# What Siem Reap Costs Per Day: Backpacker, Mid-Range and Comfortable Budgets Line by Line (2026)

> A backpacker spends about $30 on a town day and $60 on a temple day, mid-range about $80 and $120. Three budgets line by line, 2026 unit prices and the traps.

Source: https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-daily-budget/ · Angkor Tourism Guide · Published September 11, 2026 · Updated October 25, 2026 · Figures checked October 2026

## At a Glance

- A backpacker in Siem Reap spends about $30 a day in town and about $60 on a temple day, once the Angkor Pass and a shared tuk-tuk are counted. The temples, not the bed, set the floor.
- The Angkor Pass sold by Angkor Enterprise costs $37 for one day, $62 for three days and $72 for seven days. The three-day pass amortizes to about $21 per temple day.
- A tuk-tuk for the small circuit costs $18 to $25 for the whole vehicle for the day, the grand circuit $25 to $30, and a day that adds Banteay Srei $25 to $35. A ride across town is $2 to $3.
- A dormitory bed at Onederz Siem Reap, two minutes from Pub Street, starts around $5 to $10 depending on the season. A double room in a three-star hotel with a pool runs $25 to $60.
- A plate of noodles or rice at a street stall costs $1 to $3, or 4,000 to 12,000 riel. A main course in a sit-down restaurant costs $5 to $15, and fish amok about $6.
- A happy-hour draft beer on Pub Street costs $0.50 to $1. A cocktail costs $3 to $5. Bars give change in riel for anything under one dollar.
- Phare, the Cambodian Circus charges $18, $28 or $38 by section at its big top on Ring Road, nightly at 8:00 p.m., plus $3 to $5 each way by tuk-tuk.
- Cambodian bank ATMs charge foreign cards $4 to $5 per withdrawal, and some charge more on large amounts. One $500 withdrawal costs less than five $100 withdrawals.
- Shops and tuk-tuk drivers convert at 4,000 riel to the dollar. The mid-market rate in October 2026 was about 4,080. On a $2 purchase the difference is four cents.
- The tourist e-Visa costs $30 with processing included since January 1, 2025. Over a seven-day stay that is about $4.30 a day, the line most budgets forget.

Siem Reap is a cheap town attached to an expensive reason. A bed costs $7, a bowl of noodles costs $2 and a draft beer costs 50 cents, and none of that matters on the day you walk into the Angkor Archaeological Park, because the pass is $37 minimum and the tuk-tuk to get there is $18 to $40 for the vehicle. For a backpacker, the temples cost more than the hotel. For everyone else, the temples cost about the same as the hotel and far more than the food. Any budget that quotes a single daily number for Siem Reap is averaging two very different days.

Current search results give that single number. They say "$25 to $35 for backpackers" and leave the Angkor Pass to a footnote, or they say "Cambodia is the cheapest country in Southeast Asia" and forget that the one thing people come here for is priced in a way that ignores how frugal they are. What follows is the opposite: three budgets built line by line, each split into a temple day and a town day, then the unit prices behind them, the places money leaks, where spending more actually changes the trip, and what a week adds up to.

Prices, hours and transport times below were checked against operator websites and official sources in October 2026.

## A Temple Day and a Town Day Are Different Budgets

Every budget on this page has two columns. A temple day includes the pass, the vehicle for the park, the early start and the extra water. A town day is the day you spend at the Old Market, a pool, the museum, a cooking class or doing nothing. A three-day Angkor Pass and a five-night stay means three of one and two of the other, and the difference between the two days is $30 for a backpacker and well over $50 for anyone traveling comfortably.

The second thing to understand before any number: the two biggest lines on a temple day are fixed. The pass is the same $37, $62 or $72 whether you sleep in a dorm or a suite. The tuk-tuk is $18 to $40 for the whole vehicle whether one person sits in it or three. Frugality does not touch either. Sharing does. A couple splits the vehicle in half. Three dorm-mates split it in thirds. That arithmetic, not the choice of restaurant, is what moves a temple day from $60 to $45.

The third thing: the dollar is the currency of prices, the riel is the currency of change. Prices are quoted in US dollars everywhere a tourist goes. Anything under a dollar comes back as riel at 4,000 to the dollar. The budgets below are in dollars with riel where you will actually see it, and the full explanation of dollars and riel in Cambodia covers the edge cases.

## The Backpacker Budget: $30 in Town, $60 at the Temples

The honest verdict: a backpacker can live in Siem Reap on $30 a day and cannot see Angkor on $30 a day. The temple day below assumes a three-day pass, a shared tuk-tuk and no guide, which is how most people in a hostel do it.

