Cost of living

Hello Raymond.

Very hard to answer your question as you leave out many things.

First, where do you want to live? PP is the most expensive. Even the part of PP where you live can make a difference. I'm talking apartments.

How much you spend on food and drinks (bars) is unknown and although there are many cheap food places in PP (see Cheap ($1 - $5) but excellent food in Phnom Penh - A guide) other costs add up, like groceries, drinks, medicines, rent of motorbike if applicable.

But if you take care of your expenses and realize how much you can spend per day, after having paid the rent and utilities, you will be able to live from $1000. As you ask to live from AUD 1000 which is less than $800, I doubt (personal opinion) that that is enough to live in PP.

Make the right calculation for yourself and decide how much you need to live here.

Good luck.

Joe
Cambodia expat--advisor
Expat.com team

Hey I've lived in Phnom Penh for almost three years , and yes that's pretty tight budget, now if you live like a Khmer , out of the city a ways, you can rent for 50-150 decent, but you would not be in the heart of Phnom Penh by any means, I would think in a smaller province, where thier are still bars , and it would be much less , but around 750.00$ usd a month is going to be somewhat tight, but for  sure can be done, good luck to you, you could always teach English to supplement your income?

Anywhere near River Side area will fit your needs.

Plenty of bars, restaurants, mini marts etc along the river and its a touristy area catering to westerners.  Nightlife is pretty good there and its easy to meet fellow expats to chat with; retired or on holiday.

Get a cheap hotel room for the first week or so ( maybe $15 a night ) and then start looking for a studio once you get familiar with the area.   Some hotels also offer long term stay and some also have studios.  Prices might seem high for rent in that area but you won't be needing transport and they usually got nice furniture and some appliances incl tv, washing machine etc.

Personally I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in PP since everything i need is just a short walk away; its similar to Pattaya's Beach Road if you're familiar with Thailand.

Pubs and restaurants offer western and Khmer dishes; local beer is tasty and very affordable at $1 per handle.   

Enjoy.

Edit:  $800 US a month is not enough... plus rent.   At that point you'd need to live out of the city and there's no point or fun left.  Figure a decent meal will cost $10 and if drinking in bars you'll need at least $20 to $30 a night - on average expect to spend $50 a day.  In my opinion I couldn't live in PP on less than $2000 a month all included..maybe $1500 if i cut corners.

Perhaps you should look into Angkor Wat or Siem Reap; there's some fun to be had there and rent  in certainly cheaper than PP.  Many expats choose to retire there for a good reason.