How Much Does a Condo Cost in Phnom Penh? 2026 Prices
What a Phnom Penh condo costs in 2026 by unit type and segment, the price per sqm spread across the city, and the all-in figure a foreign buyer pays.
Quick answer: A Phnom Penh condo costs roughly $35,000 to $65,000 for a studio, $80,000 to $110,000 for a mid-market one-bedroom of about 50 sqm, and from $180,000 to $250,000 for prime one-bedroom stock. Price per sqm runs from about $1,067 to $2,774 across the city.
Price is the first question a serious buyer asks and the last one most listing sites answer honestly, because a single average per sqm hides a spread of nearly three times between the cheapest and the most expensive district in the same city.
This page answers the price question three ways: by unit type, by segment, and as an all-in figure including the costs that arrive after the sticker price.
How much does a condo cost in Phnom Penh?
A Phnom Penh condo costs between roughly $35,000 and $250,000 in the great majority of foreign purchases in 2026, and the mid-market one-bedroom at $80,000 to $110,000 is the reference point most buyers end up comparing against. Prices are quoted in US dollars and, on completed stock, they are negotiable.
| Unit type | Typical size | 2026 ticket range |
|---|---|---|
| Studio, affordable district | 25 to 35 sqm | $35,000 to $65,000 |
| One-bedroom, mid market | About 50 sqm | $80,000 to $110,000 |
| One-bedroom, prime tower | 45 to 60 sqm | $180,000 to $250,000 |
| Two-bedroom, mid market | 65 to 85 sqm | $110,000 to $180,000 |
| Premium and penthouse stock | 100 sqm and above | $500,000 to over $1,000,000 |
Read the table as a buyer scenario map rather than a price list:
- Under $65,000 buys a studio, usually in an outer district or off-plan.
- $80,000 to $110,000 buys the unit type with the deepest tenant demand and the fastest resale.
- $180,000 and above buys central location and management quality, at a lower yield.
- Above $500,000 is a small market with few comparable transactions in any given year.
Those bands describe asking prices rather than transactions, and the difference matters in 2026 because completed stock is negotiable. Entry-level off-plan units start near $40,000 in Megakim towers such as Time Square Ocean View, while Square Castle sits near $50,000 with a staged payment plan, and both sit well below the mid-market reference point.
Anything advertised below about $35,000 deserves a title check before a viewing. Foreign buyers can hold strata title on private units above the ground floor, and a great deal of the cheapest advertised stock in Phnom Penh is either ground floor, soft title, or a borey unit with a land component that a foreigner cannot own. The eligibility guide sets out what is actually purchasable.
What price per sqm buys in each segment
Price per sqm in Phnom Penh ranges from about $1,067 in Toul Tom Poung to about $2,774 in BKK1, a spread of roughly 2.6 times inside one city. The city average is near $1,800 per sqm, and prime district pricing has stabilised in the $1,800 to $2,400 band for foreign buyers.
| Segment | Price per sqm, 2026 | What it typically means |
|---|---|---|
| Affordable | $1,000 to $1,500 | Outer districts, local and mid-market tenants |
| Mid market | $1,500 to $2,200 | Expat-friendly buildings, functioning management |
| Prime | $1,800 to $2,400 | Central districts, established rental demand |
| Ultra prime | $2,400 to $3,500 | Landmark towers, brand and view premium |
Most foreign buyers shopping for a unit they would live in themselves end up in the $1,300 to $3,000 per sqm range, a narrower band than the headline spread suggests.
Reading that spread as a simple quality ladder is the common mistake, because the $1,067 per sqm end of the market is not a cheaper version of the $2,774 end. Outer-district stock serves a different tenant, competes against a much larger pool of near-identical units, and resells to a buyer pool that is mostly local rather than foreign. A unit at $1,500 per sqm in a building with functioning management and a stable expat tenancy will frequently beat a $1,100 per sqm unit on net income, and beat it decisively on resale speed. Price per sqm is therefore a starting point to be read alongside tenant evidence, not a ranking on its own. Area context for the two ends of that spread sits in BKK1 and Toul Tom Poung, and the district-by-district breakdown belongs to the Phnom Penh buyer pillar rather than being repeated here.
Three checks convert a per sqm figure into something you can act on:
- Confirm whether the quoted area is net internal or includes a share of common space.
- Ask for two transacted comparables in the same building, not asking prices.
- Check the service charge per sqm, because a high charge offsets a low purchase price.
Insider tip: convert every asking price to price per sqm before comparing units. Developers quote total price on small units and price per sqm on large ones precisely because the comparison flatters different stock, and a $95,000 unit at 42 sqm is more expensive per sqm than a $150,000 unit at 70 sqm.
