I didn't expect much from Siem Reap. I was talked into going by our travel advisor (our son, Michael). He said we had to see Angkor Wat. It was a short hop from Bangkok, and it was a cheap destination. Oh and he would love to fly out and join us for a week or so. So we went. And loved it. We visited Angkor Wat (3 day passes for 3 - $186) and it was awe-inspiring. We visited the museum, the butterfly garden, APOPO, the Wildlife & Aquarium park, went to Phnom Kulen park. Mostly though, we just hung out and lived like locals, which is an easy relaxing thing to do there.
Our budget was $4,500 USD for 5 weeks and we spent $4635 -- $135 over budget. How did we go over budget in such a cheap place?? Because we would have a guest for part of our visit, we overspent and rented a large 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment, with AC units in both bedrooms and the living area. While there are plenty of studios and 1 bedrooms available, two bedrooms in Siem Reap are more costly. A typical studio can be had for $700 a month (and we saw many for much much less) We had the top floor of a house, with garden and pool access. The place was large, beautifully laid out and very modern. Our host was amazing and checked in via whatsapp every few days. We had a well equipped kitchen, which we mostly used for breakfasts. We didn't have a washer, but there was a laundry directly across the street that did our laundry for $1 a kilo. The garden kept the house cooler, and we enjoyed watching the wildlife (lizards, birds, bats), and loved the free mangoes that dropped from the trees every day. Only thing we didn't like in the house was that we had to pay for the electric -- heatwave, AC blasting all day every day really added up. (here's the link to the house https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/42795272 )
We spent quite a bit on transportation and sightseeing. Siem Reap is not pedestrian friendly -- you really need a tuk-tuk, motorbike or car to get around, not because of distance, but because of traffic.
We ate out a LOT. The food was great and there were tons of options. We also had 3 people instead of 2 for a chunk of our stay.
Accommodation: 2026.00
Restaurants: 825
Groceries: 549
Sightseeing: 598
Transportation: 230
Everything else (entertainment, shopping, laundry): 137
I'd say our budget wasn't representative. I think a couple could easily spend under $2000 for a month and have a really great time, and with some budgeting could do a month for $1500 as a tourist.
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