Cost of living comparison

Cambodia

compared to

China

Beijing vs. Phnom Penh Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 6.8% more expensive than Phnom Penh.

Restaurants: pay 23.1% less in Beijing
Groceries: pay 24.9% less in Beijing
Transportation: pay 6.8% more in Beijing
Housing: pay 19.1% more in Beijing
Childcare: pay 47.7% more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports: pay 30.1% more in Beijing
Clothing: pay 71.3% more in Beijing

The cost of clothing, childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, and transportation in Beijing are more expensive than in Phnom Penh. Expenses including groceries and restaurants are lower in Beijing.

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Beijing vs. Phnom Penh Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Beijing instead of Phnom Penh, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 23.1% less for restaurants

	Phnom Penh	Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.00 KHR16,282.49	$4.47 CN¥29.94	+11.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.00 KHR28,494.35	$5.22 CN¥34.93	-25.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.82 KHR7,428.89	$0.52 CN¥3.49	-71.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.64 KHR2,600.68	$0.27 CN¥1.82	-57.4%
Average			-23.1%

Phnom Penh vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants

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pay 24.9% less for groceries

	Phnom Penh	Beijing
Bread 1 loaf	$1.62 KHR6,582.93	$1.73 CN¥11.56	+6.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.46 KHR30,360.06	$7.22 CN¥48.28	-3.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.16 KHR33,214.92	$6.41 CN¥42.88	-21.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.72 KHR6,996.95	$2.02 CN¥13.53	+17.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.89 KHR7,703.61	$1.47 CN¥9.81	-22.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.79 KHR7,277.91	$0.93 CN¥6.25	-47.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.79 KHR3,215.82	$0.79 CN¥5.28	-0.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.91 KHR7,785.68	$0.93 CN¥6.21	-51.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.98 KHR3,969.77	$0.71 CN¥4.75	-27.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.72 KHR2,935.78	$0.32 CN¥2.15	-55.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.56 KHR2,292.62	$0.40 CN¥2.66	-29.5%
Average			-24.9%

Phnom Penh vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries

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pay 6.8% more for transportation

	Phnom Penh	Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.09 KHR20,702.80	$4.96 CN¥33.20	-2.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$9.60 KHR39,077.97	$34.30 CN¥229.53	+257.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,000.00 KHR142M	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-44.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$9.11 KHR37,065.53	$4.68 CN¥31.34	-48.6%
Average			+6.8%

Phnom Penh vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation

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pay 19.1% more for housing

	Phnom Penh	Beijing
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$24.89 KHR101K	$14.27 CN¥95.47	-42.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$646.36 KHR3M	$936.67 CN¥6,267.07	+44.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$370.33 KHR2M	$530.98 CN¥3,552.67	+43.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$81.19 KHR331K	$44.49 CN¥297.65	-45.2%
Average			+19.1%

Phnom Penh vs. Beijing - Cost of housing

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pay 47.7% more for childcare

	Phnom Penh	Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$661.77 KHR3M	$653.29 CN¥4,371.01	-1.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,987.71 KHR45M	$24,281.96 CN¥162K	+121.0%
Average			+47.7%

Phnom Penh vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare

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pay 30.1% more for entertainment and sports

	Phnom Penh	Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.00 KHR4,070.62	$1.19 CN¥7.98	+19.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.95 KHR11,992.68	$3.60 CN¥24.09	+22.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.89 KHR7,693.48	$4.33 CN¥28.94	+128.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$40.62 KHR165K	$41.45 CN¥277.32	+2.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.00 KHR20,353.11	$7.46 CN¥49.90	+49.2%
Average			+30.1%

Phnom Penh vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 71.3% more for clothing

	Phnom Penh	Beijing
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$28.00 KHR114K	$70.55 CN¥472.03	+152.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$24.00 KHR97,694.93	$40.41 CN¥270.36	+68.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$90.83 KHR370K	$86.99 CN¥582.00	-4.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$59.17 KHR241K	$125.40 CN¥839.02	+111.9%
Average			+71.3%

Phnom Penh vs. Beijing - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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