Daily budgets
Per person per day, excluding international flights and one-off entry fees like the Angkor pass.
| Style | Per day | What that buys |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | US$25–35 | Hostel dorm or basic fan room, street and market food, shared transport, occasional beer |
| Mid-range | US$50–90 | Good air-conditioned double with a pool, restaurant meals, private tuk-tuk, a guide now and then |
| Comfortable | US$150+ | Boutique or four-star hotel, private driver, licensed guides, spa, better wine |
Two costs sit outside those numbers and are worth budgeting separately: the Angkor pass (US$37 for one day, US$62 for three) and intercity transport.
Riel and dollars
Cambodia runs two currencies side by side. The Cambodian riel (KHR) is the national currency; the US dollar circulates freely and most tourist-facing prices — hotels, tours, restaurant menus — are quoted in dollars.
The working exchange rate is about 4,000 riel to US$1, and it is stable enough that everyone uses that figure for mental arithmetic. In practice:
- You pay in dollars, and change under a dollar comes back in riel. A US$3.50 bill paid with a five-dollar note returns US$1 and 2,000 riel.
- Riel is what you want for market stalls, tuk-tuk fares and anything rural.
- There are no US coins in circulation. Riel notes do that job.
One rule that catches people out every single time: damaged US dollar bills are refused. A torn corner, a biro mark or a significant crease and it will be handed back. Inspect the notes an ATM or money changer gives you before you walk away.
ATMs and cards
ATMs are everywhere in the cities and most dispense US dollars, sometimes with a riel option. Two things to plan for:
- Withdrawal fees are high — commonly around US$4–6 per transaction, on top of whatever your own bank charges. Withdraw larger amounts less often.
- Machines often default to issuing US$100 notes, which are hard to break outside hotels. Choose an amount that forces smaller denominations, like US$180 rather than US$200.
Cards are accepted at hotels, established restaurants and supermarkets in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, frequently with a 2–3% surcharge. Outside those two cities, and on the islands, assume cash. Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem have no reliable ATMs at all — bring what you need before the ferry.
QR-code payment through the local KHQR system is now near-universal for residents, but it generally needs a Cambodian bank account, so it is not much use to short-term visitors.
What things cost
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Bowl of noodle soup at a market stall | US$1.50–2.50 |
| Main course, mid-range restaurant | US$5–9 |
| Local draught beer | US$0.50–1.50 |
| Bottled water, 1.5 L | US$0.50 |
| Short tuk-tuk ride in town | US$1.50–3 |
| Tuk-tuk for the Angkor small circuit, full day | US$18–25 |
| Licensed English-speaking guide, per day | US$40–50 |
| Scooter rental, per day | US$5–10 |
| Hour-long massage | US$6–12 |
| SIM card with generous data | US$5–10 |
Tipping
Tipping is not obligatory and was not traditionally part of Cambodian culture, but it is now expected in tourist-facing work and wages are low enough that it matters.
- Restaurants: round up, or 5–10% where there is no service charge.
- Guides: US$5–10 per person per day for a good one.
- Drivers: US$3–5 for a full day.
- Housekeeping: US$1–2 a night, left in the room.
Where the money actually goes
On most Cambodia trips the accommodation and the transport are the two big line items, and both respond well to planning. Room rates in Siem Reap swing enormously between the December peak and the September trough — often by half — and the same property can differ by a few dollars between booking sites on the same night, which is why we show you more than one.
The things that are genuinely fixed are the Angkor pass and the flights. Everything else is negotiable, seasonal, or both.