City in Cambodia
Siem Reap
Siem Reap is the town beside the Angkor temples in north-west Cambodia, with 245,494 people in its city district at the 2019 census. It has an international school teaching the Cambridge curriculum, and a 2026 private guide describes a growing group of digital nomads and retirees there. [N1] [Siem Reap S1] [E1]
- Country
- Cambodia
- Population
- 245,494 in 2019. Krong Siem Reab, the district-level city unit of Siem Reap province, 2019 General Population Census, final results (Table P-17): 13 communes and sangkats, so it includes some rural communes around the built-up town. Not a count of foreign residents.. [N1]
- Weather
- Warm all year [W1]
Why it is here
Why Siem Reap is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- The International School of Siem Reap runs day care, primary and high school campuses and teaches Cambridge International Education; a private guide lists five more international and bilingual schools in the city. [Siem Reap S1] [S2]
- A 2026 expat guide describes Siem Reap as a tourist town becoming a digital-nomad and retiree hub, with a warm international community and several coworking spaces; 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
Siem Reap station: 0 comfortable months a year. Every month has an average daily high above 30 °C (the coolest, December, is 30.7 °C).
Source: Climate statistics, Siem Reap. 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.
Cities
Other cities in Cambodia.
Questions about Siem Reap.
How many people live in Siem Reap?
Krong Siem Reab, the city district, had 245,494 people at the March 2019 census; Siem Reap province had 1,014,234. The district includes rural communes, so it is not a count of the built-up town, and it says nothing about foreign residents.
What do rents cost in Siem Reap?
A private expat guide (verified August 2026) gives $150 to $350 a month for a central one-bedroom, and $200 to $400 in the Wat Bo area. One advert seen on 16 October 2026 in Sla Kram asked US$400. A single person's comfortable monthly total is $500 to $800 per the guide. These are not averages.
What is the weather like in Siem Reap?
Average daily highs run from 30.7 °C in December to 35.3 °C in May, and no month has a high of 30 °C or less. Rain averages 3.8 mm in February and 305.2 mm in September. The figures come from the WMO station feed, which covers 1982 to 2024.
Are there international schools and an expat community in Siem Reap?
The International School of Siem Reap teaches Cambridge International Education from day care to high school, and a private guide lists five more international or bilingual schools. A 2026 guide describes a nomad and retiree community with coworking spaces; it gives no headcount. Fees are unknown here.
What is healthcare like in Siem Reap, and how safe is it?
Canada names Siem Reap among places with some foreign hospitals, but calls medical facilities poor and limited elsewhere, and says theft targeting foreigners is frequent in the town. A private guide says only basic clinics are local and serious cases go to Phnom Penh or Bangkok. The sources differ.
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 P-17 (PDF page 220): Krong Siem Reab, the city district of Siem Reap province, 245,494 people (56,107 households) in March 2019; the province had 1,014,234.
- [Siem Reap S1] International School of Siem Reap (ISSR), International School of Siem Reap. Checked 16 October 2026. The school's own site: day care, primary and high school campuses in Siem Reap; 'We provide Cambridge International Education while adhering to the national guidelines of MoEYS'. The site gives no student numbers or nationalities.
- [E1] Living in Siem Reap, 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 Siem Reap 'a charming tourist town transforming into a laid-back digital nomad and retiree hub', with 'a warm international community'; lists a population of 250,000; lists coworking spaces; describes the town as flat and compact; no headcount.
- [W1] Climate statistics, Siem Reap, World Meteorological Organization (World Weather Information Service), with data from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, Cambodia. Checked 16 October 2026. Siem Reap station: mean daily highs 30.7 to 35.3 °C (January 30.9, February 32.3, March 34.6, April 34.8, May 35.3, June 32.7, July 32.8, August 31.8, September 31.9, October 31.3, November 31.6, December 30.7); rainfall in mm: 4.3, 3.8, 41.3, 47.5, 143.0, 194.9, 169.9, 169.7, 305.2, 227.0, 61.8, 7.4. No month has a high of 30 °C or under, so 0 comfortable months. Data period given by the WMO feed: 1982 to 2024.
- [S2] Siem Reap international schools, Move to Cambodia (private relocation guide, not official). Checked 16 October 2026. Undated page (copyright 2025). Names ISSR (British National Curriculum and Cambridge IGCSE, accredited by Cambridge Assessment International Education), Ecole Francaise de Siem Reap, Bambujaya, Tree House International School, St. George's International School and Hope International School.
- [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.