign professional entry: any visitor entering on the eVisa or visa on arrival can convert to the E Class visa at the Department of Immigration; the E Class visa runs renewable indefinitely at 6 month or 12 month renewal cycles. The 1 year EB extension fee runs 285 dollars; the 6 month EB extension fee runs 160 dollars. No employer sponsorship is required for the EB renewal.
Cambodia issues the eVisa (the standard tourist 30 day permit at 36 dollars online, 30 dollars on arrival) and the K Visa (the Cambodian heritage visa for ethnic Khmer residents abroad at the structural lifetime multiple entry permit). The 2024 launch of the Cambodia Digital Nomad Visa pilot remains under the Ministry of Tourism review with the implementing regulations pending; the operational entry path for remote workers runs the standard E Class business visa renewal cycle. The Investor Visa requires a minimum 100,000 dollar investment in a Cambodian business or property portfolio.
Cambodian permanent residency runs accessible after 7 years on the work or investor route. Cambodian citizenship runs accessible after 7 years of continuous residency plus Khmer language proficiency, or through the structural My Cambodia Investment Programme at a minimum 245,000 dollar investment in the National Bank of Cambodia or a 300,000 dollar direct equity investment in a Cambodian business. The investment citizenship runs the structural fastest Southeast Asian naturalization route at the financial threshold. Cambodia permits dual citizenship for natural born and naturalized citizens.
№ 04 , Cost Overview
The cost basket across the country.
Cost basket figures from Numbeo crowdsourced reports for the 2026 cycle. Rent figures are 1 bedroom apartment in the city center.
#
City
Region
Rent 1BR
Groceries
Monthly
Cost
01
Phnom Penh
Mekong basin
$420
$220
$680
6.8
02
Sihanoukville
Southern coast
$320
$180
$580
5.8
03
Siem Reap
Tonle Sap
$260
$150
$480
7.0
04
Kampot
Southern Cambodia
$280
$140
$460
6.7
05
Battambang
Northwestern Cambodia
$220
$130
$360
6.6
06
Kep
Southern coast
$240
$140
$420
6.8
07
Kratie
Mekong corridor
$180
$110
$320
6.5
The Cambodian cost differential runs the structural moderate compression. Phnom Penh runs at the structural national premium of 680 dollars a month on the central residential basket; the Sihanoukville port and casino premium runs at 580 dollars; the Siem Reap and Kampot tourism cluster runs at 460 to 480 dollars; the Battambang, Kep, and Kratie second tier cluster runs at 320 to 420 dollars at the structural national low. The Cambodian riel runs the structural fixed managed peg at 4,080 to 4,120 KHR per USD; the dual currency system runs the USD as the de facto urban currency on the structural 75 percent of transactions.
The Cambodian inflation rate runs at 2.8 percent for 2025 (National Institute of Statistics, May 2026 release), down from the 2022 peak of 5.4 percent. The National Bank of Cambodia maintains the structural managed peg without a formal policy rate; the local lending rate runs 9.5 to 12.5 percent for mortgages. Currency transfers run cheapest on Wise, the Western Union and the MoneyGram remittance rails, and the structural USD cash flow infrastructure; the 2026 spread averages 0.9 percent for USD to KHR transfers above 1,000 dollars (the lowest in mainland Southeast Asia on the structural USD circulation legacy). The Cambodian garment export sector runs the structural balance of payments anchor at 13 billion dollars annually.
№ 05 , Climate
The climate, across the country.
Cambodia runs a single structural climate zone across the 181,000 square kilometer footprint: tropical monsoon. The structural Cambodian climate runs 22 to 35 Celsius across the year, with three seasonal phases. The cool dry season (November to February) runs 22 to 32 Celsius with the structural Phnom Penh nighttime temperatures dropping to 17 to 19 Celsius and the central Cambodian humidity at 65 to 75 percent. The hot dry season (March to May) runs 27 to 38 Celsius with the structural pre monsoon heat peak at 40 Celsius in Phnom Penh and Battambang and the structural humidity at 70 to 78 percent.