Send a tower, a floor and an asking price. We return in-building comparables and where that price sits against the segment.
Price-check my shortlistWhat you pay on top of the sticker price
Total acquisition cost runs about 5% to 7% above the purchase price for a foreign buyer, driven by transfer tax at 4% of assessed value plus independent legal fees of roughly $1,000 to $3,000. Assessed value is set by the tax department and can differ from your contract price.
| Cost line | 2026 figure | When it falls due |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer tax | 4% of assessed value | At registration |
| Independent legal review | $1,000 to $3,000 | Before signing |
| Registration and administration | Several hundred dollars | At registration |
| Service charge | Monthly, per sqm | From handover |
| Sinking fund | Annual or on demand | From handover |
Total cash needed is the price plus 5% to 7%, not the price.
Use this as your cost checklist before making an offer:
- Transfer tax at 4% of assessed value, which is set by the tax department and can differ from your price.
- Independent legal review at $1,000 to $3,000, or 0.7% to 1.5% on larger deals.
- Registration and administrative fees of several hundred dollars.
- The first service charge and sinking fund invoice, due from handover.
Stamp duty relief on qualifying residential value runs through 31 December 2026, which reduces the transfer tax line for buyers who complete registration inside the window rather than merely signing inside it. Full detail is in the closing costs guide and the stamp duty guide, and the recurring charges that surprise owners most often are set out in the sinking fund guide.
Assessed value deserves a separate note, because it is the number the 4% transfer tax is actually calculated on. The tax department sets it, and it can sit below or above your contract price depending on the building and the district. Buyers budgeting exactly 4% of the price they negotiated are therefore working with an estimate rather than a figure, and the variance runs into hundreds of dollars on an entry unit and into thousands on a $250,000 purchase. Ask your lawyer for the assessed value used on recent transfers in the same building before you fix your cash plan, because that single question converts a guess into a range you can fund. Stamp duty relief inside the 2026 window applies to that assessed figure too, not to the price on the contract.
Two of those five lines recur every year of ownership, which is why they belong in the purchase decision rather than in a post-handover surprise.
Buyers who model only the purchase price consistently underestimate the first-year cost of ownership by several thousand dollars, and on an entry-level unit that gap can equal a full year of net rent. A $90,000 studio carries roughly $3,600 of transfer tax at the 4% headline rate, about $1,500 of independent legal fees and several hundred dollars of registration cost, which totals near $5,600 before a single month of service charge is paid. Set that against a gross rent of perhaps $550 a month and the acquisition overhead alone consumes most of the first year of income. Recognising the number in advance changes which units look attractive, because it pushes a rational buyer toward slightly better stock with more reliable tenancy rather than toward the cheapest available entry ticket, where the same fixed costs are spread over a thinner and less certain rent.
What moves the price inside one building
Two units in the same tower routinely differ by 20% or more in price per sqm, and the drivers are predictable enough for foreign buyers to negotiate against. Floor level and aspect account for most of the spread, followed by finish package and by whether the seller is the developer or a resale owner competing with them.
- Floor level. Higher floors carry a premium, typically a few dollars per sqm per floor.
- Aspect and outlook. A unit facing a vacant plot is priced on today’s view and lives with tomorrow’s tower.
- Finish package. Furnished, part-furnished and bare shells are quoted as though comparable.
- Seller type. Developer stock competes with resale stock in the same building, and the developer has more staying power.
- Payment terms. A 40-month instalment plan and a cash price are different products at the same headline number.
This is the checklist we run on any two units quoted at different prices in the same tower:
| Driver | Typical effect on price per sqm | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Floor level | A few dollars per sqm per floor | Full price list by floor |
| Aspect and outlook | 5% to 15% inside one building | Plot status of the facing land |
| Finish package | Furniture package of $3,500 to $12,000 | Inventory list with the price |
| Seller type | Developer holds price, resale discounts | Whether stock is developer or resale |
| Payment terms | Instalment plans carry a credit cost | Cash price and plan price side by side |
The furnishing question in particular changes the effective price more than buyers expect, because a rentable unit needs a furniture package whether the developer supplies it or not. The furnishing and rental guide puts numbers on that decision.
How do Phnom Penh prices compare with the region?
Phnom Penh prices are the lowest of the Southeast Asian capitals where a foreign buyer can own freehold, with a city average near $1,800 per sqm against 130,000 to 150,000 THB in Bangkok’s central districts, roughly $4,000 to $4,600. The trade for that entry price is resale depth rather than legal risk.
| Market | Indicative central price per sqm | Foreign ownership route |
|---|---|---|
| Phnom Penh | About $1,800 to $2,800 | Freehold strata above ground floor |
| Bangkok central districts | 130,000 to 150,000 THB, about $4,000 to $4,600 | Freehold condo within the 49% building quota |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Above Phnom Penh, figure varies by district | 50-year renewable ownership |
Treat the comparison as a buyer scenario rather than a ranking. Figures for the other markets are indicative and move with each cycle. What does not move is the structural difference:
- Cambodia gives freehold title in your own name, with no renewal clock.
