Monica wrote: ↑Sun Nov 13, 2022 6:03 pm Hi there!

Been digging around the internet for some (unfiltered) insights on what it's like to actually live in Cambodia, how liveable it is, and what type of life you'll likely have there as an expat. Information on the expat side of Cambodia feels quite limited and the country seems to be more popular as a one-week tourist stay, but this platform might be a God-sent!

Pre-Covid I was living and working in China, and have been to some other Southeast Asian countries, but never Cambodia.

So, I'd truly, madly, deeply love to know - is Cambodia/Phnom Penh a comfortable country/city to live in? How often do expats get sick due to water/air pollution/mozzies/whatever else? How big and welcoming is the expat community?

And what should I REALLY know before I make the move?

Any answer to any of these (millions of) questions would be sincerely appreciated!

I was stuck in Cambodia for 14 months due to CV lockdown. It was alright, a touch more affordable than Thailand, more dusty and less developed, but the pluses are that the people are nicer and more humble, most are really honest, as compared to Thais and not as scammy, although overall i prefer thai town a bit more due to its development over Cambodia. I got sick once from eating street food for only a few days but that didnt require medical care, just some unpleasantries. I ate street food every day i was there, however the street food over in thai town is a touch better, this stuff was alright. They dont have 711 but they do have the circle K store. They also have a lot of affordable restaurants. Hotel and airbnb choices are not as good as Thai but still theres enough to choose from. From my experience the local crooks tend to target females for bag snatching. I personally never had a problem, i suspect its because im a man who works out at the gym and i carry a lockable backpack strapped to my waist so i kinda make for a hard target to rob. Overall i would describe it as more quiet and smaller than other places in Asia.

There is a huge difference between a typical chinese expat community (mostly business types, few hangarounds). Air pollution is less a problem than in China all other risks beeing about the same. Cant drink tap water, loads of moskitos especially in the countryside, unsafe traffic (especially at night). Cambodian people are much more fun to interact with and way more expat friendly.

John Bingham wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 5:18 pm

They dont have 711 but they do have the circle K store.

There are quite a few 7-11s here now but I have heard they are nowhere near as good as Thai ones.

Thanks for your correction, my info was as of 2020 to 2021, so glad to see things are moving along.

John Bingham wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 5:18 pm

They dont have 711 but they do have the circle K store.

There are quite a few 7-11s here now but I have heard they are nowhere near as good as Thai ones.

Cant drink tap water, loads of moskitos especially in the countryside

I'm not sure if there are any countries with potable tap water in SE Asia, however the Phnom Penh water supply is one of the best in the region. I don't drink it straight from the tap myself but some do and manage okay. It's fine for brushing teeth. As for mosquitoes, I don't get any in my house and I'm rarely bothered by them anywhere else.

correct, selection not as good
and the 7/11's are alot more expensive in PP than Thailand, (But thats to be expected as lots of the merchandise comes from thailand)

FYI:
i am paying $17 for 1 gig Mbps which is NO MORE faster than the 20 Mbps ( for $15) i was paying for in Kep

still good enough for downloading tv shows and steaming with my android box

its still fucking raining Here!!!