When I reminisce about our RTW trip now, it seems shocking we were only in Cambodia for a little over a week. We had previously spent time in Cambodia during our honeymoon, which may be why I have so many fond memories of the country and feel like I was there longer. We had visited Siem Reap on our first visit to the country, so this time we focused our attention in Phnom Penh, and we also spent a few days in Kampong Cham on the recommendation of a travel blog I really enjoy, Wander-Lush.
During our visit to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, I shared with our guide that this was our second time in Cambodia, and he was very surprised that we were visiting his home country again. I would definitely go back a third, fourth and even fifth time, too! It’s a highly underrated country for tourism in Southeast Asia, in my humble opinion, and there’s so much to see beyond Siem Reap. (Although to be fair, that is a must-see.) We likely would have stayed longer in Cambodia if we didn’t have a hard date to meet up with family in Vietnam in a few weeks, but here’s what we did spend during our short time in Cambodia.
Note: When we visited Cambodia, the U.S. dollar was the most widely used currency, though we would often receive riels as small change. However, according to more recent sources, Cambodia is trying to “de-dollarize,” so you might find riels are more commonly used on your trip, especially outside tourist-heavy areas like Siem Reap. I can’t wait to go back and find out for myself!
Cambodia: $805.81
Transportation: $42.53
We took buses between Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham (~$5 USD/person for the 3.5-hour ride) and hired a few tuk-tuks to get around Phnom Penh. We also rented bicycles in Kampong Cham ($2/person) for a very fun day exploring the countryside. We used CamboTicket to book our buses within Cambodia, and 12go is another popular booking site to get around Southeast Asia (we used it for our international bus to Vietnam). Average: $5.32/day.
Lodging: $243.20
We stayed at Pacific Hotel ($26/night) in Phnom Penh, which we enjoyed so much we booked it for another night when we passed back through Phnom Penh on our way to Vietnam. In Kampong Cham, we “splurged” for a room with a riverfront view at the Lbn Asian Hotel ($34/night). You can easily find much cheaper rooms in Cambodia—these hotels were on the nicer side of places we stayed during our RTW trip, but we still thought they were a great value. Average: $30.40/night.
Eating out + groceries: $221.60 + $24.20
I was quite surprised to see such a high daily average for our food costs (even more than our lodging!) until I remembered we ate a lot of “Western”-style brunches at cute cafes in Phnom Penh. A good budget travel rule of thumb is that if you eat Western food, you’re generally going to pay (closer to) Western prices! We also treated ourselves to a pretty fancy sushi dinner along the waterfront (almost $40 for that meal alone). Our average cost of food in Kampong Cham was closed to $20/day (for both of us together), which I think is a reasonable average for most budget to mid-range travelers in Cambodia. Average: $30.72/day.
Treats: $69.26
We like treats, so this category includes any coffee, dessert or alcohol that was not purchased as part of a meal (or a grocery run). We continued our trend of drinking tons of iced coffee, and we got fun cocktails a few times in Phnom Penh. (Like a watermelon citrus mojito, and a dragonfruit martini that I honestly still think about from time to time…..) We also had the most amazing brownies from Crumbs bakery (the chili chocolate and sea salt chocolate were both drool-worthy). Average: $8.66/day.
Personal care: $24.50
Jonathan got a massage in Kampong Cham for $14 USD (including tip), and we had a few other small expenses throughout the week. Average: $3.06/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $60.47
In Phnom Penh, we spent a somber morning visiting the “Killing Fields” ($6/person) and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum ($8/person, formerly a torture center and prison) to learn about the genocide committed in Cambodia during the 1970s. Although these are tough events to learn about, I highly recommend visiting both sites. I thought the audio guides were good, so you don’t need a tour guide if you would rather visit independently. The next day, we visited the Royal Palace ($10/person for admission) and hired a local guide inside ($10). I was happy we had a guide here to explain all the art and tell us about the history of Cambodia. Average: $7.56/day.
Note: If you visit Siem Reap during your Cambodian trip (and we highly recommend you do!), you should budget quite a bit more for entertainment, as the Angkor Archeological Pass costs $37-72 in 2023 (for 1-7 days), and you might want to consider a guided tour to learn more about the temples you visit (there isn’t much signage at the sites). During our honeymoon, we arranged a car with a driver and tour guide through our hotel for $40/day, which was awesome for visiting places a bit further afield, including the floating village of Kompong Phluk.
Gifts & souvenirs: $2
Postcards! Average: $0.25/day.
Travel insurance: $47.50
We had travel insurance through World Nomads for $5.94/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.
Other: $70.55
Cambodian visas for U.S. citizens cost $30 USD each, and we made a small donation to a local organization during our trip. $8.12/day.
Total: $100.73/day = $50.36/person* per day
Feature image: Interior of the pagoda at Wat Banteay Prey Nokor in Kampong Cham (February 2020)
*Did you know we have a page on the blog completely dedicated to Money & Budgeting? We also list our country-specific costs on this page, but those numbers might differ a bit from the numbers shown here. The numbers in our detailed budgeting posts (like this one) are a true reflection of what we personally spent on our trip. The numbers on the Money & Budgeting page are meant to reflect what a typical tourist traveling at our comfort level can expect to spend.
Of course, you can always spend far less (or far more) than the numbers listed here or on our Money & Budgeting page. These figures are provided as a loose guide to help you plan travels within your budget range.
Loved your post Megan ❤️