| Line | Temple day | Town day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (dormitory) | $7 | $7 | $5 to $10 by season, 20,000 to 40,000 riel |
| Breakfast | $2 | $2 | Noodle soup or a baguette with egg at a stall |
| Lunch | $3 | $3 | Rice plate near a temple, or a stall in town |
| Dinner | $4 | $4 | Khmer kitchen off Pub Street, one main and rice |
| Water and coffee | $3 | $2 | Three 1.5-liter bottles on a temple day in hot season |
| Beer | $2 | $2 | Two happy-hour drafts at $0.50 to $1 |
| Transport | $9 | $3 | Half a $18 small-circuit tuk-tuk, or one PassApp ride in town |
| Angkor Pass (3-day, amortized) | $20.67 | $0 | $62 divided by three temple days |
| Guide | $0 | $0 | Signboards and a downloaded map |
| Show (Phare, section C, amortized) | $4.50 | $4.50 | One $18 ticket over a four-night stay |
| Tips | $1 | $0.50 | $1 for a driver who waited all day |
| SIM (amortized) | $1.50 | $1.50 | A $10 30-day Smart SIM over seven days |
| Laundry | $1.50 | $1.50 | One kilo a day at $1.50 per kilo |
| Visa (amortized) | $4.30 | $4.30 | $30 e-Visa over seven days in Cambodia |
| **Total** | **$63.47** | **$35.30** | |

Two lines dominate: the pass and the vehicle are $29.67 of a $63 day. The bed is $7. Cutting the bed to a $4 twelve-bunk room saves $3. Finding two people to share the tuk-tuk saves $3 more. Skipping the third temple day and buying a one-day pass raises the per-day figure to $37 and saves $25 over the trip but loses Banteay Srei and the grand circuit. The [one-day, three-day and seven-day pass question](https://www.angkortourism.org/angkor-pass-tickets-prices-hours/) is worth settling before the budget, not after.

Where the backpacker budget cannot go lower: the pass, the water in April, and the sunrise surcharge. Where it can: a $2 breakfast at the stalls east of the Old Market instead of a $6 hostel breakfast, a bicycle for the small circuit ($2 to $5 a day from the hostel, no vehicle to share, and 25 kilometers in the heat), and the free things to do in Siem Reap, which include the riverside, the Wat Bo pagodas and the markets.

The limitation of this budget is that it assumes a shared vehicle. Alone, the tuk-tuk is $18 to $25, and a temple day costs about $73. Hostels organize shared circuits most mornings for exactly this reason, so ask at the desk the night before.

## The Mid-Range Budget: $80 in Town, $120 at the Temples

The honest verdict: mid-range in Siem Reap means a double room with a pool for $50 a night, dinner in a restaurant with a wine list, a private tuk-tuk and a guide for one morning, and it costs about $120 per person on a temple day. The figures below are per person for a couple sharing a room and a vehicle.

| Line | Temple day | Town day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room (half of a double with pool) | $25 | $25 | $50 double in a three-star hotel with a pool, breakfast included |
| Breakfast | $0 | $0 | Included in the room rate |
| Lunch | $6 | $6 | A sit-down restaurant near Sras Srang or a cafe in town |
| Dinner | $15 | $15 | A main, a side and a dessert at a Khmer restaurant with service |
| Water and coffee | $4 | $4 | Cafe coffee at $2 to $3, water from a minimart |
| Drinks | $8 | $8 | Two cocktails or three bottled beers |
| Transport | $11 | $5 | Half of a $22 private tuk-tuk for the day, or two PassApp rides |
| Angkor Pass (3-day, amortized) | $20.67 | $0 | $62 divided by three temple days |
| Guide (one morning, amortized) | $6.67 | $0 | Half of a $40 licensed guide, spread over three temple days |
| Show (Phare, section B, amortized) | $7 | $7 | One $28 ticket over a four-night stay |
| Tips | $4 | $2 | $2 for the driver, $5 to $10 for the guide on the day |
| SIM (amortized) | $1.50 | $1.50 | A $10 30-day Smart SIM over seven days |
| Laundry | $2 | $2 | One kilo at a street laundry at $2 per kilo, or hotel per piece |
| Visa (amortized) | $4.30 | $4.30 | $30 e-Visa over seven days |
| **Total** | **$115.14** | **$79.80** | |

Here the room is the biggest line and the pass is second. Dinner at $15 a head is the figure most people underestimate: a Khmer restaurant with tablecloths charges $7 to $12 for a main, $3 to $5 for a cocktail and $1 to $2 for rice and water, and the [restaurants that are worth it](https://www.angkortourism.org/best-khmer-restaurants-siem-reap/) are in this range rather than above it. The guide line is the one that varies most. One licensed guide for one morning, shared by two, is $20 each once. Spread over three temple days it is $6.67. A guide every day is $20 a day each and moves the temple day to about $130.

The mid-range budget's hidden variable is season. The $50 double with a pool is a dry-season price, December to February. From May to October the same room is often $35 to $40, which takes $5 to $7 a day off the total per person. The guide to hotel prices and when to book has the month-by-month pattern.

The limitation: this budget has no massage, no cooking class and no day trip. Each is a line of its own. A one-hour massage at a street-level shop is $7 to $12. A cooking class with a market visit is $30 to $35. A day at Phnom Kulen adds a $20 ticket and a $50 to $70 car for the vehicle, since tuk-tuks cannot climb the mountain road. Add the ones you want to the town-day column.

