City in Cambodia
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is Cambodia's capital and largest city, with 2.28 million people at the 2019 census. It has an IB World School with more than 50 nationalities among its students and staff, and a 2026 private guide calls it the centre of the country's growing expat scene. [N1] [Phnom Penh S1] [E1]
- Country
- Cambodia
- Population
- 2,281,951 in 2019. Phnom Penh capital municipality (the whole municipality, which also holds fringe districts), total population in the 2019 General Population Census (March 2019), final results, National Institute of Statistics. Not a count of foreign residents.. [N1]
- Settings
- In a city [N1]
- Weather
- Warm all year [W1]
Why it is here
Why Phnom Penh is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- Phnom Penh had 2,281,951 people at the 2019 census, 14.7% of the country and the largest of the 25 provinces and municipalities; the next largest, Kandal, had 1,201,581. [N1]
- The International School of Phnom Penh is a three-programme IB World School and says it has more than 50 nationalities across its students and faculty. [Phnom Penh S1]
- A 2026 expat guide calls Phnom Penh the centre of Cambodia's rapidly growing expat scene and names international hospitals; it gives no headcount. [E1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
89 of 100StrongCountry figure
Price level 0.336 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Cambodia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
0 of 100WeakOwn figure
Pochentong station, Phnom Penh: 0 comfortable months a year. Every month has an average daily high above 30 °C (the coolest, December, is 30.2 °C), and June to November have 138 to 253 mm of rain a month.
Source: Climate statistics, Phnom Penh. Checked 16 October 2026.
Safety
35 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 96th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
11 of 100WeakCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 62 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
Weak: we found no residence route for remote workers (the business extension covers freelancers but needs a work permit for longer renewals, and a dedicated visa is only a business group's proposal), and fixed broadband is 4.1 per 100 people (2024), under the 30 line.
Source: Handbook on Investing in Cambodia, 2023 edition (Visa rules, page 69); Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Cambodia; Cambodian hoteliers miss targets as EuroCham demands visa reform. Checked 16 October 2026.
Retirement
50 of 100MixedCountry figure
Mixed: the retirement extension (ER) of the ordinary visa can be renewed indefinitely, 1, 3, 6 or 12 months at a time, but a private guide says it is open only from age 55, and no path to permanent residence is described.
Source: Handbook on Investing in Cambodia, 2023 edition (Visa rules, page 69); Cambodia immigration guide (visa types and extensions). Checked 16 October 2026.
Internet
8 of 100WeakCountry figure
4.15 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Cambodia. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
0 of 100WeakCountry figure
EF EPI 2025 score 390, last of 123; the line gives about -40, held at 0.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Cambodia. Checked 16 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for United States passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Canada passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Australia passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on Cambodia.
Questions about Phnom Penh.
How many people live in Phnom Penh?
The Phnom Penh capital municipality had 2,281,951 people at the March 2019 census, 14.7% of Cambodia and the largest of its 25 provinces and municipalities. That counts the whole municipality including fringe districts, and says nothing about how many foreign residents live there.
What do rents cost in Phnom Penh?
A private expat guide (verified August 2026) gives one-bedroom rents of $400 to $700 a month in BKK1 and Tonle Bassac and $250 to $450 in Toul Tom Poung. Seven adverts seen on 16 October 2026 asked US$300 to US$700, and one near Russian Market US$500. These are not averages; rents there are quoted in US dollars.
What is the weather like in Phnom Penh?
Average daily highs run from 30.2 °C in December to 34.9 °C in April, and no month has a high of 30 °C or less. Rain averages 3.3 mm in February and 252.9 mm in September. The figures come from the WMO feed for the Pochentong station, which covers 1982 to 2024.
Are there international schools and an expat community in Phnom Penh?
The International School of Phnom Penh is an IB World School and says its students and faculty come from more than 50 nationalities. A 2026 private guide calls the city the centre of the country's growing expat scene; it gives no headcount. School fees are unknown here.
How safe is Phnom Penh, and what is healthcare like?
