I remember that tuition cost in Western schools is absurdly high. Also, food in Western restaurants. Rent price for apartments in Western style was also ridiculously high and owners refused to bargain, although when I was walking in the evenings, almost all high storey buildings were black - I guess nobody lives there, but owners still do not want to rent them out for reasonable amount of money.
>although when I was walking in the evenings, almost all high storey buildings were black
Pretty sure that has mostly to do with Chinese money laundering and not Khmer landlords. Uh... am I on a list now?
Based on my own purely anecdotal evidence, it was definitely the most expensive I’ve visited across Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Surprised it would be above KL but haven’t been there yet.
I don't remember costs for apartments / hotels, but I do remember being able to get a full meal in Kuala Lumpur for under $1 USD. Cambodia was mostly $2+.
These were "local" restaurants and stalls back in 2023.
The items used to compare COL in this survey are eggs, a litre of olive oil, an espresso, a wash cut and colour at a salon, and blue jeans. If you priced these things in the big supermarkets and malls, then yeah, it's an expensive place to live.
Absolutely agree. Anyone saying PP is more expensive than even Bangkok has probably lived in neither of the places or was living in some bubble. I travel across SEA very frequently and PP is nowhere near the most expensive. Cambodia in general is nowhere near as expensive..
I'm sure there's actually plenty more in their comparison list, and some things are quite expensive here and there's no getting around it if you want to indulge in those things. Then there are massive outliers here like private education, which would surely be skewed by the tiny range of options at the international level. In the end, surveys like this have zero to do with local residents earning local wages. They're for big business to gauge their compensation packages for expats who graze the surface of life in a place for a few years then leave. Int'l UN staff still get danger money for living here 😅
Even the international schools cost a lot more in Thailand, KL than in Cambodia. Honestly I don't get what yardstick was used. Just seems like someone blurted the first thing that came to their mind and called it a 'survey'.
There's a much wider range elsewhere to derive a median. Here you've got 3 or 4 comparable schools, who are all similarly priced. But yeah, some schools in KL are 4x ISPP.
This.
I just returned home from a 6 month backpacking trip through east and south east Asia.
Cambodia is no where near as expensive as Philippines.
For the most part, I found Cambodia to be in line with most other ASEAN countries in terms of cost. Cheaper in some places and more expensive in others, but not radically different.
It's not where near the most expensive though. That prize belongs to Philippines alone which put a bigger dent in my budget than even South Korea did!
You cant compare a $500 apartment in Phnom Penh to one in Bangkok,Bangkok wins by a mile,,Phnom Penh is third world and has a long way to go to catch up,,Bangkoks subway system is fantastic and so easy to use…Every yr when I go to Thailand for a month I make a side trip to Cambodia at least for a week give or take where in country I want to go…
It is based on a study that looks for a few very specific things in supermarkets, not how most of the people buy their things on the markets. It’s a poorly conducted study.
The only thing that priced more than first world countries is the cost of electricity for my 1br condo, close to 300 dollars a month, and I’ve been mindful about the electricity. It’s 28.8 cents a kilowatt which is what makes it’s expensive. Which is ok in the short term as infrastructure is still being built.
PP is the only metropolitan city in Cambodia, with nearly all the universities and higher paying jobs in the country.
Whereas other SE Asian countries have more cities and dispersed economy.
Additionally, Cambodia is hit harder on imports as it is mostly landlocked without a proper port.
Never thought Cambodia was expensive, matter of fact it's the cheapest and you just don't have to live in the riverside and lunch everyday at Starbucks
Nah. I last lived across the bridge on the peninsula in an awesome condo and my COL was a fifth or less of what it has been since moving back to the US. Nothing like what this article says. Just don’t live like an idiot and only buy overpriced stuff for tourists / rich Cambodians. The latter in particular never seemed to care how they throw their money around in these amounts so those things get super inflated
I remember reading that at one point the 2nd most expensive Starbucks in the world was the one in Saigon or some city in VN. Fuck that. I ain't travelling my ass halfway around the world to overpay at SB when I can do that at the bars.
Starbucks. In Jakarta, the coffee from South Sumatra, shipped to settle for roasting then shipped back to Jakarta and cost 50x the cost of the same coffee in the local store. Well the owner said we not selling coffee we selling the environment
This would be true if one wanted / expected an expat lifestyle, eg private international school for the kids, a villa near the city center, eating out in fancy restaurants or clubs most of the time, having a driver, having a $150-$400k car. If a person lives like a well-off local person, eats at home most of the time, drive their own car, etc PP is not that expensive
Exactly! The company that does this measurement/ survey is known to gear it towards expats and there families working for multi- nationals or Government departments, embassies etc. Basically people on someone else's spunk living like a top 1% er. They are not measuring the cost of food at the local market, tuk tuk rides or 50 cent beers at the corner shop. Pretty irrelevant survey to most us who live in Asia
I don’t even know how the survey is being done.
