Tax Rate
#6
of 124 cities
13%
Current value (lower is better)
#113 of 124
Asia
Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Salary & Cost of Living
How do salaries and expenses in Phnom Penh compare to Buenos Aires?
Purchasing Power Comparison
An engineer in Phnom Penh is 4% worse off vs in Buenos Aires
This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Phnom Penh compared to Buenos Aires, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.
Net Salary
$14,700
-$4K (-23%) vs Buenos Aires
Tax Rate: 13%
Community Insights
NewPhnom Penh is a polarizing "Wild West" destination that offers an unpolished, raw Southeast Asian experience. For software engineers, it presents a stark dichotomy: local employment is financially discouraging, but for remote workers, it is an aggressive geo-arbitrage opportunity.
The city lacks the polish of Bangkok or the safety of Singapore, but it compensates with easy long-term visas and a cost of living so low that a Western junior developer salary allows for a luxury lifestyle. However, the trade-offs are significant: residents must tolerate high pollution, chaotic infrastructure, and genuine safety risks regarding petty crime. It is not a "plug-and-play" digital nomad hub; it requires a certain level of street smarts and adaptability.
Resident Sentiment
Current residents describe a love-hate relationship with the city. Long-term expats (transplants) often praise the freedom and lack of bureaucracy, affectionately calling it the "Kingdom of Wonder." They enjoy the ability to live comfortably on very little.
However, a significant portion of sentiment leans negative regarding safety and environment. Many developers report "burnout" from the constant vigilance needed against phone snatching and the mental toll of the heat and dust, often citing it as a reason for eventually moving on to Vietnam or Thailand.
Rankings
Top 5%
Cost of Living
#17
of 124 cities
27/100
Current value (lower is better)
Safety Index
#82
of 124 cities
49.4/100
Current value
Housing Affordability
How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Phnom Penh compared to Buenos Aires?
Salary Converter
Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Phnom Penh to maintain the same standard of living.
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