Quick verdict: Cambodia is Southeast Asia’s 2nd-cheapest country after Vietnam — $20/day backpacker comfortable. Famous for Angkor Wat + value temples + Cambodian hospitality.
6 best budget spots in Cambodia
Siem Reap (Angkor base)
Tourist hub cheapest
$6-20/night hostels. Bicycle rental $2/day for Angkor circuit. Mid-range hotels $30-70.
Phnom Penh Riverside
Capital budget
$8-30/night near riverside. Walking distance to Royal Palace + Tuol Sleng. Cheap street food everywhere.
Koh Rong Samloem
Cheap island
$10-30/night beach bungalows. Less crowded than Koh Rong. Ferries from Sihanoukville.
Battambang
Cheapest off-beaten
$8-20/night. Bamboo train ride + rural Cambodian experience. Less touristy than Siem Reap.
Kep + Kampot
Cheap coast
$10-30/night. Famous for Kep pepper crab + Kampot pepper. Cheap seafood near Phnom Penh.
Angkor 3-Day Pass
Best value attraction
$62 covers 3-day temple pass. Includes all major temples + Banteay Srei pink sandstone.
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Helpful Packzup guides
The dollar-and-riel cash trap that quietly taxes every tourist
Cambodia runs on US dollars, but the small change comes back in riel, and that’s where you bleed money. Shops give change at a flat 4,000 riel to the dollar when the street rate is closer to 4,100, so paying everything in dollars costs you a couple of bucks per hundred without you noticing. Spend your riel on small purchases and keep dollars for big ones. Bring clean, untorn bills too, because anything ripped or scribbled on gets refused.
ATMs are the bigger sting. Most foreign-card withdrawals carry a flat fee of $4-8 (ABA charges up to $8, BRED about $4), and machines usually spit out $100 notes that small vendors can’t break. Use an ACLEDA ATM if you want $10s and $20s, and always pick “decline conversion” so your own bank sets the rate. For airport rides, the touts at Phnom Penh quote $20-30 for the 20km into town; book a PassApp or Grab on your phone instead and pay $8-12 with the price locked before you ride. The Angkor one-day pass is now $37, up from older guides, so plan a three-day ($62) visit to make it worth it.
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Updated 2026. Some links on Packzup are affiliate links.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.