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El Nido vs Sihanoukville cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ต๐ญ El Nido
๐ฐ๐ญ Sihanoukville
At a glance
- Where Sihanoukville is clearly cheaper: Hotel night (42%โ), Scooter rental (32%โ), Entry ticket (29%โ)
- Where El Nido is clearly cheaper: Transit (65%โ), Street food (56%โ), Haircut (34%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
El Nido is easier to travel (2.8 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: language โ El Nido 2 vs Sihanoukville 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | El Nido | Sihanoukville | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฑ 150$2.63 | $ 3.5$3.5 | El Nido โ25% |
| Street food1 item | โฑ 50$0.88 | $ 2$2 | El Nido โ56% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฑ 450$7.89 | $ 10$10 | El Nido โ21% |
| Coffeeone cup | โฑ 150$2.63 | $ 2.5$2.5 | Sihanoukville โ5% |
| Beerone bottle | โฑ 90$1.58 | $ 1.5$1.5 | Sihanoukville โ5% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฑ 250$4.39 | $ 4$4 | Sihanoukville โ9% |
| Bottled water | โฑ 25$0.44 | $ 0.5$0.5 | El Nido โ12% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฑ 45$0.79 | $ 0.8$0.8 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฑ 150$2.63 | $ 3$3 | El Nido โ12% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฑ 60$1.05 | $ 1.5$1.5 | El Nido โ30% |
| Transitone ride | โฑ 30$0.53 | $ 1.5$1.5 | El Nido โ65% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฑ 500$8.77 | $ 6$6 | Sihanoukville โ32% |
| Hotel night3-star | โฑ 4,000$70.2 | $ 41$41 | Sihanoukville โ42% |
| Studio rent (month) | โฑ 15,000$263 | $ 300$300 | El Nido โ12% |
| Laundry | โฑ 70$1.23 | $ 1.5$1.5 | El Nido โ18% |
| SIM card1 week data | โฑ 300$5.26 | $ 6$6 | El Nido โ12% |
| Haircutcut | โฑ 150$2.63 | $ 4$4 | El Nido โ34% |
| Massage1 hour | โฑ 500$8.77 | $ 8$8 | Sihanoukville โ9% |
| Half-day tourper person | โฑ 1,400$24.6 | $ 20$20 | Sihanoukville โ19% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฑ 400$7.02 | $ 5$5 | Sihanoukville โ29% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, El Nido or Sihanoukville?
El Nido and Sihanoukville cost about the same. Daily budget $99.4 vs $75.1; a month $1,155 vs $1,333.
Which is easier to travel, El Nido or Sihanoukville?
El Nido is easier: El Nido 2.8/5 vs Sihanoukville 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between El Nido and Sihanoukville?
With a short-term studio and living costs, El Nido is about $1,155 and Sihanoukville about $1,333 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.