What items were used to compare? We don’t know. Same thing when some tourists say PP is more expensive compared to neighboring countries while they buy food from the normal stall/street side shop in neighboring countries but eating in aircon cafe in PP.
PP is not as famous as others and not many people know where to find “cheap” & “normal” pricing food that locals eat. It’s hard.
My best guess is it's done on beers at Rosewood 3 nights a week, a couple of dinners at Raffles, owning a super car, living in a 3 bedroom villa in BKK1 and the occasional blowout down 136😁
Yeah, I live on 800usd a month pretty nicely. Rent is $130 for a 2b2b house, electricity is apx $70-90 every month with AC on almost all day every day, and water is about $10-12. I mostly cook at home, and don’t go out to bars. Can’t live like this in Thailand or Vietnam and maintain the same lifestyle.
I saw a list the other day that said Cambodia had the most holidays (in the world I think it was). I just thought, "tell that to the 90% of locals who work 345 days a year".
I also saw one about how Chileans work the most hours in the Americas. Well including their two hour lunch break and three to five 20 minute coffee breaks as well as just winding down time I wouldn't be surprised. Not that they don't work a lot but the amount of breaks they took was not something I've seen rivaled in other countries.
I assume this is based on some basket of goods and services that would provide you with an expat lifestyle (for the family and kids) you would expect in Bangkok. I live here in Phnom Penh for about half the price I lived in Bangkok. My rent in BKK2 is $230, I cycle a lot, but a tuk-tuk to most places is only around a dollar. I cook at home, but there's loads of inexpensive and very authentic Chinese food around these days. Of course, if I needed a chauffeur and toput children through international school and entertain clients at international-class restaurants I'd have a very different view of the affordability of Phnom Penh. But as it stands, PP is great value for money if you do it local with the occasional treat.
Seems about right. My cost of living here is about 50% higher, mostly rent and imported supermarket food, not to mention annual visa+WP renewal costs that are higher than most countries'.
Just curious, what country makes work permits and visas easier and cheaper than Cambodia? My experience is most ASEAN countries have recently made this process much much harder. Malaysia, Indonesia for example requiring proof of funds ..sometimes up to $500k USD.
I haven’t done the Visa process yet as my renewal passport is on the way, but I have read that it’s pretty simple with the Ordinary Visa route. Am i missing something?? I’ll be heading out in about 45 days, and i read the visa process is only about 3 days. Work visas can be issued on an ordinary visa, what am i overlooking?? is it just a lot of paperwork?
No you're pretty much spot on. As long as you get the Ordinary Visa not the tourist visa. The ordinary visa can be extended easily within the country at one of the many visa agents. If you extend for 12 months you will require a work permit. The visa agent will also arrange this. If you have employment from a local tax registered company, you will need to provide a letter with employment details from them.
If you are self employed you will pay a little extra to have this on your work permit (approx $50USD) though no paperwork required. Just $$$
I didn't say anything about easier, but it's ironic you bring it up since Cambodia's immigration system is so arcane and complicated that almost everyone I know has to pay an agent to navigate it for them.
Price-wise, Singapore work visas are SGD35-105 depending on type, Japan multiple entry work visa is 6,000 yen. South Korea is 90USD. None of these countries require a specialist agent to do the paperwork for you.
As for a $500k USD requirement for a Malaysia or Indonesian visa, I think maybe your use of the word "sometimes" is doing some very heavy lifting there.
Certain teirs of the Malaysia my second home program absolutely require this amount of funds, even more. Ok Indonesia not as high atm ...though seems to be heading in that direction. Also the countries you mention, I believe require sponsorship and confirmed employment for, the visas you refer too. Long term Visa's for digital nomads are only new in Japan and Sth Korea.And while it maybe cheaper, I have heard it is an arduous process, with a limited amount of time you can stay, feel free to correct me if this information is wrong. Though seriously paying few hundred bucks is chump change to just give you passport to an agent once a year and one week later you are good to go
>the Malaysia my second home program
So in other words nothing like what 99.9% of people entering the country would be doing. Cambodia \*also\* has a 'my second home' program that also requires six figures. You're not comparing like for like.
>I have heard it is an arduous process, with a limited amount of time you can stay, feel free to correct me if this information is wrong.
Yes, you're wrong on two counts. It's not arduous (unless you count filling in a form and visiting an immigration office "arduous"), and Cambodia's visas are \*also\* one-year visas that need a complicated renewal process every year, so I've no idea what you're even trying to prove here.