The wet southwest monsoon (May to October) runs 24 to 33 Celsius with the structural afternoon thunderstorm cycle and the humidity at 82 to 90 percent. Annual rainfall runs 1,200 to 1,800 millimeters on the central Cambodian belt and 2,500 to 3,500 millimeters on the southwestern Cardamom Mountains coastal exposure. The Tonle Sap lake runs the structural Cambodian hydrological anchor: the lake expands from 2,500 square kilometers in the dry season to 16,000 square kilometers in the wet season through the structural Mekong reverse flow phenomenon. The 2026 climate update notes the structural Mekong dry season flow decline (15 to 22 percent below the 1991 to 2020 baseline through the upstream Chinese and Lao dam impoundment) affecting the Tonle Sap fishery and the structural rice cycle.
№ 06 , Daily Life and Lifestyle
The day, the food, the night.
The Cambodian daily life runs structured on the early morning market and the late afternoon family meal cycle. Breakfast runs at 6:00 to 8:00: kuy teav (the structural Cambodian rice noodle soup with pork or seafood broth), bai sach chrouk (the grilled pork over rice with the structural pickled vegetables), num pang (the Cambodian baguette sandwich, the French colonial heritage), or the rice porridge (borbor) with the daily condiments. Lunch runs as the day major meal at 11:30 to 13:30: rice with the structural Cambodian curries (samlor korkor, samlor machu, lok lak), grilled fish from the Mekong, or the structural amok trei (the coconut curry steamed in banana leaf). Dinner runs at 18:00 to 20:00.
Food signatures: amok trei (the structural Cambodian national dish, the coconut curry fish steamed in banana leaf), lok lak (the cubed marinated beef with pepper lime dipping sauce), nom banh chok (the Khmer rice noodles with fish based green curry, the structural breakfast dish), bai sach chrouk (the grilled pork over rice, the structural Cambodian breakfast standard), kuy teav (the structural noodle soup), and the structural prahok (the fermented fish paste, the foundational Cambodian umami source). The Kampot pepper anchors the structural Cambodian seasoning identity; the Cambodian sour soup (samlor machu) family runs the daily Cambodian table.
Nightlife: Phnom Penh runs the structural Cambodian nightlife scene (the structural Bassac Lane bar row, the Street 308 expat strip, the structural Sundance Inn live music venue, the Mekong riverside hotel lounge cluster); Siem Reap runs the structural Cambodian tourism nightlife (the Pub Street and Sok San Road bar row, the structural Old Market night market), Sihanoukville runs the structural Chinese casino and the Otres beach bar circuit, Kampot runs the structural slow riverside expat bar scene. Public holidays: 23 declared with the structural Khmer New Year (April 13 to 15, the structural national double celebration), the Pchum Ben ancestor festival (the September 15 day Buddhist anchor), the Water Festival (the November 3 day boat racing anchor), and the Royal Plowing Ceremony.
№ 07 , Healthcare and Schools
The institutions, scored.
Cambodia runs a developing public private healthcare system. The Ministry of Health public hospital network covers the structural Cambodian rural and lower middle income population; the system delivers 0.8 hospital beds per 1,000 residents (WHO 2024 release), below the Southeast Asian regional median. The Phnom Penh private hospital network (the Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, the Sunrise Japan Hospital, the Calmette Hospital French heritage anchor, the Khema International Polyclinic, the Raffles Medical Phnom Penh) runs at the international quality tier for general procedures. The major complex procedures (cardiology, oncology, neurosurgery) typically route to the Bangkok, Singapore, or Ho Chi Minh City medical tourism destinations.
Private healthcare runs the dominant tier for the expat residency case. The structural Cambodian foreign professional buys an international health insurance plan within 30 days of arrival; the major options run Allianz Worldwide Care, Cigna Global, BUPA International, and the SafetyWing international plan at 56 to 320 dollars a month per adult. The structural Cambodian medical tourism outflow runs 180,000 visitors annually to the Bangkok, Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh City medical tourism destinations, anchored by cardiology, oncology, complex orthopedic procedures, and IVF.
