Cambodia now ranking as more expensive than Vietnam

Cambodia is now officially one of Southeast Asia’s most expensive countries for expats.

The respected Numbeo Cost of Living Index has revealed what expats already living in the popular country already knew – from being famous for its ultra-low cost of living, Cambodia has now jumped to a higher ranking than those of Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. Costly Singapore’s top ranking came as no surprise, nor was Thailand’s second highest cost of living score, but Cambodia’s fourth place came as a shock due to its lack of development to date and the fact it’s always been seen by expats as a super-cheap location.

For expats in Thailand now planning a move to Cambodia, it’s somewhat of a shock, even although its living costs are lower than their Thailand equivalents. Myanmar’s third place isn’t relevant for the majority of expats as the country’s political instability makes it less than popular, especially with older expat retirees. The study didn’t go into reasons for Cambodia’s comparatively high cost of living compared with its offerings as regards infrastructure and political stability, but China’s ever increasing physical and financial presence in the mostly undeveloped country may have something to do with increased costs.

The survey takes New York as the benchmark for rankings, with 136 global countries ranked by all essentials including accommodation, leisure activities, foodstuffs and clothing, eating out and suchlike. Local residents, usually expats, provide the numbers crunched to provide individual country rankings. Cambodia’s ranking is being seen as troubling, as it’s long been known for its economic expat lifestyle and has attracted many Western retirees as a result. The majority of the estimated 150,000 Western expats in the country are based in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Kampot and Kep, with a few still sticking it out in Sihanoukville in spite of the Chinese invasion and its myriad casinos.