---
title: "Pakse vs Phnom Penh for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/pakse-vs-phnom-penh
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 79 | 75 | Pakse |
| Safety | 61 | 71 | Phnom Penh |
| Healthcare | 59 | 59 | Phnom Penh |
| Internet | 53 | 57 | Phnom Penh |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 11 | Phnom Penh |
| Climate | 42 | 25 | Pakse |
| Air quality | 54 | 69 | Phnom Penh |
| Quality of life | 28 | 26 | Pakse |

## Cost

| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $900 | $991 | Pakse |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $530 | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 6.4 | 1.8 | Phnom Penh |
| Political stability (0–100) | 75.3 | 71.5 | Pakse |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 64 | 62 | Pakse |
| Life expectancy | 69.7 yrs | 71.2 yrs | Phnom Penh |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 15.2 Mbps | 17.3 Mbps | Phnom Penh |
| Upload | 6.9 Mbps | 10.8 Mbps | Phnom Penh |

## Visa

| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 42 | Phnom Penh |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Pakse |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Pakse | Phnom Penh | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 3 | Pakse |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 25.6 µg/m³ | 19 µg/m³ | Phnom Penh |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Pakse](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/pakse) · [Phnom Penh](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/phnom-penh). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/pakse-vs-phnom-penh