Living in Siem Reap

Hello Jacqui,

Welcome to Expat.com 😀

Thank you for starting this thread.

Hopefully, members living in Siem Reap can share their experiences and honest thoughts about retiring there and what daily life is really like.

All the best,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

@Jaqskott3

I think Siem Reap is a good choice for the things you are looking for. This area has a wonderful diversity of culture and history which is very enjoyable. The city has numerous gym and fitness facilities you can find easily. I'd suggest first looking at a neighborhood like Wat Bo and see what you can find there. It's a wonderful district in the city with many restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs. Shopping is easy since you would be close to downtown and there are numerous local markets and shops as well as stores like Angkor Market that have a variety of western items.  Siem Reap has no big malls but we do have Heritage Walk which is kind of a combo food court and movie theater. It's just north of downtown. Close to there is the Angkor Museum and you can reach the botanical garden which is a free entry along the way to the Angkor Wat temple complex.

Living here is pretty easy really. You can find an apartment the same day you start looking. The retirement visa extension is quite easy with an agent to do the work for you on an annual basis. Getting around town is easy also. I normally walk or use a ride hailing service like PassApp or Grab. You know what the charge is up front when you organize the ride.

Banking is very easy here once you get the visa extension. I use ABA bank but many people use others. Paying via QR code is widely accepted from local shops to upscale restaurants and stores.

I'd suggest getting here and arranging a guesthouse for some time. Some people I know reserved a place for two weeks but after getting their ER visa extension found an apartment within a day of looking. Be sure you like the neighborhood and its access. It's why I mentioned the Wat Bo area. It has easy access to all the things I named above. The Siem Reap river and the riverwalk areas are just blocks away.

I hope this helps a bit. Retiring and living here is very easy and nice. There is a quite large expat community here as well.

Take care.