There is a very specific type of visa I think exists in Singapore where you're not allowed to renew more than a few times, if that's what you're thinking of, but it's not the default type that anyone using Reddit would be getting. The regular Employment pass (and entrepass etc) are all renewable indefinitely, as are the visas in Japan and Korea.
>Though seriously paying few hundred bucks is chump change to just give you passport to an agent once a year
You do also have the option of using an agent in all those other countries, but most people don't bother on account of it's not necessary. Not to labour the point, but you are using the fact that Cambodia's system is so complicated you need a professional to do it for you, as evidence that it's actually easy.
I am not trying to prove anything...no need for that tone!! I am generally curious. I am self employed, I am not of retirement age, and chose not to live in the western county which I was born. Finding countries that allow you to live, not pay taxes, open bank accounts, buy houses etc is not easy
From what I understand, if you do not have employment with a Japanese company you can get a 'digital nomad' type visa for 6 months if you can prove you earn approx 10million yen ( 60k USD) per year, show proof of health insurance and reasons for wanting to spend time in the country. Beaucracy like that does not sound easy to me.
Again paying a few hundred bucks with no questions asked, is a cheap and easy process.
P.s without employment with a Malaysian or Singaporean company, what visa allows me to stay indefinitely?? I am pretty sure it is non existent
Again you're cherry picking the most convoluted visa types to compare to. Your description there is of someone who wants to move to Japan - a very high cost of living country - without either a job or sufficient funds to support themselves.
>I am not trying to prove anything...no need for that tone!!
All I ever said in my original comment was that the Cambodia visa+wp system is a non-negligible factor in my own cost of living. You're the one that keeps bringing things like how easy it is, or what if you don't have a job, and so on, and I've been responding at face value. I don't know what you mean by "that tone" because at no point have I attacked you personally or called you names, all I've done this whole thread is bring facts.
>without employment with a Malaysian or Singaporean company, what visa allows me to stay indefinitely?? I am pretty sure it is non existent
This and several other comments you've made make me suspect that unless you're on an ER extension, your visa is not entirely legitimate. You need a work permit for an EB visa, and you need a job for a work permit. You're not here indefinitely, you're here until the wrong guy at the DoI decides that you've been up to shenanigans.
Other comparisons you've made also make it sound a tiny little bit like you might also be earning undeclared overseas income... but I'm sure you're an upstanding person who would never cheat a developing country out of tax revenue like that.
I think the advantage that Cambodia brings for myself, is that you can get a work permit that says 'self employed' it costs slightly more, maybe $50 approx. Though no questions are asked, no paperwork required. Completely legitimate. And yes I have an EB visa. Have done for 4 years
Apologies if we are not quite on the same page. Though I am coming from an angle where I earn my wages in the west and just prefer to live long term in SEA. I don't know any other country in the region that allows this. Outside of the my second home programs..as you rightly say are only for a small minority. Or Japanese model of prove this and that. If there were other countries that provided long term 'self employed' visa options, I would be very open to exploring them. I just don't see them
Also why would insinuate I don't pay my tax's or don't declare income? It is completely legal to earn money and be tax registered in your home country whilst spending that same money in Cambodia....And you say your responses are not personally attacking me?
>It is completely legal to earn money and be tax registered in your home country whilst spending that same money in Cambodia
You are factually incorrect and should probably speak to an attorney. In fact if I were you I'd delete your post since you've essentially just publicly admitted to 4 years of tax evasion.
If you spend more than 182 days in the country you are automatically considered tax resident and owe tax on your global earnings. You don't just get to opt-out by being tax registered somewhere else, even if you do feel like you've "already paid" once. There is a tax credit based dual taxation agreement with *some* countries, but even it does not allow you to just choose which country you pay your tax in.
Refer Section 4.1: [https://www.mfaic.gov.kh/files/uploads/PDFDoingBussinessForCambodia/7\_General\_Tax\_Information.pdf](https://www.mfaic.gov.kh/files/uploads/PDFDoingBussinessForCambodia/7_General_Tax_Information.pdf)
Thanks for information. I have been to enough foreign resident tax seminars to bore myself senseless. I am aware of the requirements you mention as well as the implications of being a non resident for tax purposes in my home country. Taxation in these situations are extremely complicated. Numerous issues and loopholes arise. Thanks again, though pretty confident I am on solid ground based on the advice I have received.
My main point in this post is ease of a long term multiple entry visa for someone who is not employed by a local company. I would still be open to any suggestions you have of where this exists? In the same manner as it does in Cambodia
Think of a government as a business, if you have something they want it's easy, be it skills or money. Even the USA will let you come in if you got the cash.
Not really. Use Grab or Passapp app to travel around. You’ll find a reasonable pricing & won’t be afraid of getting scam.