## The Comfortable Budget: $200 in Town, $250 at the Temples

The honest verdict: comfort in Siem Reap means a boutique or five-star room at $150 to $250, a private air-conditioned car with a driver for the park, a licensed guide every temple day and dinner wherever you like, and it costs about $250 per person on a temple day. It is also the budget where the temples stop being the largest line and the room takes over.

| Line | Temple day | Town day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room (half of a double) | $90 | $90 | $180 double in a boutique hotel or five-star, breakfast included |
| Breakfast | $0 | $0 | Included |
| Lunch | $12 | $12 | A proper restaurant lunch, or a hotel lunch by the pool |
| Dinner | $35 | $35 | Three courses with wine at a destination restaurant |
| Water and coffee | $5 | $5 | Hotel coffee, driver-supplied cold water in the car |
| Drinks | $20 | $20 | Cocktails at a hotel bar or rooftop |
| Transport | $25 | $10 | Half of a $50 private car with driver for the day, or taxis in town |
| Angkor Pass (3-day, amortized) | $20.67 | $0 | $62 divided by three temple days |
| Guide (every temple day) | $20 | $0 | Half of a $40 licensed guide, daily |
| Show (Phare, section A, amortized) | $9.50 | $9.50 | One $38 ticket over a four-night stay |
| Tips | $10 | $5 | $5 for the driver, $10 for the guide, rounded-up restaurant bills |
| Spa | $0 | $30 | One-hour massage at a spa on Sivatha, not the street rate |
| SIM or eSIM (amortized) | $2 | $2 | An eSIM at $11 for 5 GB over a week, or a $10 local SIM |
| Laundry | $5 | $5 | Hotel laundry, priced per piece |
| Visa (amortized) | $4.30 | $4.30 | $30 e-Visa over seven days |
| **Total** | **$258.47** | **$227.80** | |

The room is now $90 of $258, more than the pass, the car and the guide together. That ratio is the point of this tier: it buys shade, a pool at 1:00 p.m., a car with air-conditioning on the 30-kilometer road to Banteay Srei and someone who explains the Bayon. It does not buy a different Angkor. The temples cost the same $20.67 a day as they cost the backpacker.

Where the comfortable budget actually buys something: the private car in April, when the tuk-tuk is a 38°C wind tunnel, the guide at Angkor Thom, and a hotel within five minutes of the Old Market so that the 11:00 a.m. retreat is short. Where it buys nothing: a $38 Phare seat over a $28 one (section B sits in the same middle block, further back), hotel laundry over the $2-a-kilo shop around the corner, and the dinner show, which is a separate evening with its own price and the subject of the [evening shows pillar](https://www.angkortourism.org/evening-shows-siem-reap/).

The limitation: a $180 double is a dry-season rate at a mid-level boutique hotel. The top of the market, Amansara and Phum Baitang among others, runs $500 to $1,500 a night and makes this table meaningless. The [where to stay pillar](https://www.angkortourism.org/where-to-stay-in-siem-reap/) sorts the tiers properly.

## Unit Prices, Checked for 2025-2026

The budgets above are built from these numbers. Riel figures use the 4,000-to-the-dollar rate that shops actually apply.

### Getting around

- Tuk-tuk, a few blocks: $1 to $2 (4,000 to 8,000 riel). Across town, Wat Bo to Sok San Road: $2 to $3 (8,000 to 12,000 riel).
- PassApp or Grab, metered: about $1.50 for a 2-kilometer ride, charged in riel at roughly 5,800 to 6,000. The fare appears before you confirm. The [getting around Siem Reap guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/getting-around-siem-reap/) covers which app works where.
- Tuk-tuk for the day, small circuit (Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm): $18 to $25 for the vehicle. Grand circuit (Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Pre Rup): $25 to $30. A day that includes Banteay Srei, 30 kilometers north: $25 to $35. Sunrise start at 4:30 a.m.: about $5 extra.
- Driver waiting while you eat and bringing you back: $4 to $7 for the round trip.
- Private car with driver for the park: no fixed tariff. 2026 travel reports give $35 to $60 a day depending on circuit and season.
- Bicycle from a hostel or rental shop: $2 to $5 a day. Electric bicycle: about $10 a day, according to a May 2026 report. The [tuk-tuk, car or bike comparison](https://www.angkortourism.org/angkor-tuk-tuk-car-bike/) weighs the heat against the saving.
- Airport taxi, Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport to the Old Market, about 50 kilometers: a fixed $35 for a sedan at the official counter, $40 to $45 for a minivan. The [airport to city guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-airport-to-city/) has the shuttle alternative.
- Bus from Phnom Penh with Giant Ibis: about six hours, five departures a day including two night buses. Fares are not published on the schedule page, so book through the site and read the price there.

### Sleeping

- Dormitory bed: $5 to $10 (20,000 to 40,000 riel). Onederz Siem Reap, two minutes from Pub Street, four pools, no elevator, is the reference point at the top of that range in high season. The cheap hotels and hostels guide compares the dorms with pools against the ones without.
- Private room in a guesthouse with air-conditioning: $15 to $25.
- Three-star hotel double with a pool, breakfast included: $25 to $60 in dry season, often $20 to $40 from May to October.
- Boutique hotel double: $80 to $250.
- Five-star and the top of the market: $250 to $1,500.

