Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote:Here are my expenses (minus rent) for the past 2+ years. Just to give you an idea. That's for two people. I also have expensive hobbies (plus I like good food).

Interesting. About $1,800 per month plus rent ($300?)
Hard to make much comment without the categories being listed. But they are surprisingly uniform ($900-$3,500) and also the frequency is never more than 12, which means nothing less than bi-monthly. No monthly items, which presumably would show as 24 or more.


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jah steu wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:25 pm

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote:Here are my expenses (minus rent) for the past 2+ years. Just to give you an idea. That's for two people. I also have expensive hobbies (plus I like good food).

Interesting. About $1,800 per month plus rent ($300?)
Hard to make much comment without the categories being listed. But they are surprisingly uniform ($900-$3,500) and also the frequency is never more than 12, which means nothing less than bi-monthly. No monthly items, which presumably would show as 24 or more.


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One of my favorite hobbies is complaining. It is fun to do and cost me nothing to do. I have always been good at complaining. No matter where I am i can find something to complain about. Too bad I cant get a job complaining. I would be the Donald Trump of complaining.

How can I say this ummm a couple of really good replies to your dilemma... When you think about it a really good kmer persons salary would be $500 to $700 I may be wrong but management in a good company would earn that much some higher some lower.. for some people it's never enough and some people don't mind telling you. So now that you pay for the accommodation food clothing etc. A good suggestion and mind you it's only my opinion, if I may you can show her the door or the way out. Another thing some people do is, say that see that girl over there she said your a cheap Charlie and your not giving me enough money! Or My family comes first and I have to look after them too etc I could go on! Sorry but I am cynical sometimes. Next time you go to the bank look at the staff serving you and how well dressed and polite they are and those kmers are maybe earning $130 to $160 a month. My friend don't forget to save some of your money for a rainy day or a carona day. It's all your money no one else has a right to tell how much or where to spend it take care austman

jah steu wrote: Interesting. About $1,800 per month plus rent ($300?)
Hard to make much comment without the categories being listed. But they are surprisingly uniform ($900-$3,500) and also the frequency is never more than 12, which means nothing less than bi-monthly. No monthly items, which presumably would show as 24 or more.

Haha. Obviously one of my senior moments!! I didn’t realise it was a monthly sequence of expenses. Hence the relative uniformity...
Ignore my previous post...


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John Bingham wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 6:56 pm

Austman wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 6:40 pm Next time you go to the bank look at the staff serving you and how well dressed and polite they are and those kmers are maybe earning $130 to $160 a month.

That's below minimum wage. It's my understanding that bank counter staff make more like $300- $500.

Wow John I am not sure your info is correct Canadia bank staff and sacombank staff tell me different ! Phnom Penh Siem reap and Battambang all tell me around about the same, but ok

Austman wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 8:06 am

John Bingham wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 6:56 pm

Austman wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 6:40 pm Next time you go to the bank look at the staff serving you and how well dressed and polite they are and those kmers are maybe earning $130 to $160 a month.

That's below minimum wage. It's my understanding that bank counter staff make more like $300- $500.

Wow John I am not sure your info is correct Canadia bank staff and sacombank staff tell me different ! Phnom Penh Siem reap and Battambang all tell me around about the same, but ok

I guess part time work is the answer to your question. Paying below minimum wage is a no-go in the official economy. The competent authorities might not always be competent but the labor department pretty much has its' eye on the ball.

I always love these questions because so much depends on your perspective. My definition of a decent income in Cambodia is $6000 per month.

Why? Well, assume you have a wife plus 2 kids. You have a mortgage payment on a single family house with a small amount of land in a decent borey in Phnom Phen. Mortgage Payment? Around $2000 per month. Now you have 2 children that you have to put through private school. That's around $20,000 per year. Not including all the extras. You'll need 2 cars. One for you to go to the office, and 1 for the wife to do the daily activities and haul the children around. Add another $1000 per month for car payments and maintenance for that. Now add various insurances. Add food for the family. Add the cost of a maid. Add incidentals.

Frankly, how anyone with a family can live a modern lifestyle on less than $6000 astounds me given the current prices of things in Phnom Penh.

So I laugh when I see numbers like $1000 per month. Or as the OP says, $1300 a month. Yeah. The Cambodian girl is right that you are too poor to raise a family on that. Can be done obviously. Millions do it on less, but with sacrifices.

If you are a single, beer guzzler with no responsibilities and only yourself to think about, then maybe that kind of money is OK. If you are a poor Khmer with no particular skill and few other options in life, then maybe that kind of money is OK. But if you are a talented Khmer with genuine skills and someone expects you to work for $1000 per month, you get a year or two of experience straight out of school and then you quickly leave to some other country that is going to pay you what you are actually worth.

Which is why there is nobody left in Cambodia that is actually worth hiring. And you wind up hiring 10 people that put together are not as productive as the one guy who quit and went to work in Japan. The days when Khmers were naive about salaries outside of Cambodia are long gone.

Nobody with any kind of skill sticks around when they have the opportunity to head off to South Korea, or Japan, or anyone of a dozen other countries that come to Cambodia actively looking for talent to exploit at wages that are 3 times higher than what they can earn in Cambodia, but still less than what they have to pay to the natives in their country.

So decent income under what circumstances? And do you actually mean decent, or merely livable? Do you mean for yourself, or are you talking about starting a business here and wondering how much you should pay key employees to keep them?

If I'm a Cambodian lady, I am going to be looking for that guy who can support me at the level shown on the TV screen. And that can't be done on $1300 a month.

I totally agree.when i am single i need Not under 3500$,when i have girlfriend 5000$.
No Car ,No big House.like good food ,Drink and travel.