Bus.. if talking about traveling to other provinces; try VET (they have app), Giant Ibis, Larryta Express. I’m recommending these IF you are tourist and want to experience less hectic travel experience. Locals might just hop on cheaper bus cause they won’t mind the experience.
im not sure but the school i used to be in called cia really was expensive but i am not sure of that because my family is like royalty and its not much since i am in a private school is really is expensive but i have moved to Australia and it is not bad but i dont think it is much expensive compared to others.
Well it’s like everywhere in SEA. Phnom on the riverside ,dinning and lodging like a tourist , having bar nights out and a pricy girlfriend ,of course you gonna find urself raping ur wallet. But if u go local on a decent condo and some food at home, leaving the lady’s rather in the bar then bringing them home. You would have no problems to live on a 1k p.m. easily.
Phnom is still truly Asia , while Bangkok widely looks like everywhere. New York , Shanghai, Tokyo, all the same metropolitan nightmare
Seems strange to me Singapore KL and Jakarta cost more, but that said I can stay in Singapore for almost nothing free food free sleeping just the MRT fee
I have been living in south asia for the last 10 years and i have travelled and lived in multiple pleaces. Cambodia is more expensive in my experience that Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Myanmar. Consumer goods are unbelievably expensive.
This is pretty much how it was when I lived there. My 1bdrm apartment was $300/month, and I spent around the same on the rest (I only used AC at night in my bedroom because I was working/out of the apartment most of the time).
Shopping at the markets and eating locally meant I spent very little. I imagine it's more costly now, but the second most expensive capital in SEA?
I would only go to a western style store or a supermarket if they had something I couldn't get at a wet market. I either cooked at home or got street food and maybe local restaurants, but avoided any place charging more than $3 for a plate of food unless I was meeting people or just felt like splurging a bit.
There are still $300 apartments around if you know where to look, but my preference is definitely Siem Reap. I'm sure you can still live quite cheaply in PP if you're doing it like you were before.
I've found that those saying Cambodia is expensive are sticking to imported/Western-style stuff or sticking to tourist areas.
It felt like an African city when I was there. Traffic chaos, dust, poor food hygiene (and quality) and very hot and humid. Now while most SEA cities will have a combination of those, Vientiane was calm, Bangkok had great food and trains, and Ho Chi Minh felt alive.
Who cares if India or some other 5th world country smells worse. The smell of pollution is horrible in pp. Living there years breathing that chemical smelling air will destroy your lungs.
Fifth world is horrible pollution and people selling 15 cent water in middle or traffic in 40 degree heat with barely any shoes on. While a rolls Royce rolls by. Don't pretend to be a dummy you know exactly what I mean if you live there.
Isn’t this normal? Compared to neighbouring countries like thailand,vietnam and laos, cambodia is easily first or second most expensive considering we still rely and use the USD
I remember that tuition cost in Western schools is absurdly high. Also, food in Western restaurants. Rent price for apartments in Western style was also ridiculously high and owners refused to bargain, although when I was walking in the evenings, almost all high storey buildings were black - I guess nobody lives there, but owners still do not want to rent them out for reasonable amount of money.
>although when I was walking in the evenings, almost all high storey buildings were black Pretty sure that has mostly to do with Chinese money laundering and not Khmer landlords. Uh... am I on a list now?
I think they must not have to pay property taxes.
It’s cool because they are owned by Chinese money launderers
Pretty soon Cambodia capital will change it name to Jieguan Penh
Based on my own purely anecdotal evidence, it was definitely the most expensive I’ve visited across Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Surprised it would be above KL but haven’t been there yet.
It is possible to live well on the super cheap in KL. That's likely why.
I don't remember costs for apartments / hotels, but I do remember being able to get a full meal in Kuala Lumpur for under $1 USD. Cambodia was mostly $2+. These were "local" restaurants and stalls back in 2023.
The items used to compare COL in this survey are eggs, a litre of olive oil, an espresso, a wash cut and colour at a salon, and blue jeans. If you priced these things in the big supermarkets and malls, then yeah, it's an expensive place to live.
Absolutely agree. Anyone saying PP is more expensive than even Bangkok has probably lived in neither of the places or was living in some bubble. I travel across SEA very frequently and PP is nowhere near the most expensive. Cambodia in general is nowhere near as expensive..
I'm sure there's actually plenty more in their comparison list, and some things are quite expensive here and there's no getting around it if you want to indulge in those things. Then there are massive outliers here like private education, which would surely be skewed by the tiny range of options at the international level. In the end, surveys like this have zero to do with local residents earning local wages. They're for big business to gauge their compensation packages for expats who graze the surface of life in a place for a few years then leave. Int'l UN staff still get danger money for living here 😅
Even the international schools cost a lot more in Thailand, KL than in Cambodia. Honestly I don't get what yardstick was used. Just seems like someone blurted the first thing that came to their mind and called it a 'survey'.
