Cambodia on a budget: Our spend for three weeks (2025)
If you’ve read our previous post that tells you EXACTLY what we spent for one whole year of full-time family travel, then you’ll have seen that Cambodia was the cheapest country we visited. Here we breakdown exactly how we travelled to Cambodia on a budget, with two kids in tow!
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Why visit Cambodia?
I’ll be honest, apart from Angkor Wat, Cambodia REALLY wasn’t on our radar for our family gap year. But the more time we spent in SE Asia, the more intrigued we were. Families raved about it as a world schooling destination. And the more we looked in to it, the easier it really did look to visit Cambodia on a budget.
And there really is so much on offer here. Ancient history, recent (shocking) history, bustling cities, deserted paradise islands….There’s loads to add to any travel itinerary. On a 2-3 week itinerary you could easily marvel at the sheer size and wonder of Angkor Wat, ride the bamboo train, hang out in Siem Reap for a few days, visit a Killing Fields memorial (although not recommended for kids), wander the riverside in Phnom Penh and top it all off with a few days on the Koh Rong islands chilling on the glorious beaches.
Can you visit Cambodia on a budget?
Absolutely! If you’ve planning an adventure to South East Asia then Cambodia is one place where your budget will go pretty far. Visiting Cambodia on a budget is definitely doable. Eating out is inexpensive (if, like anywhere, you eat where the locals eat). Transportation is easy to organise and not too hard on your pocket (although this is not quite as cheap as other places). And we found accommodation to be incredibly good value.
Where did we visit in Cambodia?
We started in Siem Reap, travelling overland on the Giant Ibis bus from Bangkok (highly recommended if you’re coming this way). We had an extended stay in Siem Reap (partly thanks to an 8-year-old’s injured foot!). In total we ended up spending 10 nights in Siem Reap – partly due to injury but also because we actually really loved it as a place to hang out for a while. I’ve written a whole other post here on what there is to see and do in Siem Reap with kids.
From Siem Reap we took a minibus transfer to Battambang. I had NEVER heard of Battambang before we left on our travels. But it had come highly recommended by other travellers we’d met on our way around South East Asia. It’s a great destination for family travel as there are so many educational activities you can squeeze in to just a few days! Read our full post here on Battambang and why this is such a fab family destination.
We stayed in Battambang for three nights. We then took another minibus transfer to Phnom Penh where we stayed for two nights. This was enough time to have a wander around the city (which feels very different to the rest of Cambodia) and for Steve to visit the Killing Fields Memorial and the Genocide Museum. This was something that we felt was important, but equally we opted not to take the boys (based on reviews from other travellers).
Our very helpful hotel manager in Phnom Penh booked us a bus/ferry combo from Phnom Penh to Koh Rong Sanleom. This was the desert island paradise of our dreams! We stayed right on the (almost deserted) beachfront for four nights.
You can read all about our time on Koh Rong Sanleom (including where we stayed) in our post here:
As we were travelling onwards to Vietnam we added two nights in Kampot on to the end of our Cambodian adventure.
Exactly how much did we spend in three weeks in Cambodia?
So here it is – the lowdown on exactly how we did Cambodia on a budget, as a family of four.
Accommodation
- 10-nights in Siem Reap £132
- 3-nights in Battambang £52
- Staying at Lotus Blanc Homestay (family run place on a quiet road on the outskirts)
- 2-nights in Phnom Penh £32
- Basic room in Julieka’s Guesthouse (central location with very friendly, helpful staff)
- 4-nights in Koh Rong Sanleom £165
- Beachfront cabin at Robinson’s Bungalows (amazing deserted beach location)
- 2-nights in Kampot £52
- Staying at Onederz Kampot (great flashpacker style hostel with a pool)
****TOTAL £433 (c.KHR 2,164,500)****
Average per night = £20.60
These are all for family rooms sleeping two adults and two children (under 12). At all of these places we shared a family room.
