How Much does a Month in ‘Party Land’ Cost?

Recently a friend of mine was complaining about difficulties living in London and how badly she would like to escape it and afford living somewhere else. My response was something along the lines: “Really? If you could afford living in London, you could afford living pretty much anywhere on the planet!” After I’ve said it, it made me thinking how my cost of living has changed from the days when I used to pay around half a grand a month for a double bedroom in oh-not-so-trendy part of London, and I’m not even starting with daily costs of transport and food.

I sometimes found myself complaining, too, about a cost of living in Sihanoukville, that  pack of muesli cost $6 and chocolate over $4 in a local supermarket, which is shockingly pricey by local standards. But compared to what I was spending back in London, I really am getting a bargain for a life two mites away from the ocean. Ever dreamed about getting away from it all for a month or so? This post should give you an idea of how much you need for a little runaway.

ACCOMMODATION

While daily rent rates in Sihanoukville might seem expensive compared to non beach locations in SE Asia, they are still a bargain compared to rents in a Western world. The bright side is, you have a wide choice to suit your needs and your pocket. The longer you stay and the further away you go from the beach, the cheaper it gets.

Lots of travelers go for ‘work in exchange of food, accommodation and drinks’ option. Which is ideal if you’re planning on staying longer and your goal is to party. That’s what I did when I first came here, to save money and to get to know people. There are four main bars offering this option: Nap House, Serendip, Dolphins Shack and JJs.

Alternatively, big selection of dorms, guesthouses and fancy hotels.

For $2-$6/night you can get a bed in a dorm room with fan and cold shower, that’s around $60-$186/month.

Another option guesthouse, where rooms ranging from $8-$15/night with double bed and your very own cold shower. Plus, you get wifi in most places. That brings you to an average of $300/month for fan room or $450 with AC.

Kicking to a highest spectrum you have a choice of luxury hotels, with soft white Egyptian cotton bedding, hot bath tubs and an  aircon gyms. What would that cost you? Minimum of $1100/month.

Another option is to rent a house or apartment. Only if you”re staying for a bit longer. House prices are very affordable here and will cost you around $400/month for a 3/4 bedroom private house. Great if sharing with friends. Only downside, most of houses are a bit away from the beach, as all beach are is occupied by hotels. Personally, after working on a beach for over seven weeks now, I can compromise waking up a bit further if it saves me $300.

My first six weeks here was spent in a bar dorm for free but I had no privacy, no proper shower, no quiet sleep and no AC whatsoever. Got bitten by a spider and attacked by head lice:)) BUT it was free!

Another week in a guesthouse for $10/nigh, which was a life saver.

And at the end a couple of my friends and I had put forces together and finally rented a house, for $350/month. We split the cost which made it incredibly affordable, $86 a month.

Estimated cost: $100-$500 per month

FOOD

Before I’ve moved into a house, I didn’t have a kitchen, so lets look at the expenses considering you won’t have one either.

I usually end up skipping breakfast, as I tend to sleep till 10-11am because of a nature of my job and going to bed super late. But you can get breakfast for $1-$3 depending from what you want. Fruit salad or omelet cost $1.50 when full english breakfast $3.

For lunch I would usually have salad $2.50 and a fruit smoothie from my favorite Khmer place for $1, or chicken fried noodles from Nice foods for $1.50.

Dinner is always a gamble as sometimes I would go for a street soup for $0.75, sometimes for chicken quesadilla from Big Easy $3.50 or something as random as Sushi $4 for soft crabshel set. First days I tend to eat at the higher prices in trip advisor recommended places but the longer you live here the more hidden treasures you discover. And the night market is great for traditional dishes- cheap!

To drink I either buy a large 1.5L water bottle for 50 cents or refill for 30 cents. I sometimes splurged on a Coke for $0.50 (1$ at restaurants).

Estimated cost: $120- $300 per month

DRINKS

Obviously this is a category that will also vary wildly based on how hard a person likes to party. And lets be fair, it’s Sihanoukville, that’s what people come here for. Between 11-12 at night you can get a free drink with the flyer and free shots all night in most of the places.

Apart from that, whiskey mixer is $1, vodka $2, other high shelf spirits $3, coctails between $2.50-$4 and Happy hour in Big Easy 8-10pm 2for1 coctails for $3.25.

And because I work in one of the bars on the beach I kind of drink for free when i”m there but now and then I fancy a woo woo at other bars.

One fun splurge is a day trip on a Booze cruise. There’s a $5-$10 entrance fee that includes a light dinner and a boat ride around the islands, and drinks are only $1-$2.50 each depends which bars cruise you choose.

Oh and not to forget mentioning, this is Asia, happy hour beer is just $0.25!

Estimated cost: $0-$200 per month

TRANSPORT

If you live down by the beach you will probably end up getting motos or tuk tuks all the time. Approximate prices for near by locations from Serendipity beach: downtown market $2,Otres beach $5, Snake house $4.

If you live a bit further like I do, you might consider renting a motorbike for $60/month, worth every penny, as journey from the house to the beach is $0.50 but I end up going there and back ten times a day:)

You can also rent a bicycle if you’re ready to cycle when it’s +35 outside. Good luck with that!

Estimated cost: $0-$60 per month

ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment is the cost that will vary the most wildly. Some travelers will be happy to do little more than stroll around and watch the sunset, swim in the ocean and perhaps snorkel. Assuming you have all the gear you need, those activities are all free!

A diving course is probably one of the most expensive ways to entertain yourself but also one of the most interesting ones. There are also beginner dive courses, freediving courses, and fun diving packages available. There are two main companies organising the diving, EcoSeaDive and Scuba Nation diving centre.  

Aquatic adventures aside, there are classes for yoga, boxing, gym, cooking, trips to the near by islands and horse riding (info about this can be found in my previous post here). Cooking classes are $30 per class. Day trips to Koh Rong are somewhere around $25-$40.

For those looking for a little relaxation, there are plenty of spas around. At Relax, one of the nicest spas in town, 1h full body massages are $12. You can find them as cheap as $8 but the atmosphere will not be inviting.

Also there is Top Cat and Galaxy private cinemas that are very popular for nights out.

Estimated cost: $0-$300