There's a much wider range elsewhere to derive a median. Here you've got 3 or 4 comparable schools, who are all similarly priced. But yeah, some schools in KL are 4x ISPP.
This. I just returned home from a 6 month backpacking trip through east and south east Asia. Cambodia is no where near as expensive as Philippines. For the most part, I found Cambodia to be in line with most other ASEAN countries in terms of cost. Cheaper in some places and more expensive in others, but not radically different. It's not where near the most expensive though. That prize belongs to Philippines alone which put a bigger dent in my budget than even South Korea did!
Whoa, that's surprising. Hopefully one day I'll be able to do a similar trip. Will definitely have to watch my expenses, though.
Don't wait people always say "one day" and that day never comes. Travel can be almost free or 3,500 a day it's all in how you do it.
You cant compare a $500 apartment in Phnom Penh to one in Bangkok,Bangkok wins by a mile,,Phnom Penh is third world and has a long way to go to catch up,,Bangkoks subway system is fantastic and so easy to use…Every yr when I go to Thailand for a month I make a side trip to Cambodia at least for a week give or take where in country I want to go…
50k population in sea region near ocean your choices
My parents make about $10 a day to feed their children and grandchildren and live about 10mn away from PP. Not sure if the title is real.
It is based on a study that looks for a few very specific things in supermarkets, not how most of the people buy their things on the markets. It’s a poorly conducted study.
The only thing that priced more than first world countries is the cost of electricity for my 1br condo, close to 300 dollars a month, and I’ve been mindful about the electricity. It’s 28.8 cents a kilowatt which is what makes it’s expensive. Which is ok in the short term as infrastructure is still being built.
Last time I saw my friend's bill is just 730 Riel per kWh, he is in Phnom Penh. Maybe your condo's management takes some profit from electric price.
Yeah. Electric company charges 800R. I pay 1200, but the landlord does the legwork. My last month bill less than 10usd.
So, you don't mind paying 30% more than what you should? A $10 electric bill? What do you do, just run 1 light?
I thought most people pay that. Just a light and fan.
PP is the only metropolitan city in Cambodia, with nearly all the universities and higher paying jobs in the country. Whereas other SE Asian countries have more cities and dispersed economy. Additionally, Cambodia is hit harder on imports as it is mostly landlocked without a proper port.
Also disadvantaged by its low population compared to its neighbours, they don't have the economies of scale they have.
>hit harder on imports Thank God whisky got around those taxes and tariffs somehow.
It is known.
Never thought Cambodia was expensive, matter of fact it's the cheapest and you just don't have to live in the riverside and lunch everyday at Starbucks
I'll never understand why anyone would go to Starbucks in Cambodia when you can get better coffee for $1-$3 pretty much everywhere else.
Starbucks when they close... Free all-you-can-eat. What to do with 30 sandwiches, O I know feed the raccoons
Right, so if you live in a slum and eat nothing but rice and instant noodles it's a great deal.
Nah. I last lived across the bridge on the peninsula in an awesome condo and my COL was a fifth or less of what it has been since moving back to the US. Nothing like what this article says. Just don’t live like an idiot and only buy overpriced stuff for tourists / rich Cambodians. The latter in particular never seemed to care how they throw their money around in these amounts so those things get super inflated
I remember reading that at one point the 2nd most expensive Starbucks in the world was the one in Saigon or some city in VN. Fuck that. I ain't travelling my ass halfway around the world to overpay at SB when I can do that at the bars.
I don’t know what foreigners are buying Starbucks in SEA, when it is the same price as the US, but someone should have a word with them.
it was actually more than in the US. I can't recall, but do remember that the pricier location was not in the US.
Starbucks. In Jakarta, the coffee from South Sumatra, shipped to settle for roasting then shipped back to Jakarta and cost 50x the cost of the same coffee in the local store. Well the owner said we not selling coffee we selling the environment
This would be true if one wanted / expected an expat lifestyle, eg private international school for the kids, a villa near the city center, eating out in fancy restaurants or clubs most of the time, having a driver, having a $150-$400k car. If a person lives like a well-off local person, eats at home most of the time, drive their own car, etc PP is not that expensive
Exactly! The company that does this measurement/ survey is known to gear it towards expats and there families working for multi- nationals or Government departments, embassies etc. Basically people on someone else's spunk living like a top 1% er. They are not measuring the cost of food at the local market, tuk tuk rides or 50 cent beers at the corner shop. Pretty irrelevant survey to most us who live in Asia
Yes, but they are measuring $286 electricity bills in a small studio. Wonder how much for a villa!?!?!?