### Eating

- Street stall, noodle soup (kuy teav) or rice with a stir-fry: $1 to $3 (4,000 to 12,000 riel). Kuy teav about $2, a banh mi about $1.50. The stalls east of the Old Market and along Road 60 in the evening are the cheapest places in town that are also good, and the street food guide names the carts.
- Cafe or casual restaurant main: $3 to $8.
- Sit-down Khmer or Western restaurant main: $5 to $15. Fish amok, the dish everyone orders once, about $6 in a mid-range restaurant.
- Destination restaurant, three courses with a glass of wine: $30 to $50 a head.
- Hostel or hotel breakfast if not included: $3 to $8.
- Cooking class with a market visit, three to four hours: $30 to $35 at the schools in and around town. The cooking classes guide sorts the half-day classes from the full ones.

### Drinking

- Draft beer, Angkor or Cambodia, happy hour on Pub Street: $0.50 to $1 (2,000 to 4,000 riel). Regular price in a bar: $1 to $2. A 500-milliliter beer in a neighborhood bar averaged just under 4,000 riel in mid-2025 price surveys.
- Bottled beer in a restaurant: $1.50 to $3.
- Cocktail: $3 to $5 on Pub Street, $6 to $12 at a hotel bar.
- Coffee: iced coffee with condensed milk at a cart or local shop has no fixed price. 2026 price guides give $0.75 to $1.50 (3,000 to 6,000 riel). Cafe espresso or cappuccino: $2 to $3.50.
- Water, 1.5 liters from a minimart: about $0.75 (3,000 riel). Price surveys from June 2025 average just under 3,000 riel. The same bottle at a temple stall: $1. Budget three bottles a day in March, April and May, one or two the rest of the year, and refill where hotels offer it.

### Temples and sights

- Angkor Pass: $37 for one day, $62 for three days (valid within seven days according to the Angkor Enterprise ticket page), $72 for seven days (valid within 30 days). Park entry from 5:00 a.m., closing 6:30 p.m. Children under 12 free with a passport. Payment in dollars or by card at the Road 60 ticket office or in the Angkor Pass app. Riel is accepted at the counter but the price is set in dollars.
- Sold separately by Angkor Enterprise: Koh Ker $15, not covered by the pass. Beng Mealea $10 and Kbal Spean $5, where recent sources disagree on whether the pass is accepted. Carry the cash and ask at the gate. Phnom Kulen has its own ticket, $20 for adults and children, cash only, sold at the checkpoint at the foot of the mountain, at the park office in City Angkor Hotel or through hotels and agencies.
- Chong Kneas boat on the Tonle Sap: ticketed by Angkor Enterprise, not covered by the pass, and the boat fee is on top of the tuk-tuk. The [floating villages guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/tonle-sap-floating-villages/) explains why Kampong Phluk and Kampong Khleang are usually the better spend.
- Angkor National Museum, Vithei Preah Sihanouk Avenue: open 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from April to September and to 6:30 p.m. from October to March. The museum did not display its admission price on the pages checked in October 2026. A listing updated in October 2026 gives $12 for a foreign adult, $6 for a child and $5 for the audio guide.
- Licensed guide, English-speaking, per day for the group: no official tariff is published. 2026 reports range from about $30 to $50. More for Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Italian and German, and for the grand circuit or Banteay Srei. The hiring an Angkor guide guide has the licensing and the questions to ask.

### Evenings

- Phare, the Cambodian Circus, big top at the junction of Ring Road and Sok San Road: section C $18 (children 5 to 11 $10), section B $28 ($15), section A $38 ($18). Nightly at 8:00 p.m., about one hour, arrive by 7:30 p.m. A 5:00 p.m. matinee runs on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from November 2026 to March 2027. Tuk-tuk $3 to $5 each way. Sections A and B sell out ahead in high season, and the [Phare guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/phare-cambodian-circus/) explains what each section actually sees.
- Dinner shows with a buffet and Apsara dance: from about $12 for a buffet with a free performance to roughly $48 for the large-format production. Those venues and prices are covered in the evening shows pillar rather than here.
- Night markets: free to walk. A krama scarf $2 to $5, a T-shirt $3 to $5, and everything opens at double the price it closes at. The [markets pillar](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-markets/) has what is actually Cambodian.

### Practical

- Laundry at a street shop: $1 to $2 per kilo, washed, dried and folded in 24 hours. Onederz charges $1.50 per kilo in-house. Hotel laundry: priced per piece, typically $1 to $3 per item, so a week's clothes cost $20 to $30 instead of $5.
- Massage, one hour, Khmer or foot, at a street-level shop on or near Sivatha Boulevard: $7 to $12. At a spa, Lemongrass Garden at 105B Sivatha Boulevard (open daily 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) publishes its prices: a 60-minute Khmer or foot massage is $18, $20 with oil, and $25 to $28 for 90 minutes.
- SIM card: Smart sells 25 GB for 7 days at $3, 35 GB for 15 days at $5 and 60 GB for 30 days at $10 in town. Cellcard's 7-day tourist pack is about $6. Metfone's 30-day tourist plan about $12. Airport counters charge more for the same packs. An Airalo eSIM is $4.50 for 1 GB or $11 for 5 GB over 30 days. Passport required to register. The SIM and eSIM guide compares coverage out at the temples.
- Pharmacy basics: oral rehydration sachets about $0.25 each, a box of paracetamol about $1 to $2, sunscreen imported and expensive at $10 to $15 for a small bottle. Pack it. The pharmacies and clinics guide covers the serious end, including the $100-plus consultation at an international clinic.
- Visa: tourist e-Visa $30 with processing included since January 1, 2025, for a 30-day stay, applied for at evisa.gov.kh. Visa on arrival at the airport is the same $30 in cash. Extension of a tourist visa: about $45 to $50 for a further 30 days. The [visa and e-Visa guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/cambodia-visa-evisa/) has the photo rules and the e-Arrival Card.

