A Wandering Jon

Where ever I go, there I am.

Cambodia. Land of rice paddies, bustling towns & cities, stunning countryside & temples. Temples covered in jungle, ruined temples, rebuilt temples and functional in use temples. That is where I have just spent the past month and much like my piece on Thailand, I am going to give you a rough idea of my costs for the time I was in that wonderful country. Before I get into the costs, it has to be noted that Cambodia uses two currencies. The Cambodian Riel, and the US Dollar ($). Riel to Dollar averages 4100 riel to $1. Prices in country are either in riel or $, and for most smaller purchases riel is taking prevalence. For hotels, temples, tours and so on, the $ is currently the primary.  I have stuck to using $ in this piece as it’s simpler.

Getting There

I opted to go from Bangkok to the border with Cambodia via train. Now it is a 3rd Class train only, but at a cost of £2.50 including transport to Hualamphong station to catch the train, it was worth it. Was not comfortable as it’s pretty much wooden seats, but was a pleasant journey otherwise. My EVisa for entry to Cambodia cost me $36 (£30). Onward travel from Poipet to Siem Reap, after I found the bus station came to $11. Or I could have rented a private car & driver for around $45 for a similar length journey.

If you are starting out from Bangkok, and wanting to head to Siem Reap overland, it may be that you enquire via a travel agent especially if you’re in the Khao San Road backpacker type area. These agents will more then likely sell you an all in one ticket that gets you from a to b for what looks like a great price; However these buses are usually mis sold, taking more time than informed, detouring to places you do not want and at the end of it, drop you way outside Siem Reap and have you deal with local Tuk Tuk “mafia” who want you to use their recommended accommodation. Not directly a scam, but not a nice image to start off a visit to a country.

Siem Reap & Angkor & Surrounds

Gateway to the Angkor temples, Siem Reap is a small city focused on supporting access to the Angkor Temples near it. It is also a great place to spend time it’s own right. From excellent street food to high end restaurants, basic hostels to boutique hotels, a brilliant night life scene, a circus, a Ferris wheel and so much more, I love Siem Reap even if I do not visit the Angkor temples much. This go round I stayed for 2.5 weeks, saw Halloween, Bon Om Tuk & Independence Day celebrated while there and visited so many temples across the Archaeological Park and beyond that I ruined ruins for myself for a while! 

  • Accommodation – $320 (£265). Stayed at a nice little hotel just out of the city centre/old market area. Pool, breakfast (if I wanted it) etc all included. After genius worked out around $20 (£18) per night. Was only 1 night I didn’t stay there and that was when I went up to Preah Vihear. Place I stayed up there was a nice round $20.
  • Excursions & Sights – $400 (£330). This includes the Angkor Pass (Currently on a deal for each price bracket. I went $72 for 10 days over a month as I knew I’d be local for a few weeks); Daily Tuk Tuk Hire, Tip for Tuk Tuk Driver, entry to museums, off site temples like Preah Vihear, Beng Mealea, Koh Ker etc, Guided tours to the latter and various other smaller things. What you spend here on temples & other touristy things is entirely up to you though.
  • Shopping, Food & Drink – $500 (£410). Siem Reap being a place pretty much geared to tourism, means you can find everything from Khmer street (omg best Num Pang!), to BBQ, to fast food like KFC, to sit down restaurants from Mexico, Japan, France etc. Get a craving for something and you may well find it. Street food can be done for as little as $1.50 for a cheap pork & rice or $2 for a filling Num Pang; Beer starts at less than a dollar for a glass with soft drinks less than that! Cigarettes cost me $13 for 200 Marlboro Red – Just in time for me to cut down too!

Overall my daily average was pretty broken by the time I was done here having spent roughly $1230 (£1000), however the Angkor temples are worth it as is the city itself. Most everything I spent went to local business and local people as far as I was aware, very much a good thing as we exit the pandemic years.

Battambang, Kampot, & Phnom Penh

The rest of my time in Cambodia was somewhat rushed, however I did get into the countryside at Battambang, spent time near the coast in Kep and as ever ate my way round Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

Costs wise, Phnom Penh can push the average daily spend up, but honestly once you have seen Tuol Sleng, Cheung Ek, Russian Market, Central market, wandered the river(s) sides and just enjoyed the hustle & bustle of a city in the midst of catching the rest of us up after suffering horrific genocide, then you have covered the main “bits” and can get out into the rest of the country, or move to the next country etc.

  • Accommodation – $275 (£210). 3 Hotels and 1 Homestay/bungalow. Nothing too flashy, but well priced, comfortable and with friendly staff. As usual can find cheaper if you want it. But I am old!
  • Excursions & Sights – $200 (£160). Cost includes the several mopeds I rented to get around Battambang and Kep and up to Bokor. Bokor is well worth a drive out to, great views. Tuol Sleng etc in Phnom Peng is sobering but must be done. 
  • Shopping, Food & Drink – $400 (£330). Honestly outside of Siem Reap & Phnom Penh, I felt food especially street food and coffee shops, was much cheaper without any loss in quality. Did have a couple of western style meals in Battambang & Kep but they didn’t break the bank.

Overall I was in country for 30 days and experienced plenty of what it offers, some of which I have done before – but new developments are nice to see – and it turns out I spent roughly $2100 (£1710). Compared to my recent time in Thailand, that does appear steep, however many travellers do not give this country a full 30 days, nor do they spend as much time around Angkor as I did (Last time I was there I managed to fall off a temple and bust my foot, ruining the trip, so I made up this time), also the £ had some “issues” versus the $ exchange rates for a while which did not help my spend at all. They seem to have self-corrected the past week or so though.

There are a lot more places & activities to do in Cambodia, its not limited to what I have done during this visit or previous ones. There is trekking in Mondulkiri in the north east, chilling on the gorgeous island of Koh Rong Sanloem, Dolphin spotting in Kratie and so much more. As the country moves on from its dark past and embraces the future, no matter what it needs people to visit and experience whatever they can from all the experiences it has to offer, while learning that “never again” really should mean that.