Education: Cambodia runs a public primary and secondary education system through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. The international school sector concentrates in Phnom Penh: the International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP), the Northbridge International School Cambodia, the Canadian International School of Phnom Penh, the iCAN British International School, the East West International School, the French Lycee Descartes, and the Japanese School of Phnom Penh. Annual fees run 9,000 to 26,000 dollars for grades K through 12. The Royal University of Phnom Penh, the Royal University of Law and Economics, the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, and the American University of Phnom Penh anchor the higher education sector. The Cambodian literacy rate of 84 percent (2024 release) sits below the Southeast Asian regional median.
№ 08 , The Verdict
The country, verdict.
Cambodia works for the Southeast Asian remote worker who builds the structural cheap dollar earning base on the easiest visa renewal regime in mainland ASEAN, the Mekong region anchor lifestyle expat who runs the Phnom Penh to Siem Reap to Kampot circuit, and the entrepreneur who wants the lowest tax ceiling (20 percent) and the structural USD circulation in mainland Southeast Asia. The 2026 cost basket runs cheap on the dollar translation across all atlas cities; the Phnom Penh premium runs the structural Cambodian high at 680 dollars on the central BKK1 residential basket, but the Battambang, Kep, and Kratie second city cluster runs at 47 to 62 percent of the Phnom Penh rate.
The bureaucratic friction runs the structural mainland Southeast Asian low. The EB business visa runs accessible at any point during the entry, with renewable 6 month or 12 month extensions at 160 to 285 dollars; the Cambodian Department of Immigration does not require employer sponsorship for the EB renewal, which makes Cambodia the structural easiest mainland Southeast Asian residency path for the digital nomad and the small business operator. The Cambodian landlord market typically requires a 1 month deposit plus a 1 month advance; the structural barrier sits the lowest in the mainland Southeast Asian comparables.
The recommendation: choose Phnom Penh for the financial services, NGO, or development sector career (the deepest Cambodian economic infrastructure, the structural diplomatic and development sector concentration, the highest Cambodian salary ceiling), Siem Reap for the structural tourism economy career on the Angkor cluster, Kampot for the structural slow remote work lifestyle on the riverside expat enclave, Battambang for the cultural arts and the structural Cambodian cheapest second city, and Sihanoukville for the petroleum, port logistics, or Chinese investment sector role on the structural higher risk premium. The closer reads are the Phnom Penh vs Bangkok comparison, the Phnom Penh vs Ho Chi Minh comparison for the Mekong region capital question, and the cheapest cities to live ranking for the broader cost context.
№ 09 , Sources and Methodology
The numbers, cited.
Cost basket figures source Numbeo crowdsourced reports cross referenced against Mercer cost of living surveys for the 2026 cycle. Population and GDP per capita source the World Bank 2024 release. The National Institute of Statistics of Cambodia supplies the supplementary national statistics including the 2019 General Population Census and the quarterly Consumer Price Index.
Tax brackets source the General Department of Taxation 2026 publication. Visa criteria source the General Department of Immigration 2026 guidance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation consular service. Safety scores source the Cambodian National Police public security data combined with the Numbeo crime index. Healthcare ranking sources the WHO national profile and the World Bank health indicators. Climate data source the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology country profiles for the 1991 to 2020 normal cycle. All numbers verified May 2026 against the most recent official publication of each source.
The everycity.guide editorial team runs no paid placement, no sponsored content, and no tourism board partnership. The independent atlas runs ad supported and affiliate supported (the Wise, Booking.com, SafetyWing, NordVPN, and Babbel affiliate relationships disclosed in the affiliate disclosure document). The full methodology document covers the index weighting, the score color conventions, the data refresh cadence, and the editorial standards.