Cambodia spends dollars, renews your stay every 12 months, and sends serious cases to Bangkok

In Cambodia, you don't need your long-term visa sorted before you land. You arrive on a $35 ordinary (E) visa. Once you're in the country you extend it for one, three, six or twelve months at a time, depending on why you're there. That's the whole appeal for a lot of Americans: you sort out your status after you land, and a 12-month extension means no leaving the country every few months to reset the clock.

Retirees get their own version, the ER, open to anyone 55 or older with no legal minimum income attached. Workers, students and job seekers each have one too, and chapter 03 walks through all four.

The money side is familiar, too. U.S. dollars are accepted for rent, bills and bigger purchases, so you won't be doing currency math on your lease. The Cambodian riel is still around for the small stuff: purchases under about $10 to $20 happen almost entirely in riel, and your change usually comes back in riel at roughly 4,000 to 4,100 to the dollar.

Day-to-day costs are low enough that a fixed income goes a long way; chapter 02 has the line-by-line numbers. Plus, the setting is hard to beat: the temples of Angkor outside Siem Reap, quiet river towns in the south, and a capital whose new international airport opened in October 2025.

Here's the catch

Cambodia doesn't suit everyone, and it's better to hear why now rather than after you've signed a lease.

Healthcare is the big one. The U.S. State Department says Cambodia's medical facilities don't meet international standards and strongly recommends medical evacuation insurance. For anything serious, expats are typically flown to Bangkok or Singapore. If you have a chronic condition that needs specialists, weigh this before anything else. Medicare won't follow you, either.

Work isn't simple. The visa lets you stay; a separate work permit from the Ministry of Labor lets you work, and that includes the self-employed.

You can't own land. The Constitution reserves land to Khmer nationals, so foreigners buy condos under strata title or sign long leases. The State Department notes that some Americans have faced threats and extortion in business disputes, especially over real estate.

Daily life has its rough edges. The State Department rates Cambodia Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and tells Americans to stay 50 km (about 31 miles) back from the Thai border. English scores 45 out of 100 in our data, and Khmer is the only official language. Same-sex relations are legal, but same-sex marriage is prohibited. April highs sit around 95°F.

If you can live with all of that, the rest of this guide covers what a month costs, which extension fits you, how healthcare, taxes and banking work, and who can take the paperwork off your hands.

As of 2026, our cost data puts a comfortable month in Cambodia at about $1,700 for a couple, $1,000 for one person and $2,750 for a family, housing included. Those budgets assume you live like a resident, not a tourist: local restaurants, a mid-range apartment, and getting around by tuk-tuk rather than a car of your own.

Rent is the line that moves most. A one-bedroom in a city center averages about $400 a month, and about $250 further out. Phnom Penh sits at the top of that range, while quieter towns come in lower. Food is where the budget stretches: a simple meal out runs about $3. Our local transport estimate is about $10 a month, which assumes you live close to where you shop and eat.

The lines that surprise people run the other way. Health insurance with evacuation coverage is a real monthly cost here, not an optional extra, and it isn't in our budget figures, so price it separately at your age before you commit. Visa extensions add about $275 to $300 a year per person for a 12-month ER through an agent, so a couple should set aside $550 to $600 a year for staying legal. Home internet is about $23 a month at roughly 35 Mbps--fine for video calls but modest if you move large files for work.

One money habit to pick up early: carry crisp bills. The State Department notes that ripped or stained U.S. notes get rejected, and small change comes back in riel. Keep a few dollars and a stack of riel in separate pockets and you'll stop thinking about it.

Everything long-term in Cambodia starts the same way: an ordinary (E) visa, $35 at the embassy in Washington, good for 30 days after you land. The tourist (T) visa is $30 and extends only once, by 30 days, so skip it if you plan to stay. Your passport needs six months of validity. Flying into Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, you'll also fill in the free e-Arrival card online, up to seven days before you land.

Once you're in, you convert that E visa into one of several extensions. The prices below are what agents charge to file them for you. Extensions of one or three months are single entry, and six- or twelve-month extensions allow multiple entries. Which one you pick depends on what you'll be doing here.

Retired and 55 or older: the ER extension

This is the simplest path for retirees. You need to be 55 or older and show proof of retirement, such as a pension statement, a Social Security letter or retirement-account paperwork. There's no legal minimum income; the $1,000 to $1,500 figures you'll see online are rules of thumb, not law. A 12-month ER runs about $275 to $300 through an agent and usually processes in 7 to 15 business days. The one hard rule: ER holders can't work or run a business in Cambodia.

