NavoyNostos

Phnom Penh vs Sihanoukville

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Phnom Penh edges it, 49 to 47, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Phnom Penh is stronger on getting there & around; Sihanoukville on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 7.0 of 49 points (scores 63/100)Safety: 7.9 of 49 points (scores 71/100)Healthcare: 6.0 of 49 points (scores 54/100)Internet: 6.3 of 49 points (scores 57/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 49 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 4.7 of 49 points (scores 42/100)Climate: 2.8 of 49 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 7.7 of 49 points (scores 69/100)Quality of life: 2.4 of 49 points (scores 22/100)49
Phnom Penh
out of 100

Cheap, easy visas, and a growing scene

Full Phnom Penh profile →Where to stay in Phnom Penh →
Cost of living: 6.4 of 47 points (scores 57/100)Safety: 7.9 of 47 points (scores 71/100)Healthcare: 6.0 of 47 points (scores 54/100)Internet: 6.0 of 47 points (scores 54/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 47 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 3.2 of 47 points (scores 29/100)Climate: 3.7 of 47 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 7.7 of 47 points (scores 69/100)Quality of life: 2.4 of 47 points (scores 22/100)47
Sihanoukville
out of 100

Port city rebuilt by casinos, mostly a transit point for the islands

Full Sihanoukville profile →Where to stay in Sihanoukville →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricPhnom PenhSihanoukville
Cost of living63 ✓57
Safety7171
Healthcare5454
Internet57 ✓54
Visa ease3434
Getting there & around42 ✓29
Climate2533 ✓
Air quality6969
Quality of life2222

Cost

MetricPhnom PenhSihanoukville
Monthly cost, one person$922 ✓$1,076
Central one-bedroom rent$539no data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricPhnom PenhSihanoukville
Homicides per 100k1.81.8
Political stability (0–100)71.571.5
UHC service coverage (0–100)6262
Life expectancy68.9 yrs68.9 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricPhnom PenhSihanoukville
Download17.3 Mbps ✓15 Mbps
Upload10.8 Mbps ✓9.9 Mbps

Visa

MetricPhnom PenhSihanoukville
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival
Entry, EU passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival
Entry, UK passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival

Getting there and around

MetricPhnom PenhSihanoukville
Non-stop airport destinations42 ✓11
Walkability (1–5, editorial)22
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricPhnom PenhSihanoukville
Comfortable months per year34 ✓
Annual mean PM2.519 µg/m³19 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville?
Phnom Penh is cheaper: about $922 per month versus $1,076 for one person.
Is Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville safer?
Phnom Penh scores higher on safety (71 vs 71), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville?
Phnom Penh: a measured median of 17.3 Mbps versus 15 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); 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.