## The Riel Rate and Why It Barely Matters

The National Bank of Cambodia's mid-market rate sat at about 4,080 riel to the dollar in October 2026. Shops, stalls, tuk-tuk drivers and most restaurants convert at a flat 4,000. Some supermarkets and the ticket office use 4,100. The difference between 4,000 and 4,080 is two percent. On a $2 bowl of noodles that is four cents. On a $62 Angkor Pass paid in riel, it would be $1.24, which is why nobody pays for the pass in riel.

What this means in practice: do not exchange dollars for riel at a money changer. You will receive riel as change from the first dollar you spend and you will never run short. Spend riel on the smallest things, water, a moto ride, fruit, where the amounts are under a dollar anyway and the 4,000 rate is already the price. Spend dollars on anything above $5. Leave Cambodia with as little riel as possible, because no bank outside the country buys it back at a usable rate.

The one place the rate has been a trap is a land border. Touts at Poipet offered travelers arriving from Thailand 3,400 to the dollar for years, until the Thai land crossings closed in June 2025. If they reopen, decline, cross, and get riel as change in Siem Reap like everyone else.

## Money Traps That Still Work in 2026

None of these is a crime. All of them are a few dollars a day that the budget did not plan for, and over a week they add up to a Phare ticket.

### The torn bill

A US dollar note with a tear, a tape repair, a missing corner or heavy pen marks will be refused by shops, drivers and even some hotels, because the banks they deposit with charge them to accept it. You cannot spend it and you will carry it home. Check every dollar you receive as change, at the ATM and at the exchange counter before you leave your own country, and hand back any damaged note on the spot. Riel notes in any condition are fine. The full catalog of small frauds is in the [Siem Reap scams guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-scams-to-avoid/).

### The $5 ATM fee, five times

Cambodian banks charge a flat access fee per withdrawal for foreign cards. ACLEDA charges $5 with a $500 limit. Vattanac and BRED charge $4, BRED up to $2,000 in one go. ABA, which has the most machines, has been reported at up to $10 on a $500 withdrawal with certain cards. Five withdrawals of $100 cost $20 to $25 in fees where one of $500 costs $4 to $5. The machine shows the fee on screen before you confirm. Read it. And when the machine offers to convert to your home currency, decline: dynamic currency conversion adds 3 to 7 percent, and your own bank's rate is better. Machines dispense $100 bills. Break one at a hotel desk or a supermarket before you need to pay for a $2 ride.

### The "free" guide

At Angkor Wat, the Bayon and Ta Prohm, men without a vest or badge will fall into step beside you and start explaining the carvings. They are not volunteers. At the end they expect $10 to $20 and become unpleasant if refused. Licensed guides wear an official vest and a numbered badge and are hired in advance, through a hotel, a hostel or an agency, for an agreed day rate. A clear "no thank you" and continued walking ends it. The same applies to children selling postcards at ten for a dollar, and to the women with babies near the night markets asking for formula, which is bought back by the shop at a discount after you leave. The [responsible travel pillar](https://www.angkortourism.org/orphanage-tourism-cambodia/) explains why that one in particular should not be funded.

### The double price

Cambodians enter Angkor free and pay less at the museum and some attractions. That is policy and it is fine. The trap is the unmarked price: at the markets, at stalls near the temples, and with drivers who have not quoted a fare, the first number offered to a foreigner is often double. Ask before you order, before you sit, before you board. A fare quoted by an app, a price written on a board or a menu with numbers printed on it is the price. A price that arrives after the service is a negotiation you have already lost.

### The sunrise surcharge and the detour

Drivers charge about $5 more for a 4:30 a.m. start. That is fair, and it should be agreed the night before, not revealed at the gate. The detour is different: on the way back from the temples, a driver who suggests a "very good shop, very cheap" is earning a commission, and the shop prices reflect it. Decline politely. The [sunrise guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/angkor-wat-sunrise/) has the timings that make the early start worth the $5.

### The pool day-rate and the hotel menu

A hotel that is not yours will often let you use the pool for a fee or a minimum spend, $5 to $15 or a lunch. Fair, and in April worth every cent. The trap is not the fee but the menu beside it: a $4 beer and a $12 club sandwich by a pool are the most expensive version of both in town. Swim, then eat two streets away.

## Where Money Actually Makes a Difference

Spending more in Siem Reap buys a lot in a few places and nothing in many. The honest verdict, line by line.

**A licensed guide for one morning: worth it.** Angkor Thom and the Bayon are carved stories, and without someone to read the Churning of the Ocean of Milk or the battle with the Cham off the walls, the visit is architecture without a plot. One morning, shared by two people, is $20 each. Every day is overkill: Ta Prohm is about trees and Banteay Srei about looking closely, and neither needs narration.

