All You Need To Know About Currency in Cambodia

If you’re planning to travel to Cambodia soon, you’ll have been looking into the money situation. The currency in Cambodia is a little less straightforward than other countries and it can take time to get your head around it.

When I booked my coach from Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam to Phnom Penh in Cambodia I couldn’t wait. I’d heard so much about this very intriguing country and had completed my research with a list of attractions to visit.

Next was the standard drill – check the local currency and pick up some cash from my nearest currency exchange. Simple, right?

Well no actually, I was about to unlock a Google minefield, filled with confusion and uncertainty. But after a couple of weeks, I’d muddled my way through this puzzle to become pretty competent at how the currency in Cambodia works. I thought that it would be great to share what I’ve learnt for anyone who is planning to visit.

Read on to find out more about the currency in Cambodia, what money you should exchange, and how it all works.

What is the currency in Cambodia?

The official currency in Cambodia is the Riel but US Dollars are widely used, which is where the confusion really comes in! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve visited other countries in the past where the US Dollar is accepted but in Cambodia, Dollars are the price quoted.

Some places will also quote Riel but in virtually all cases it plays second fiddle to the Dollar.

What currency should I bring into Cambodia?

Dollars is the simple answer. Riel is not actually an interchangeable currency outside of Cambodia, which is something that you should note for when you are leaving the country.

So how does the currency work in Cambodia?

This is where the complexity comes in because it seems to work in any way imaginable! The Riel is very weak in comparison to the Dollar, so is typically used for a lot of low value transactions like tuk tuk fairs, but both can be used in the same transaction.

It does change from merchant to merchant, but generally 4000 Riel equals $1. There are a few places, like markets for instance, that will quote a different exchange rate but as it stands, this is typically the going rate.

So, if I was buying something that was $3, I could use a $2 bill and 4000 Riel to pay. If you aren’t too good with your four times table before visiting Cambodia, you will be by the end of it!

Are there cashpoints in Cambodia?

In short yes, but this was also a big learning curve for me as cash didn’t seem to be too free flowing. For starters when I was fortunate to find a cash point with money in it, they always charge a fee to withdraw.

Merchants also do cashback but once again this can carry a fee which can be as high as 8%. Cash points had a choice of Riel or Dollars to pick from and the vast majority of them didn’t have any dollars available.

Also, the ones that did only tended to distribute $100 bills. These were very hard to break and even some 7 Eleven’s couldn’t do this.

Is card widely accepted in Cambodia?

The simple answer for this is no. Out of all of the countries that I visited in South East Asia, Cambodia was the one that accepted card the least.

When I was in the southern islands, I can’t remember one place that accepted card.

My top tips on Cambodian money and currency

– Bring Dollars not Riel.

– Bring in enough money for your entire time in Cambodia (if possible).

– When you have an opportunity to pay by card, use it. There was still a charge many times but I knew that I’d still have enough Dollars for when I needed it, which was the vast majority of the time.

It also meant that I wouldn’t need to risk having to traipse around finding a cashpoint with money in it.

– Haggle – Although it is probably one of the poorer places I visited, I found Cambodia more expensive then both Thailand and Vietnam. Unfortunately they seem to have taken a nosedive when it comes to tourism recently.

This seems to be mainly due to a sharp decline in Chinese visitors and investment over the past few years. I found that a lot of merchants seemed quite desperate at times and would overcharge when they knew that I’d come from abroad.

For instance, I had someone asking me for $3 for a small can of fizzy drink which is more then double the cost in the UK. So just be really wary that a lot of stuff is overpriced, especially in the touristy areas.

– When you are handed Dollars in Cambodia, check the notes. If there’s a little rip or if it’s soiled, dirty or got writing on it, they will not accept it.

I have heard of some instances where notes have not been taken because they’re folded. I haven’t personally found this but I have had plenty of Dollar notes rejected.

So when you get given Dollar notes by merchants, check them and if they are ripped or soiled, don’t accept them. A lot of the time you will find your change will be in Riel.

– Spend your Riel before you leave. As I mentioned, Riel cannot be exchanged outside of Cambodia so unless you want some notes as a souvenir, you should use it all up before you reach the border.

There are my top tips on how to navigate Cambodian currency. Overall, I found it a bit of a balancing act but this is what worked for me. Feel free to comment below with your own tips and experience. I hope that this helps anyone that is planning to visit this beautiful country.

This is a guest post from Tim Jones from Wildness and Wellbeing, a podcast and blog with a focus on how the outdoors can help your mental health. Tim is currently travelling around Southeast Asia.