Moving to Cambodia from Laos
What to Expect
Considering a move from Laos to Cambodia? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Laos to Cambodia, and you’d need to navigate life in Khmer.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from Laos to Cambodia.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Cambodia compared to Laos.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
Laos performs better than Cambodia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Cambodia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Laos leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Cambodia performs significantly better than Laos across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Laos generally does better on infrastructure, though Cambodia leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Cambodia generally does better on employment & economy, though Laos leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Cambodia generally does better on family life, though Laos leads in literacy rate.
Data: Ministry of Finance, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Vientiane | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 87°/66°F (31°/19°C) | 91°/73°F (33°/23°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 91°/76°F (33°/24°C) | 94°/78°F (34°/25°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 88°/76°F (31°/24°C) | 90°/76°F (32°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 85°/67°F (30°/20°C) | 87°/73°F (30°/23°C) |
View all months
| Month | Vientiane | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.4°C) | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C) |
| Feb | 87°/65°F (30.3°/18.5°C) | 91°/72°F (32.7°/22.5°C) |
| Mar | 91°/71°F (33.0°/21.5°C) | 94°/76°F (34.5°/24.2°C) |
| Apr | 94°/75°F (34.3°/23.8°C) | 95°/78°F (34.9°/25.4°C) |
| May | 91°/76°F (33.0°/24.6°C) | 94°/78°F (34.3°/25.4°C) |
| Jun | 89°/77°F (31.9°/24.9°C) | 92°/78°F (33.1°/25.3°C) |
| Jul | 88°/76°F (31.3°/24.7°C) | 90°/76°F (32.4°/24.7°C) |
| Aug | 87°/76°F (30.8°/24.6°C) | 90°/77°F (32.2°/25.0°C) |
| Sep | 88°/75°F (30.9°/24.1°C) | 89°/75°F (31.7°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 87°/73°F (30.8°/22.9°C) | 87°/75°F (30.8°/23.9°C) |
| Nov | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 87°/73°F (30.4°/22.8°C) |
| Dec | 83°/62°F (28.1°/16.7°C) | 86°/71°F (30.2°/21.4°C) |
Data:
Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH), Lao PDR,
Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Laos and Cambodia. To live, work, or study long-term in Cambodia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Cambodia's immigration authority.
Laos passport holder visiting Cambodia
Visa Free
Cambodia passport holder visiting Laos
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Cambodia?
Connectivity is usually fine (Cambodia: 3.0 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Cambodia offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Cambodia safe for expats?
Laos performs better than Cambodia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Cambodia compared to Laos?
Cambodia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Laos leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Cambodia, compared to 3.3 in Laos. Cambodia scores 58 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Laos: 52).
What's the weather like in Cambodia compared to Laos?
The average high temperature in Phnom Penh is 90°F, compared to 88°F in Vientiane. Phnom Penh receives around 51.8 in of rainfall per year, while Vientiane gets 65.4 in.
What language do they speak in Cambodia?
The official language in Cambodia is Khmer. In Laos, the official language is Lao.