**A hotel within five minutes of the Old Market: worth it.** The day at Angkor ends at 11:00 a.m. in hot season and 1:00 p.m. the rest of the year, and the afternoon is a pool and a nap before an evening out. A hotel on the airport road saves $10 a night and costs $6 and 20 minutes in tuk-tuks every day. The [neighborhoods pillar](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-neighbourhoods/) explains what Old Market, Wat Bo and Sok San Road each feel like.

**A pool: worth it from March to May, optional otherwise.** A dorm with a pool over a dorm without is $2 to $3 a night. In April, when the afternoon is 38°C and the temples are empty for a reason, that is the best $3 in Cambodia. The hot season guide explains why the day ends early.

**A private car instead of a tuk-tuk: worth it in April and for Banteay Srei, not otherwise.** Air-conditioning for the 30-kilometer road north and the 1:00 p.m. ride home in hot season. On the small circuit in December, the tuk-tuk is cooler, cheaper and the better way to see the park.

**Phare section B over section C: worth it. Section A over B: not.** C is the side sections with poles in some sightlines for $18. B is the middle block, rear half, for $28. A is the front half of the same block for $38 with a souvenir. The jump from C to B changes what you see. The jump from B to A changes where you sit.

**The three-day pass over the one-day: worth it for nearly everyone.** $25 more for two more days and the right to spread them over a week. The [how many days at Angkor question](https://www.angkortourism.org/how-many-days-angkor/) is the long version.

**Not worth the money: hotel laundry over the $1.50 shop, bottled water from a temple stall over a minimart the night before, a hotel airport transfer over a taxi booked by the hotel desk at the same price, cocktails on Pub Street over the same cocktail at a rooftop two streets away for the same $4 and no noise.** The [Pub Street guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/pub-street-guide/) is for people who would rather not.

## By Situation

### You are a solo backpacker on $35 a day

The budget works on town days and breaks on temple days unless the tuk-tuk is shared. Book a dorm that organizes shared circuits, Onederz or any of the hostels in the cheap hotels and hostels guide, ask at the desk the night before, and split a $20 vehicle three ways. Buy the three-day pass and spread it over five nights so two days cost $30. Cycle the small circuit if the month is November to February. Eat at the stalls east of the Old Market and on Road 60. Expect a five-night total of about $230 including the pass and one Phare ticket, before the $30 visa.

### You are a couple with $100 a day each

This is the mid-range table almost exactly. A $50 double with a pool, a private tuk-tuk for the day shared between two, a guide for the Angkor Thom morning, dinner in a real restaurant and Phare in section B. The temple day runs about $115 each, the town day about $80. Choose a hotel in Wat Bo or near the Old Market so the tuk-tuk bill in town stays under $5 a day. The [3-day itinerary](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-3-days-itinerary/) spends this budget hour by hour.

### You are a family of four with children under 12

The children's pass is free. That is the single largest saving in Siem Reap and it changes the whole budget: a family pays $124 for two three-day passes instead of $248. Phare charges $10 to $18 for children 5 to 11 by section. A tuk-tuk takes four with children, so the vehicle cost does not double. Hotel rooms do: a family room or two doubles with a pool runs $70 to $120. Budget about $280 to $320 a day for the family on a temple day at the mid-range tier, about $200 on a town day. The [Siem Reap with kids pillar](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-with-kids/) has the pool-and-nap schedule.

### You have one day and a layover budget

A one-day pass, $37, a tuk-tuk for the small circuit, $20, lunch near Sras Srang, $5, water, $3, and the airport taxi both ways, $70. About $135 for the day before a bed. The airport distance is the cost nobody expects, and the 24-hour layover guide is built around it.

### You want to spend less without feeling it

Travel in the rainy season. From May to October the $50 pool double is $35, the $180 boutique room is $120 to $140, the temples are a third as crowded and the rain arrives at 4:00 p.m. for an hour. Food, beer, the pass and the tuk-tuk cost the same. The saving is entirely in the room, which is the biggest line for anyone above backpacker. The [rainy season guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-rainy-season/) is honest about the Tonle Sap and the mud at Beng Mealea.

### You want to spend more where it counts

A guide for the Angkor Thom morning, a car for the Banteay Srei day, a hotel with a shaded pool five minutes from the Old Market, Phare in section B, and one dinner at a destination restaurant. That is about $100 a day over the mid-range table and buys everything that money buys here. The rest is room rate.

## What It Actually Costs

The per-person daily totals from the three tables, rounded, and what a week with three temple days adds up to. All figures assume the three-day Angkor Pass, one Phare ticket, a SIM and laundry, and amortize the $30 e-Visa over seven days. Riel equivalents at 4,000.

| | Backpacker | Mid-range (per person, couple) | Comfortable (per person, couple) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple day | $63 (252,000 riel) | $115 (460,000 riel) | $258 (1,032,000 riel) |
| Town day | $35 (140,000 riel) | $80 (320,000 riel) | $228 (912,000 riel) |
| Three temple days | $190 | $345 | $775 |
| Four town days | $140 | $320 | $910 |
| **Seven nights** | **$330** | **$665** | **$1,685** |
| Add: airport taxi both ways (shared by two) | $35 | $35 | $35 |
| Add: one day trip (Phnom Kulen or Beng Mealea, vehicle shared) | $30 to $40 | $45 to $60 | $80 to $100 |
| Add: cooking class | $30 to $35 | $30 to $35 | $30 to $35 |

Included in every figure: the pass, the vehicle for the park, three meals, drinks, a show, tips, SIM, laundry and the visa. Not included: flights, travel insurance, the bus or flight from Phnom Penh, shopping, and any day trip beyond the park. The mid-range and comfortable totals drop by roughly a fifth from May to October because the room does. The backpacker total barely moves with the season, because the pass and the tuk-tuk do not.