- Cambodia prices and rents in US dollars, removing the currency mismatch.
- Cambodia has the thinnest resale market of the three, which is the cost of the lower entry price.
Country-level comparisons sit in Cambodia versus Thailand and Cambodia versus Vietnam. For a buyer weighing a $110,000 Phnom Penh one-bedroom against a $180,000 equivalent in a deeper market, the question is not which city is cheaper per sqm. It is whether the $70,000 saved compensates for a resale that takes months rather than weeks.
Advantages and disadvantages of buying at each price point
Cheaper entry buys legal ownership at lower risk of capital loss in absolute terms and thinner tenant demand, while prime stock buys tenant reliability at a yield discount. Neither is the correct answer for every buyer.
| Price band | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 to $65,000 | Low capital at risk, simple entry | Weak tenant pool, slowest resale |
| $80,000 to $110,000 | Best balance of rent and liquidity | Most competitive segment for resale |
| $180,000 and above | Reliable expat tenancy, better management | Lower yield, smaller buyer pool at exit |
Buyer scenarios by budget
Matching budget to goal matters more than finding the lowest price per sqm, and four common profiles resolve cleanly.
- Testing the market with $50,000. Buy completed, not off-plan, and read the under $50,000 guide.
- Income focus with $100,000. The mid-market one-bedroom band is where rent evidence is strongest. See the $100,000 budget guide.
- Lifestyle use with $200,000. Prime one-bedroom stock in central districts, where management quality is the deciding factor.
- Portfolio buyer. Two mid-market units usually beat one prime unit on income, and lose on hassle. The investment buyer guide models both.
Red flags in a price quote
A price quote that hides its own basis is the most common red flag in the Phnom Penh market, and five checks close the gap between an advertised number and what ownership actually costs. A complete quote requires unit size, floor, tenancy status and the service charge per sqm. Each answer should arrive in writing within a week, and a quote missing unit size or service charge is incomplete rather than competitive.
| Red flag | Why it matters | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Price quoted without unit size | Blocks any per sqm comparison | Size in sqm, net and gross |
| ”From” pricing only | Cheapest unit is rarely the one shown | Price list by floor and unit |
| Yield quoted with no lease | Rent claim is unverified | Live listings and existing tenancy terms |
| Instalment price shown as cash price | Overstates value by the credit cost | Both prices, side by side |
| No mention of service charge | Understates cost of ownership | Charge per sqm and sinking fund policy |
Ask for all five in one message:
- Unit size in sqm, net and gross, because a 42 sqm unit at $95,000 and a 70 sqm unit at $150,000 are not comparable on headline price.
- Full price list by floor, where a spread of 5% to 15% inside one tower is normal.
- Any existing tenancy, with the lease term and the monthly rent in dollars.
- Cash price alongside the instalment price on a plan of up to 40 months.
- Service charge per sqm and the sinking fund policy, both payable from handover.
Our underwriting asks for the full price list by floor before considering any Phnom Penh tower, because a single quoted price tells you nothing about where the unit sits in the building’s own hierarchy. Once the transfer timeline matters, how long a transfer takes sets expectations, and the legal review that verifies what you are paying for is covered in do you need a lawyer.
The asking price is not the number you need. What a Cambodian condo costs you to complete carries three worked totals from headline price through transfer tax, legal review, furnishing and the first year of service charge, and shows why the percentage overhead is worst on the cheapest stock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Studios run roughly $35,000 to $65,000, a mid-market one-bedroom of about 50 sqm sits at $80,000 to $110,000, and prime one-bedroom stock starts at $180,000 to $250,000.
About $1,067 per sqm in Toul Tom Poung to about $2,774 per sqm in BKK1, with prime districts at $1,800 to $2,400 and a city average near $1,800.
Entry strata stock starts near $40,000. Below roughly $35,000 you are usually looking at ground floor, soft title or borey units that foreigners cannot own.
Transfer tax at 4% of assessed value, legal fees of $1,000 to $3,000, registration costs, then service charge and sinking fund from handover. Budget 5% to 7% above the price.
Floor level, aspect, future development on the facing plot, finish package, seller type and payment terms. Differences of 20% per sqm inside one building are normal.
Headline prices are flat to soft. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 vacant units keep asking prices under pressure, so negotiation on completed stock is realistic.
Send the tower, floor, size and asking price. We return in-building comparables, rent evidence and where the price sits against its segment.
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