Pakse vs Phnom Penh
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 47. Pakse is stronger on climate; Phnom Penh on air quality, safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Southern Laos hub for the Bolaven Plateau and the 4,000 islands
Full Pakse profile →Plan a trip to Pakse →Cheap, easy visas, and a growing scene
Full Phnom Penh profile →Plan a trip to Phnom Penh →Where they differ
- Climate. Pakse leads on climate, 42 to 25, against Phnom Penh. Comfortable months: 5 vs 3.
- Air quality. Phnom Penh leads on air quality, 69 to 54, against Pakse. PM2.5: 25.6 µg/m³ vs 19 µg/m³.
- Safety. Phnom Penh leads on safety, 71 to 61, against Pakse. Homicides per 100,000: 6.4 vs 1.8.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, internet, quality of life, healthcare, getting there & around, visa ease.
Pick Pakse if you want
- to spend about $91 less a month
- a longer comfortable season (5 months against 3)
Pick Phnom Penh if you want
- the safer country figures
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 79 ✓ | 75 |
| Safety | 61 | 71 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 59 | 59 ✓ |
| Internet | 53 | 57 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 11 ✓ |
| Climate | 42 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 54 | 69 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 28 ✓ | 26 |
Cost
| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $900 ✓ | $991 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $530 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 6.4 | 1.8 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 75.3 ✓ | 71.5 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 64 ✓ | 62 |
| Life expectancy | 69.7 yrs | 71.2 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 15.2 Mbps | 17.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 6.9 Mbps | 10.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 42 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 25.6 µg/m³ | 19 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Pakse or Phnom Penh?
- Pakse is cheaper: about $900 per month versus $991 for one person.
- Is Pakse or Phnom Penh safer?
- Phnom Penh scores higher on safety (71 vs 61), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Pakse or Phnom Penh?
- Phnom Penh: a measured median of 17.3 Mbps versus 15.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.