One sanity check on the backpacker figure: $330 for a week, of which $62 is the pass and about $60 is the share of tuk-tuks for the park. More than a third of the week goes to Angkor, and the bed for seven nights is $49. That ratio is the whole argument of this guide.

## What Other Guides Get Wrong

1. **Quoting one daily number.** "Siem Reap costs $30 a day" describes a town day with no temples. A temple day for the same traveler is $60. Any budget that does not split the two will run out of money on day two.
2. **Leaving the Angkor Pass out of the daily figure.** The pass is the largest single purchase for anyone below the comfortable tier. Treating it as a one-time extra hides the fact that it is $20 a day for three days, more than the bed.
3. **Pricing the tuk-tuk per person.** The day rate is for the vehicle. A solo traveler pays $18 to $25, a couple $9 to $12 each and three friends $6 to $8 each. The budget depends on how many people are in the seat, not on the traveler's thrift.
4. **Pre-2025 visa and ATM figures.** The e-Visa has been $30 all-in since January 1, 2025, not $36. ATM fees have crept up: banks that were free a few years ago now charge $4 to $5, and ABA can charge more. Guides still quoting free withdrawals send people to the wrong machine.
5. **Telling readers to exchange money into riel.** Nobody needs to. Riel arrives as change from the first dollar spent and the 4,000 rate is already built into every price under a dollar. Exchanging $50 into riel at a counter produces a wad of notes that cannot be spent fast enough and cannot be changed back abroad.
6. **Ignoring the airport distance.** The airport that opened in late 2023 is about 50 kilometers from town. The official taxi is a fixed $35 each way for a sedan, not the $7 to $10 of the old airport, and on a two-night trip that single line is as large as the Angkor Pass.

## Detailed Guides

- [Siem Reap scams to avoid](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-scams-to-avoid/) settles which of the old tricks, the baby formula, the fake temple closure, the tuk-tuk detour, still operate and what each costs if you fall for it.
- Free things to do in Siem Reap settles what fills a town day for nothing: the riverside, the pagodas of Wat Bo, the markets and the Angkor Wat moat at dusk without a pass.
- Tipping in Cambodia settles who gets tipped, how much, and the two cases where a tip is not expected at all.
- What to pack for Siem Reap settles what is cheaper to bring than to buy, sunscreen and rehydration salts among them, and what to leave at home because the market sells it for $3.
- Pharmacies, clinics and insurance in Siem Reap settles where to go with a stomach, a fever or a motorbike graze, and what a consultation at an international clinic costs.
- Money in Cambodia: dollars and riel settles which currency to use for what, which notes are refused, and how to leave with none of the riel.
- SIM cards and eSIMs in Cambodia settles which network reaches Banteay Srei and the Tonle Sap and whether the airport counter is worth the markup.
- [Getting around Siem Reap](https://www.angkortourism.org/getting-around-siem-reap/) settles PassApp against Grab against the driver outside the hotel, and what each ride should cost.
- Cheap hotels and hostels in Siem Reap settles which dorms have a pool, which organize shared tuk-tuks and which are quiet enough to sleep before a 4:30 a.m. alarm.
- [Angkor Pass tickets, prices and hours](https://www.angkortourism.org/angkor-pass-tickets-prices-hours/) settles which pass to buy, where the ticket office is and the after-5:00-p.m. sunset rule.
- [Cambodia visa and e-Visa](https://www.angkortourism.org/cambodia-visa-evisa/) settles e-Visa against visa on arrival, the photo rules, the e-Arrival Card and the cost of overstaying.

## Where to Go Next

With the budget set, the next decision is which pass to buy and how to space the temple days, which [the Angkor Pass pillar](https://www.angkortourism.org/angkor-pass-tickets-prices-hours/) settles, and after that the vehicle, which [tuk-tuk, car or bicycle for Angkor](https://www.angkortourism.org/angkor-tuk-tuk-car-bike/) weighs against the month you are traveling. The room is the biggest line for anyone above a dorm bed, so [where to stay in Siem Reap](https://www.angkortourism.org/where-to-stay-in-siem-reap/) is the next hour of planning, and [the best time to visit](https://www.angkortourism.org/best-time-to-visit-siem-reap/) explains why the same room costs a third less in August. For the small frauds that eat the margin, [the scams guide](https://www.angkortourism.org/siem-reap-scams-to-avoid/) is the ten-minute read before landing.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How much money do I need per day in Siem Reap?

It depends on whether the day includes the temples. On a temple day, a backpacker sharing a tuk-tuk and holding a three-day Angkor Pass spends about $60, a mid-range couple about $120 per person and a comfortable traveler with a private car and a guide about $250 per person. On a day in town with no temples those figures fall to roughly $30, $80 and $200, and most of the mid-range and comfortable totals are the room. The Angkor Pass and the vehicle are the two lines that do not shrink with frugality, which is why Siem Reap costs more per day than Phnom Penh or Battambang for the same traveler.