Canada says theft from foreigners is frequent on sidewalks, motorbikes and tuk-tuks, particularly on the riverfronts and in Boeung Keng Kang. It says some foreign hospitals operate in the city, but medical evacuation to Thailand or Singapore is often needed. Parts of the city can flood in the rainy season.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] General Population Census of the Kingdom of Cambodia 2019: national report on final census results, National Institute of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, Cambodia. Checked 16 October 2026. Table 2.1.1 (PDF page 43): Phnom Penh 2,281,951 (2019 final count; 14.7% of Cambodia's 15,552,211); Kandal 1,201,581; Siem Reap 1,014,234. The count was taken in March 2019.
- [Phnom Penh S1] ISPP: International School of Phnom Penh, International School of Phnom Penh. Checked 16 October 2026. The school's own site: three-programme IB World School (Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma), accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Council of International Schools; '50+ nationalities across our diverse students and faculty'.
- [E1] Living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia 2026: cost of living, neighborhoods and expat tips, expatlife.ai (private expat guide, not official). Checked 16 October 2026. Marked 'Verified August 13, 2026'. Calls Phnom Penh 'the center of its rapidly growing expat scene'; lists population as 2.3 million; names international hospitals; no headcount of foreign residents.
- [W1] Climate statistics, Phnom Penh, World Meteorological Organization (World Weather Information Service), with data from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, Cambodia. Checked 16 October 2026. Phnom Penh (Pochentong station), the main city for Cambodia's climate grade: mean daily highs 30.2 to 34.9 °C (January 31.2, February 32.7, March 34.5, April 34.9, May 34.3, June 33.1, July 32.4, August 32.2, September 31.7, October 30.8, November 30.4, December 30.2); rainfall in mm: 20.2, 3.3, 63.0, 54.3, 116.6, 138.4, 148.6, 153.4, 252.9, 242.1, 93.7, 29.2. No month has a high of 30 °C or under, so 0 comfortable months. The WMO feed behind the page gives its data period as 1982 to 2024, not 1991 to 2020, and does not say whether the figures are official 30-year normals.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Cambodia, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 33.62 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [Cambodia S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Cambodia ranks 96th of 163 countries.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Cambodia: 62 out of 100 (2023).
- [K1] Handbook on Investing in Cambodia, 2023 edition (Visa rules, page 69), Council for the Development of Cambodia (government investment body), with the Australian government. Checked 16 October 2026. July 2023 edition, so about three years old. Says a foreigner enters on an E-class (ordinary) visa with a 30-day stay that can be extended after entry at the Immigration Department, and that extensions of more than 30 days become multiple-entry. The business extension (EB) is for foreigners working or starting a business in Cambodia, freelancers, and their spouse and children, and those wishing to work must also get a work permit and foreign employment card. 'EB (Business), ER (retirement), ES (student) can be renewed indefinitely (1, 3, 6 or 12 months' option) but the renewal of a business visa for a long period is subject to having a work permit.' States no age, income or deposit figure for the retirement extension (ER) and describes no route to permanent residence or for remote workers. A footnote (citing a private guide) says that during the first six months or year the EB visa can be obtained without a work permit.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Cambodia, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 4.15 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [K3] Cambodian hoteliers miss targets as EuroCham demands visa reform, Cambodge Mag (news site), reporting the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia's White Book 2027. Checked 16 October 2026. Page dated 'Aug 6' (year not shown; it refers to the White Book 2027, published 19 May). Reports EuroCham recommending 'an accessible 3-to-6-month entry option for digital nomads and remote professionals' and a low-friction route to the standard Type E visa and work permit for long stays. This is a business group's proposal, not government policy.
- [R1] Cambodia immigration guide (visa types and extensions), Acclime (corporate-services firm, private guide, not official). Checked 16 October 2026. Page text mentions 2026 and gives 'updated 24 July 2025' near its end. Says the retirement extension (ER) 'is only available to foreigners aged 55 or above who can financially support themselves' and has proof of retirement such as a pension or social security, issued for one, three, six or 12 months; the EB extension covers workers, people starting a business and freelancers, and does not by itself allow work (a work permit and foreign employment card are also needed).
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Cambodia, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 16 October 2026. Score 390, rank 123 of 123 countries and regions (last), 18 points down on the previous score; the 2026 edition was not yet published on 16 October 2026.