Working, remote work and business: the EB extension

The EB is the extension for people who work or run a business here. It comes in 1, 3, 6 or 12 months; agents charge about $160 to $190 for six months and $285 to $300 for twelve. Since 2024, 6- and 12-month EB renewals have required a valid work permit if you work here. The permit is a separate document from the Ministry of Labor, issued through its online FWCMS portal, valid for one year and renewed early each year. Government fees run about $130 a year according to one expat guide, though others quote $100 to $300. Self-employed people need one too, and employers work under a cap of 10 percent foreign staff. If you're a remote worker who'll spend most of the year here, one Cambodian outlet suggests registering as self-employed so your status is clean.

Studying or job hunting: the ES and EG extensions

The ES is for students enrolled at a Cambodian school, extended to match the course. The EG is a job-seeker extension that tops out at six months, single entry, renewable once. If you find a job, you move to the EB with a work permit.

The long-term option: Cambodia My 2nd Home

Introduced in June 2022 with Ministry of Interior approval, this program offers a 10-year visa with unlimited entries. A United Nations investment summary describes the entry bar as at least $100,000 in investment capital plus property in Cambodia. It's run by a private company that doesn't publish fees. Its claim that holders can apply for a passport after five years sits awkwardly next to the seven-year residence rule in Cambodia's nationality law. Treat it as a niche option and get independent legal advice before paying anyone.

A note on the long game: naturalization takes seven years from the date you receive a residence card, and you'll need to speak Khmer, read the script and know some Khmer history. Cambodia allows dual citizenship for ordinary citizens, so becoming Cambodian doesn't cost you your U.S. passport. Stay on top of renewals: overstays cost $10 a day, and long ones can mean arrest and deportation.

Four things decide whether a move here works on paper. Here's how each one stands as of September 2026.

Healthcare

Plan your healthcare before you plan anything else. The State Department says medical facilities in Cambodia don't meet international standards and strongly recommends evacuation insurance. Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, part of Thailand's Bangkok Dusit Medical Services group, describes itself as the country's only JCI-accredited hospital and can arrange air evacuation to Bangkok with a medical team on board. For serious illness or injury, expats are typically evacuated to Thailand or Singapore. Medicare and Medicaid don't pay overseas, so you'll want international coverage that includes evacuation, sized for your age. Hunter Schultz, a healthcare coach with a background in air medical transport, can help you judge what level of care you need. ExpatInsure can quote the policy.

Taxes

Cambodia doesn't have a traditional personal income tax. It taxes salary. If you're in the country more than 182 days in a year, you're a tax resident, and your salary is taxed at 0 to 20 percent a month on worldwide salary: nothing on the first 1,500,000 riel (about $370) and 20 percent above 12,500,000 riel (about $3,100). Non-residents pay a flat 20 percent on Cambodian-source salary. The sources we checked describe only this salary tax, so if you live on a pension or investments, confirm with a tax professional how your income is treated. On the U.S. side, you still file every year. There's no U.S.-Cambodia tax treaty and no Social Security totalization agreement. If you earn a salary here, the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion ($132,900 for tax year 2026) can shelter much of it from U.S. tax. MyExpatTaxes files U.S. returns from abroad, and Beacon Global Advisors keeps American retirement accounts working after you leave.

Money and banking

Banks want more than a tourist visa. Expect to show your passport, a long-stay E-class extension, a lease and a Cambodian phone number. ABA Bank is the usual choice for foreigners; accounts come in both dollars and riel. Moneycorp can move your dollars from a U.S. account on a schedule, which helps with rent.

Buying a home

Foreigners can't own land; the Constitution reserves it to Khmer nationals. What you can buy is a condo under strata title, above the ground floor, in a building where foreigners hold no more than 70 percent of the units, with a 4 percent transfer tax. Leases of up to 50 years are the other route and must be registered if they run past 15 years. Stay away from nominee arrangements where a Cambodian holds land in their name for you: they aren't recognized under Cambodian law. Rent first, and buy only with a lawyer who works for you, not the seller.

Bringing a pet

Dogs and cats need a microchip and a rabies shot given at least 30 days before arrival, plus a health certificate endorsed by the USDA. There's no import permit or quarantine needed if the paperwork is right. Starwood Pet Travel handles this end to end.