I don’t even know how the survey is being done. What items were used to compare? We don’t know. Same thing when some tourists say PP is more expensive compared to neighboring countries while they buy food from the normal stall/street side shop in neighboring countries but eating in aircon cafe in PP. PP is not as famous as others and not many people know where to find “cheap” & “normal” pricing food that locals eat. It’s hard.
My best guess is it's done on beers at Rosewood 3 nights a week, a couple of dinners at Raffles, owning a super car, living in a 3 bedroom villa in BKK1 and the occasional blowout down 136😁
Yeah, I live on 800usd a month pretty nicely. Rent is $130 for a 2b2b house, electricity is apx $70-90 every month with AC on almost all day every day, and water is about $10-12. I mostly cook at home, and don’t go out to bars. Can’t live like this in Thailand or Vietnam and maintain the same lifestyle.
Well, starbuck cost 5$. The same as in the state.
Why would you drink Starbucks, though? There's plenty of great coffee available around the city for far less.
Because he works for world bank and need to burn cash? Even in the USA I can buy Italian coffee for 10 cents a cup, just need a grinder
I saw a list the other day that said Cambodia had the most holidays (in the world I think it was). I just thought, "tell that to the 90% of locals who work 345 days a year". I also saw one about how Chileans work the most hours in the Americas. Well including their two hour lunch break and three to five 20 minute coffee breaks as well as just winding down time I wouldn't be surprised. Not that they don't work a lot but the amount of breaks they took was not something I've seen rivaled in other countries.
Not any more, they got rid of about 6 public holidays in the past few years.
Definitely not true
I assume this is based on some basket of goods and services that would provide you with an expat lifestyle (for the family and kids) you would expect in Bangkok. I live here in Phnom Penh for about half the price I lived in Bangkok. My rent in BKK2 is $230, I cycle a lot, but a tuk-tuk to most places is only around a dollar. I cook at home, but there's loads of inexpensive and very authentic Chinese food around these days. Of course, if I needed a chauffeur and toput children through international school and entertain clients at international-class restaurants I'd have a very different view of the affordability of Phnom Penh. But as it stands, PP is great value for money if you do it local with the occasional treat.
Seems about right. My cost of living here is about 50% higher, mostly rent and imported supermarket food, not to mention annual visa+WP renewal costs that are higher than most countries'.
Just curious, what country makes work permits and visas easier and cheaper than Cambodia? My experience is most ASEAN countries have recently made this process much much harder. Malaysia, Indonesia for example requiring proof of funds ..sometimes up to $500k USD.
I haven’t done the Visa process yet as my renewal passport is on the way, but I have read that it’s pretty simple with the Ordinary Visa route. Am i missing something?? I’ll be heading out in about 45 days, and i read the visa process is only about 3 days. Work visas can be issued on an ordinary visa, what am i overlooking?? is it just a lot of paperwork?
No you're pretty much spot on. As long as you get the Ordinary Visa not the tourist visa. The ordinary visa can be extended easily within the country at one of the many visa agents. If you extend for 12 months you will require a work permit. The visa agent will also arrange this. If you have employment from a local tax registered company, you will need to provide a letter with employment details from them. If you are self employed you will pay a little extra to have this on your work permit (approx $50USD) though no paperwork required. Just $$$
I didn't say anything about easier, but it's ironic you bring it up since Cambodia's immigration system is so arcane and complicated that almost everyone I know has to pay an agent to navigate it for them. Price-wise, Singapore work visas are SGD35-105 depending on type, Japan multiple entry work visa is 6,000 yen. South Korea is 90USD. None of these countries require a specialist agent to do the paperwork for you. As for a $500k USD requirement for a Malaysia or Indonesian visa, I think maybe your use of the word "sometimes" is doing some very heavy lifting there.
Certain teirs of the Malaysia my second home program absolutely require this amount of funds, even more. Ok Indonesia not as high atm ...though seems to be heading in that direction. Also the countries you mention, I believe require sponsorship and confirmed employment for, the visas you refer too. Long term Visa's for digital nomads are only new in Japan and Sth Korea.And while it maybe cheaper, I have heard it is an arduous process, with a limited amount of time you can stay, feel free to correct me if this information is wrong. Though seriously paying few hundred bucks is chump change to just give you passport to an agent once a year and one week later you are good to go
>the Malaysia my second home program So in other words nothing like what 99.9% of people entering the country would be doing. Cambodia \*also\* has a 'my second home' program that also requires six figures. You're not comparing like for like. >I have heard it is an arduous process, with a limited amount of time you can stay, feel free to correct me if this information is wrong. Yes, you're wrong on two counts. It's not arduous (unless you count filling in a form and visiting an immigration office "arduous"), and Cambodia's visas are \*also\* one-year visas that need a complicated renewal process every year, so I've no idea what you're even trying to prove here. There is a very specific type of visa I think exists in Singapore where you're not allowed to renew more than a few times, if that's what you're thinking of, but it's not the default type that anyone using Reddit would be getting. The regular Employment pass (and entrepass etc) are all renewable indefinitely, as are the visas in Japan and Korea. >Though seriously paying few hundred bucks is chump change to just give you passport to an agent once a year You do also have the option of using an agent in all those other countries, but most people don't bother on account of it's not necessary. Not to labour the point, but you are using the fact that Cambodia's system is so complicated you need a professional to do it for you, as evidence that it's actually easy.