### Is Siem Reap cheap?

The town is cheap and the reason for visiting it is not. Food, beer, laundry, massages, SIM cards and dormitory beds cost what they cost across Cambodia: a $1 to $3 street meal, a $0.50 happy-hour draft, a $1.50-per-kilo laundry, a $7 to $12 massage. The Angkor Pass is a fixed $37, $62 or $72 regardless of how you travel, and a tuk-tuk for the park is $18 to $40 a day for the vehicle. A traveler who spends $7 on a bed and $9 on food will still hand over $30 to the temples on a temple day. Siem Reap is cheap to be in and moderately expensive to see.

### How much does a tuk-tuk cost in Siem Reap in 2026?

A ride within town costs $2 to $3, or $1 to $2 for a few blocks. Booked through PassApp or Grab, a 2-kilometer ride meters at about $1.50 and removes the negotiation. For the temples, drivers quote by circuit for the whole vehicle: $18 to $25 for the small circuit, $25 to $30 for the grand circuit, $25 to $35 for a day that includes Banteay Srei. Most drivers add about $5 for a 4:30 a.m. sunrise start. Agree the price, the route and the hours before leaving, and expect to pay the driver, not an app, for a full day. Pay at the end of the day, with a $1 to $2 tip if the driver waited through the heat.

### Do I pay in dollars or riel in Siem Reap?

Both, in the same transaction. Prices are quoted in US dollars. Pay in dollars and anything under one dollar comes back in riel at 4,000 to the dollar. Pay the small items, water, noodles, a moto ride, in riel if you have it, because the 4,000 rate costs you about two percent against the market rate of roughly 4,080 and the amounts are tiny. Bring clean $1, $5 and $10 bills: torn, taped or heavily inked dollar notes are refused, and $100 bills are hard to break outside hotels and the ticket office. Riel notes in any condition are accepted. Leave the country with no riel, since nobody abroad will exchange it.

### How much is the Angkor Pass and how do I budget for it?

Angkor Enterprise sells three passes: one day for $37, three days for $62 and seven days for $72. The three-day pass does not need consecutive days, so a rest day or a Tonle Sap day between temple days costs nothing. For budgeting, divide the pass by temple days: $62 over three days is $20.67 a day, and $72 over four days is $18. Children under 12 enter free with a passport. Phnom Kulen and Koh Ker ($15) are sold separately and are not covered. Beng Mealea ($10) and Kbal Spean ($5) have separate tickets, and recent sources disagree on whether the pass is accepted there, so carry the cash. Buy at the Road 60 ticket office or in the Angkor Pass app, in dollars or by card.

### What are the ATM fees in Cambodia?

Cambodian banks charge foreign cards an access fee per withdrawal on top of whatever your own bank charges. Reports from 2025 put ACLEDA at a flat $5 with a $500 limit, Vattanac at $4, BRED at $4 with a $2,000 limit, and ABA at up to $10 on a $500 withdrawal with some cards. The fee is shown on screen before you confirm, so read it. Two habits save money: withdraw the maximum in one go instead of $100 at a time, and decline the machine's offer to convert to your home currency, which hides a 3 to 7 percent markup. ATMs dispense US dollars, often in $100 bills, so break one at a hotel or supermarket before heading to a market.

### How much should I budget for a week in Siem Reap?

For seven nights with three temple days, a backpacker who shares a tuk-tuk and eats at stalls spends about $330 to $380 including the Angkor Pass, one Phare ticket and a SIM, before flights and the $30 visa. A mid-range couple spends about $700 to $750 per person, with a pool hotel, a guide for one morning and restaurant dinners. A comfortable traveler with a boutique or five-star room, a private car and a guide every temple day spends about $1,500 to $1,700 per person. Add $35 each way for the official airport taxi, about 50 kilometers. Rainy-season rooms, May to October, cut the mid-range and comfortable totals by a fifth or more.

### Do I need a guide at Angkor, and what does one cost?

Not for every day, and the honest answer for most visitors is one morning. A licensed English-speaking guide costs roughly $30 to $50 for a day, more for other languages and for the grand circuit, and the fee is per group, not per person, so two people pay $20 each. The guide's value is highest at the Bayon and Angkor Thom, where the carvings tell a story that no sign explains, and lowest at Ta Prohm, which is about the trees. Licensed guides wear an official vest and badge. The men who attach themselves to you at a temple gate and start explaining are not free: they expect $10 to $20 at the end and the information is often wrong.

### What costs more in Siem Reap than people expect?

Four things. The Angkor Pass, at $37 minimum, is the single largest purchase for anyone under a mid-range budget. The tuk-tuk for the park is a daily cost that does not get cheaper by sharing a dorm, only by sharing the vehicle. The airport is about 50 kilometers out, so the official taxi is a fixed $35 each way where the old airport was $10. And small money leaks: a $5 ATM fee on each withdrawal, a $5 sunrise surcharge, $5 to $15 for a hotel pool day pass, and the $1 bottles of water that add up to $3 a day in April. What costs less than expected: beer, laundry, massages, SIM data and dormitory beds.