Hello,

I'm planning to come out to either Cambodia or Thailand for 6 months, but can't seem to find much information online about renting an apartment, only massive crazy condos with swimming pools!

Can anyone tell me the rough price of renting a cheap studio or 1 bedroom apartment per month, with bed, cooking facilties and wifi within ten minutes walk of a nice beach? I am thinking perhaps Sihanoukville, or maybe there is a smaller, more relaxed Village also on the beach, that still has some cafes with wifi?


Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

Best Wishes
Felicity

Depending on the city (Cambodia)........in Phnom Penh, if it is not downtown (which I wouldn't suggest anyway)...........around $ 300 to $ 350. Smaller cities from $ 50 (that's a kind of shithole then). I have rented a house in Siem Reap with garden for $ 400. Sihanoukville......don't know....there were some condos available near Ochental beach for around $ 150......but that's already some years ago and surely the prices came up. Perhaps some guys living in Sihanoukville on this board can give you a more uptodate info.

Welcome to CEO FyreFaeryQueen, it's always nice to see new members!

Hey Felicity,
My 2 cents:
It's almost impossible to rent somewhere in S'ville from a distance - same with anywhere in Cambodia - you really need to be here. Price estimate for a month would be $100-400. Anything cheap will not be online and can be a matter of luck, being around when someone moves out. I wouldn't count on booking somewhere online and wouldn't trust them anyway.
Also, S'ville is a bit of a shithole if you're a woman - esp if you are not with a partner. Kampot is more mellow - might be better ?

Otherwise, Thailand has more of a choice for accomodation for westerners close to the beach because there is a lot more beaches, and also because they are a step ahead in catering for westerners - Cambodia is less developed and also has only a small stretch of coast compared to Thailand.

Hope that gives you some idea.

Hi Thanks for your help. Yes I was thinking of tracking something down when I arrived, but wanted to have an idea of price to see if living out there for 6 months was feasible. This is very interesting with your mention of how much beach space Cambodia actually has. That makes sense.

Can you please explain why it is a shit hole for single women? Will Thailand be the same? I've been living in Dahab (Egypt) on and off for two years and hoping to have a break from all that! But at least you don't have to put a scarf on your head? Or get badly propositioned every 15 minutes. Right?

It isn't near the sea but I would take a look at Siem Reap. it is a nice place, although those in PP, slate it. It seems to attract a nice type of expat. It is available , as is the rest, on google street view now btw

in general, renting here is not a good deal, for something decent in PP you must expect 300-500$ per month.

Siem Reap is much better now, full of newly built condos with western standards, but what are you doing in Siem Reap once the novelty wears off ? it's a soulless artificial place built around tourism, you'll hate it.

snooky has potential but it's still underdeveloped, no condos with seaview, abysmal standards, lots of problems with electricity, robberies, bag snatchings, i won't recommend it for a single girl unless you're a risk taker seeking adventures.

I don't mind electricity problems, but bag snatching sounds a bit nasty. $500 US is OK. What currency do they use there?

US $........if you like you can pay the rent with Riels if your rucksack is big enough.

$500 a mth is upmarket for Cambodia - except maybe PP. You should have no problem to find a decent appt for that amount.

S'ville has a sleazy side so attracts all sorts of riff-raff - depends what you are looking for. Lotta people go there to get wasted - the bars, sex, drink & drugs - so there can be problems at night for a woman alone who has never been to Cambodia before - can also be fun, but that's up to you.
S'ville is one of the few places in Cambodia that is not so safe, but only you can judge for youself. I' m not scaring you off - this is just fair warning.

Would sure be a change from Egypt, but Thailand might be an easier place to start. Or just come to Cambodia, travel around and see if it suits you. If not, move to Thailand.