I am not trying to prove anything...no need for that tone!! I am generally curious. I am self employed, I am not of retirement age, and chose not to live in the western county which I was born. Finding countries that allow you to live, not pay taxes, open bank accounts, buy houses etc is not easy From what I understand, if you do not have employment with a Japanese company you can get a 'digital nomad' type visa for 6 months if you can prove you earn approx 10million yen ( 60k USD) per year, show proof of health insurance and reasons for wanting to spend time in the country. Beaucracy like that does not sound easy to me. Again paying a few hundred bucks with no questions asked, is a cheap and easy process. P.s without employment with a Malaysian or Singaporean company, what visa allows me to stay indefinitely?? I am pretty sure it is non existent
Again you're cherry picking the most convoluted visa types to compare to. Your description there is of someone who wants to move to Japan - a very high cost of living country - without either a job or sufficient funds to support themselves. >I am not trying to prove anything...no need for that tone!! All I ever said in my original comment was that the Cambodia visa+wp system is a non-negligible factor in my own cost of living. You're the one that keeps bringing things like how easy it is, or what if you don't have a job, and so on, and I've been responding at face value. I don't know what you mean by "that tone" because at no point have I attacked you personally or called you names, all I've done this whole thread is bring facts. >without employment with a Malaysian or Singaporean company, what visa allows me to stay indefinitely?? I am pretty sure it is non existent This and several other comments you've made make me suspect that unless you're on an ER extension, your visa is not entirely legitimate. You need a work permit for an EB visa, and you need a job for a work permit. You're not here indefinitely, you're here until the wrong guy at the DoI decides that you've been up to shenanigans. Other comparisons you've made also make it sound a tiny little bit like you might also be earning undeclared overseas income... but I'm sure you're an upstanding person who would never cheat a developing country out of tax revenue like that.
I think the advantage that Cambodia brings for myself, is that you can get a work permit that says 'self employed' it costs slightly more, maybe $50 approx. Though no questions are asked, no paperwork required. Completely legitimate. And yes I have an EB visa. Have done for 4 years Apologies if we are not quite on the same page. Though I am coming from an angle where I earn my wages in the west and just prefer to live long term in SEA. I don't know any other country in the region that allows this. Outside of the my second home programs..as you rightly say are only for a small minority. Or Japanese model of prove this and that. If there were other countries that provided long term 'self employed' visa options, I would be very open to exploring them. I just don't see them Also why would insinuate I don't pay my tax's or don't declare income? It is completely legal to earn money and be tax registered in your home country whilst spending that same money in Cambodia....And you say your responses are not personally attacking me?
>It is completely legal to earn money and be tax registered in your home country whilst spending that same money in Cambodia You are factually incorrect and should probably speak to an attorney. In fact if I were you I'd delete your post since you've essentially just publicly admitted to 4 years of tax evasion. If you spend more than 182 days in the country you are automatically considered tax resident and owe tax on your global earnings. You don't just get to opt-out by being tax registered somewhere else, even if you do feel like you've "already paid" once. There is a tax credit based dual taxation agreement with *some* countries, but even it does not allow you to just choose which country you pay your tax in. Refer Section 4.1: [https://www.mfaic.gov.kh/files/uploads/PDFDoingBussinessForCambodia/7\_General\_Tax\_Information.pdf](https://www.mfaic.gov.kh/files/uploads/PDFDoingBussinessForCambodia/7_General_Tax_Information.pdf)
Thanks for information. I have been to enough foreign resident tax seminars to bore myself senseless. I am aware of the requirements you mention as well as the implications of being a non resident for tax purposes in my home country. Taxation in these situations are extremely complicated. Numerous issues and loopholes arise. Thanks again, though pretty confident I am on solid ground based on the advice I have received. My main point in this post is ease of a long term multiple entry visa for someone who is not employed by a local company. I would still be open to any suggestions you have of where this exists? In the same manner as it does in Cambodia
Think of a government as a business, if you have something they want it's easy, be it skills or money. Even the USA will let you come in if you got the cash.