Eating out
We ate out more in Cambodia than in many of the other countries we travelled through. This was partly as it was pretty affordable. But also because unlike in other countries we didn’t stay anywhere with kitchen facilities. There didn’t seem to be as many self-catering options in Cambodia as in some other places we’d visited.
In total we spent £488 (c.KHR 2,683,390) on meals out, ice creams, cold drinks and other snacks while we were out and about.
Food shops
We did buy some food from supermarkets etc – largely snacks, water and easy cook foods like instant noodles.
In total we spent £83 (c.KHR421,297) on food shopping.
Transport
We travelled by minivan, bus, and ferry around Cambodia with frequent tuktuks for short journeys.
In total we spent £322.50 (c.KHR1,749,290) on all transport. This included (for the four of us):
- Minivan from Siem Reap to Battambang
- Minivan from Battambang to Phnom Penh
- Bus from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
- Ferry to/from Koh Rong Sanleom
- Bus from Sihanoukville to Kampot
- Loads of short tuktuk trips!
Activities
We did a few big ticket things during our time in Cambodia. These included:
- 3-day passes to Angkor Wat: £133 for two adults (children under 12 go free)
- Phare Circus tickets: £38.50
- Killing Fields Memorial (Siem Reap): £8
- Chocolate Tour (Siem Reap): £8
- Ammo Jewellery Making Workshop: £40
- Angkor Wat Mini Golf: £14
- Wake Park entry: £18
- Riding the Bamboo Train: £12
- 2x tuktuk tours in Battambang: £38.50
- Cinema tickets in Phnom Penh: £18
- Tuktuk Tour to the Killing Fields/Genocide Museum: £16
- Genocide Museum entry (one adult): £9
- Entry to APOPO Hero Rats: £31.50
So our total spend on activities in Cambodia came in at £384.50.
Other stuff
We spent another £44 on misc stuff. This included two massages (for me!), a haircut (for Steve), a few loads of laundry (which came in at around £1.50 a load), a few small souvenirs and some new sketch pads for the boys.
Cambodia on a budget – what was our final spend?
In total then, our complete spend for three weeks of travelling Cambodia as a family of four came in at £1,755. Whilst this doesn’t include travel to/from Cambodia it does cover all other costs for our three week stay.
Obviously everyone’s style of travel is different. We stayed in comfortable but fairly basic accommodation, often prioritising location over luxury. We ate out much more in Cambodia than any other country. But we found the local food tasty and affordable so this didn’t feel that much more expensive than self-catering.
We absolutely LOVED Cambodia and would go back again in a heartbeat. It’s got a great mix of warm, friendly people, history, culture, great food and stunning temples and beaches. Plus it really is possible to see a lot of this amazing country on a fairly tight budget.
If you want to find out exactly what we spent our our entire family gap year, then check out our post here:
Exactly how much did our family gap year cost? (2024)
Is Cambodia safe to visit?
We had no issues at all during our three weeks in Cambodia. We found the Cambodian people to be incredibly warm and welcoming, and so helpful. Siem Reap and Phnom Penh were easy to wander around, even at night.
There are still landmines in certain parts of the country. This is a country very much still impacted by the dreadful events of the 1970s. But these parts of the country are way off the standard tourist/backpacker routes so this shouldn’t put you off in any way.
Top tips for travelling Cambodia on a budget
- Be careful with your currency conversions. Often places will accept either US dollars or Cambodian Riel (and Thai Bahts too in Siem Reap) but change will almost always be given in Riels. Make sure you have an idea how much this should be to avoid getting short-changed (which we didn’t really find was a problem, but lots of travellers report this as a bit of a scam)
- There are a LOT of tuktuks in Cambodia so you can haggle on the price. If you don’t fancy getting into a bit of bargaining (or want to book a tour so want a good guide) then book through your accommodation
- Prices are significantly higher on Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanleom than the rest of the country. If you want to visit the islands make sure you have plenty of cash and budget for higher prices!
Planning a family adventure to Cambodia?
Check out some of our other posts for inspiration, tips and reviews for Cambodia (and beyond!)
