Use a short first stay
Compare several properties. Check noise, water pressure, internet, drainage, security, total charges and who is authorised to let the property.
CAMBODIA / YOUR FIRST 30 DAYS
Your First Steps in Cambodia
A planning checklist for your first 72 hours and 30 days. Check requirements against current official sources before travelling.
Make the first month manageable: prepare your documents, test a neighbourhood, understand your costs and build a routine.
Planning edition: 21 October 2026. Official guidance can change; check the linked sources before acting.
Your arrival roadmap
Your arrival roadmap
These are planning stages. Actual document deadlines and medical needs take priority.
- 01Prepare
Before travel
- Confirm entry route and passport requirements for your nationality.
- Check current travel advice, insurance cover and medical continuity.
- Book a flexible first stay and agree arrival transport.
- Keep funds, document copies and accommodation contacts accessible offline.
- 02Get established
First 72 hours
- Check your entry stamp / permission and record the expiry date.
- Set up connectivity through an authorised provider and test it.
- Confirm how accommodation registration will be handled.
- Locate a suitable clinic and save your insurer’s assistance contact.
- 03Compare before committing
Days 4–14
- Visit neighbourhoods during your real commute and in the evening.
- Inspect properties, utility charges and lease terms before paying.
- Confirm work permissions with the relevant authority and employer.
- Compare grocery, transport and internet costs against your budget.
- 04Build a sustainable routine
Days 15–30
- Keep signed agreements, receipts and deposit evidence.
- Set reminders well before permission and insurance expiry dates.
- Test your work setup and a backup connection.
- Join a recurring local activity and review your actual monthly spending.
Before you sign a long lease
Before you sign a long lease
Have you inspected the property, tested the journey and received written terms?
Document the commitment
Confirm deposit return conditions, repairs, inventory and notice. Record the agreed payment currency, utility rates and receipts before handing over money.
Choose around your daily routine
Choose around your daily routine
Phnom Penh
Start with your work, school and clinic locations. Compare actual journeys, construction noise, drainage and building management.
Siem Reap
Compare daily access to services and work needs rather than choosing only around visitor attractions.
Kampot / Kep
Test connectivity at the actual property and check how you will reach specialist services.
Battambang
Confirm transport, healthcare, schooling and language support for your own routine before committing.
These are comparison prompts, not city rankings or current safety assessments. Check official travel advice for the area and routes you intend to use.
Cost-of-living & moving calculator
Cost-of-living & moving calculator
All amounts are USD; displayed totals are rounded to the nearest dollar. The starting amounts use available city references. Missing costs must be completed with local quotes. Country-specific permission fees, insurance and school bills depend on your circumstances. Changing area resets the budget to its reference.
Reference prices & assumptions — Phnom Penh
Sourced reference budget · Phnom Penh
Numbeo crowdsourced averages, not supplier quotes. Phnom Penh USD conversions are the source’s snapshot, not a live exchange rate. Your edited amounts may differ from the reference. Zero in an unfilled field does not mean the service is free.
Source updated: 20 October 2026. Checked: 2026-10-21. 588 entries in the past 12 months by 39 different contributors
How these reference values work
- Rent: one-bedroom outside the centre, $379 / month.
- Utilities: reported 85 m² apartment reference, $120 / month; your apartment size and air conditioning use matter.
- Phone + home broadband: $32 / month. Missing components still require quotes.
- Food model: 90 inexpensive restaurant meals per month × $5. This is a derived spending scenario, not a surveyed grocery budget. Change it for your diet, groceries and eating habits.
Still needs your quotes: Transport; Insurance / personal healthcare; School / childcare if applicable; Leisure and incidentals; Setup, document fees and deposit terms. Totals are partial until completed. The two-month emergency reserve is a planning choice, not a market price.
Document costs are a placeholder for your own verified visa, permit and processing costs. Temporary accommodation is extra transition spending; set it to zero if it is already covered by your monthly housing budget. Annual school and insurance bills may need upfront cash even when you enter a monthly allowance.
The questions that prevent expensive mistakes
The questions that prevent expensive mistakes
| Area | Check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | Landlord / agent authority, written lease, inventory, deposit return, repairs, notice and utility rates. | Ask for an itemised written quote before transferring money. |
| Healthcare | Insurance exclusions, pre-existing conditions, medicine access, suitable providers and evacuation cover. | Get advice from your clinician and insurer before travel. |
| Work & documents | Your actual activities, immigration permission, work permit responsibilities and renewal dates. | Confirm with the relevant Cambodian authority; a visa alone should not be treated as proof of work permission. |
| Banking & money | Account eligibility, documents, transfer costs, cash access and backup cards. | Ask the bank directly about your status; do not assume every visitor can open an account. |
| Schooling & family | Curriculum, places, term dates, enrolment, transport, meals and additional fees. | Get a dated fee schedule and admissions confirmation directly from the school. |
| Transport | Route, journey time, licence requirements, insurance and wet-weather alternatives. | Test the route before choosing a long lease; do not assume travel insurance covers riding. |
Make connections without rushing trust
Your private first-month checklist
Tick off tasks as you complete them. Progress is stored only in this browser and is not sent to our server. This is planning support, not a determination of official requirements.
Make connections without rushing trust
Make connections without rushing trust
Start with recurring activities
Try a language exchange, hobby group or professional meetup. Check who organises it, where it meets and whether any fee is clearly stated.
Explore events & community →Keep practical boundaries
Do not share passwords, one-time codes or document scans with unfamiliar contacts. Inspect listings and confirm authority before paying. Keep a backup payment method and trusted contact.
Suggest a resource or correction →Verify with the right source
Verify with the right source
Entry permission, arrival declarations, accommodation registration and work permission are separate checks. Match the source to your nationality, route and activity. UK travel advice is written for British passport holders and is not a universal eligibility decision.
- Cambodian official e-Visa portal ↗
Check eligible visa routes, fees and entry points. Confirm current requirements directly with the portal.
- Cambodian e-Arrival portal ↗
Check the arrival declaration process for your route.
- Foreigners Present in Cambodia System ↗
Confirm accommodation registration arrangements with your host or landlord.
- UK FCDO: entry requirements ↗
British-passport guidance, accommodation registration and work-permission pointers.
- UK FCDO: health ↗
Check care access, insurance and travelling with medicines.
- UK FCDO: current travel advice ↗
Check area-specific advice before planning routes.
For medical decisions, use a qualified clinician. For your immigration, employment or tax circumstances, confirm with the relevant authority or qualified adviser.
More from the editorial team
More from the editorial team
Before you move
Confirm entry and stay requirements for your nationality with the relevant official authority. Keep your passport, permissions, accommodation and emergency contacts accessible. Plan suitable insurance, medical continuity and access to funds. This checklist does not determine visa eligibility.
First 72 hours
Confirm safe arrival transport and accommodation. Establish a reliable way to contact people, save essential addresses and identify appropriate healthcare options. Keep copies of essential documents securely and avoid handing originals to unverified intermediaries.
First 30 days
Compare neighbourhoods around your routine before committing to housing. Read the lease, record costs and deposit conditions, confirm work/stay permissions, and build a routine for transport, healthcare and community connections. Record unanswered questions for a qualified adviser or official source.