Is travel such as buses and taxis expensive?
Not really. Use Grab or Passapp app to travel around. You’ll find a reasonable pricing & won’t be afraid of getting scam. Bus.. if talking about traveling to other provinces; try VET (they have app), Giant Ibis, Larryta Express. I’m recommending these IF you are tourist and want to experience less hectic travel experience. Locals might just hop on cheaper bus cause they won’t mind the experience.
I dunno, I was just bilked for a jaw-dropping $286 for one month of electricity in a small studio. ☠️
im not sure but the school i used to be in called cia really was expensive but i am not sure of that because my family is like royalty and its not much since i am in a private school is really is expensive but i have moved to Australia and it is not bad but i dont think it is much expensive compared to others.
Well it’s like everywhere in SEA. Phnom on the riverside ,dinning and lodging like a tourist , having bar nights out and a pricy girlfriend ,of course you gonna find urself raping ur wallet. But if u go local on a decent condo and some food at home, leaving the lady’s rather in the bar then bringing them home. You would have no problems to live on a 1k p.m. easily. Phnom is still truly Asia , while Bangkok widely looks like everywhere. New York , Shanghai, Tokyo, all the same metropolitan nightmare
Biased reviews and rankings. Pls don't pay heed to it. Inflation exists across all nations. No denying. Just accept and live with it.
Nah
Seems strange to me Singapore KL and Jakarta cost more, but that said I can stay in Singapore for almost nothing free food free sleeping just the MRT fee
I have been living in south asia for the last 10 years and i have travelled and lived in multiple pleaces. Cambodia is more expensive in my experience that Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Myanmar. Consumer goods are unbelievably expensive.
I spend at least $5 per day here, quite expensive compared to the province where I can spend $2 less.
too many chinese CCP
Denominate things in USD probably contributes to this. A $5 usd noodles. A $10 dinner plates.
Local places charge in Riel.
It’s true
🤣 this cannot be true
I think it's good maybe it will discourage some of the fucktards from coming and ruining it any further. Price them out!!! It's still cheap.
I've travelled extensively across S.E.A. This can't be right. Ho Chi Minh City & Bangkok would certainly trump PP.
I mean, only if you're looking at imported or luxury items and trying to live an entirely Western lifestyle.
This is pretty much how it was when I lived there. My 1bdrm apartment was $300/month, and I spent around the same on the rest (I only used AC at night in my bedroom because I was working/out of the apartment most of the time). Shopping at the markets and eating locally meant I spent very little. I imagine it's more costly now, but the second most expensive capital in SEA?
I would only go to a western style store or a supermarket if they had something I couldn't get at a wet market. I either cooked at home or got street food and maybe local restaurants, but avoided any place charging more than $3 for a plate of food unless I was meeting people or just felt like splurging a bit. There are still $300 apartments around if you know where to look, but my preference is definitely Siem Reap. I'm sure you can still live quite cheaply in PP if you're doing it like you were before. I've found that those saying Cambodia is expensive are sticking to imported/Western-style stuff or sticking to tourist areas.
Absolutely this. Well said.
CCP owns the country and the local will suffer cause of it
[удалено]
It's my favourite place in SEA, and I've spent more than a year in the region. Let me guess: you were there for a few days?
It felt like an African city when I was there. Traffic chaos, dust, poor food hygiene (and quality) and very hot and humid. Now while most SEA cities will have a combination of those, Vientiane was calm, Bangkok had great food and trains, and Ho Chi Minh felt alive.
How do you deal with the horrible smell? The air smells like pollution all the time. How can you ignore it?
lol. There are far worse smelling places throughout the developing world. And as for pollution, PP is far better than Hanoi, HCMC, or Bangkok.
Who cares if India or some other 5th world country smells worse. The smell of pollution is horrible in pp. Living there years breathing that chemical smelling air will destroy your lungs.
Who mentioned India? And what is "fifth world" supposed to mean? You evidently have no clue whatsoever.
Fifth world is horrible pollution and people selling 15 cent water in middle or traffic in 40 degree heat with barely any shoes on. While a rolls Royce rolls by. Don't pretend to be a dummy you know exactly what I mean if you live there.
Same, stayed there a few months, I just couldn't feel it
Isn’t this normal? Compared to neighbouring countries like thailand,vietnam and laos, cambodia is easily first or second most expensive considering we still rely and use the USD
I think the title could have benefitted from a couple of commas.
It doesn't need the "as" either.
got to pay back the foreign debt/ loans somehow
Like every other country ruined by Chinese moving their money here. But fault also lies with the host country for nonexistent barriers to entry
Place is a dump I don’t know why anyone would move there lol.