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Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

how to find roommates in phnom penh

    'Not Luxe' Nick and Raychel lay on a blue beanbag in sunny Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    Renting an Apartment in Phnom Penh | What You Need to Know

    by Nick & Raychel February 27, 2020

    Let’s talk about renting an apartment in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

    If you’re moving to Phnom Penh to teach English, you’re going to need a place to live. Okay – so there is good news and there is bad news. Let’s start with the latter. Unlike moving to a country like China, most English teaching jobs in Cambodia will not cover your accommodation. That said, the good news is that there are many different apartment rental options in Phnom Penh, and we’re here to make the process a little easier.


    If you prefer to watch instead of read, find our YouTube video on finding an apartment to rent in Cambodia here.

    So how do you get started in looking for an apartment to rent in Cambodia? And what exactly should you look for? Let’s talk about that now.

    Book a hostel/hotel for the first week upon your arrival in Cambodia

    First things first, we always recommend booking a hostel or a hotel for the first week after your arrival so that you have time to look for your new home.  Spend a good week situating yourself, finding where you’re going to work, and exploring the different areas before committing to a lease. At the time of writing this blog, there are tons of options for apartment rentals in Phnom Penh, and there is no need to rush. 

    But what do you do once you’re ready to look for a place? Soon, you’ll have a better idea of where to look, what to look for, and what pricing looks like for renting an apartment in Phnom Penh.

    Where do you even start looking for a place?

    Here are the two main places where we recommend looking for an apartment in Phnom Penh:

    • ‘Phnom Penh Housing’ Facebook Group

      In this Facebook group, you simply post what you’re looking for, what your price range is and what area you want to live within Phnom Penh. I promise you, within an hour of posting, your direct messages will be flooded by helpful real estate agents looking to show you around the city.

      Landlords and estate agents can also post their listings this Facebook group for you to message them as well.

      In our opinion, this is the best community for finding a great apartment rental in Cambodia. People search for roommates here as well, if that’s your cup of tea.

    • Khmer24

      Khmer24 is a buy & sell platform in Cambodia, similar to Craigslist, Kijiji, or Gumtree. Here, you can find properties to rent or buy in Phnom Penh, or really anywhere in Cambodia. Khmer24 is a really good platform to get familiar with if you are planning on moving to Cambodia to teach English, or for any other reason as well. 

    Are real estate agents in Cambodia free?

    Yep, they sure are. Real estate agents will make a commission from the owner off of the place that you rent, so you don’t have to pay a dime. If you are an expat moving to Phnom Penh, or really anywhere in Cambodia, we recommend getting one. We recommend getting a real estate agent in Cambodia while you are renting an apartment in Phnom Penh, as they will help you translate, navigate, and negotiate in Khmer.

    Here’s what to look for when you’re renting an apartment in Cambodia

    Everything should be included in your price range.

    If your budget is $300 USD/month, for example, don’t budge. In fact, we would say the same thing if your budget is $50 USD/month. No matter what your standard and personal budget is, we are telling you now that you will be able to stick to it and there will be an accommodation that suits your needs and price point.

    When looking for an apartment in Phnom Penh, ensure that you’re asking about the water bill, electricity bill, and WiFi. Just like any country, those expenses could rack up pretty quickly -so be sure you know what those entail. 

    What area in Phnom Penh is the best to live in?

    Here are our personal favourites:

    • Russian Market: by far the least expensive AND expat-friendly area in Phnom Penh. Super accessible, cool views, great vibe, amazing food, and did we say inexpensive??
    • Tuol Kuok: A nice, safe, clean area in Phnom Penh, a bit far away from the crazy nightlife near the riverside, and close to lots of schools
    • BKK1, BKK2 & BKK3: Any time you see any of these three areas in an apartment posting, you may see the price increase. This is because the BKKs are a safe area to live for expats, lots of new housing development and fantastic accessibility.  
    • We do not recommend ‘the riverside’ to live full-time, as the party-hardy expats all tend to veer in that direction, and the scene can get a bit dodgy if you’re not careful. Take it from us.

    How much does an apartment cost in Phnom Penh?

    Like any city, this can be a tricky question. It really depends. But hey, here’s our breakdown.

    • $300 USD/month can find you a great little apartment with Western amenities, furniture, and security in a great area of Phnom Penh
    • $500 USD /month is a big budget that will find you a modern apartment with Western amenities, a pool, gym, security, and probably a view
    • $100-$200 USD/month will afford you a great big room in a shared home with flatmates, or a private Khmer-Style apartment, potentially without a stovetop, but if you’re cool with cooking on a hot plate and living on a budget – you can make this budget work

    Remember:
    – When you see an apartment listed at a certain price, it is always negotiable
    – Don’t be afraid to ask your real estate agent to help you negotiate, that’s what they’re there for!


    Still looking for a job in Phnom Penh? Find our guide on how to get a paid teaching job in Cambodia. 

    Just moved to Phnom Penh & looking for stuff to do? Find our Phnom Penh ‘things to do’ guide here!

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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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  • Every choice comes with sacrifice. We chose to use our money that we work for to travel, and we continue to make that choice every day.

But making that choice means we haven’t been able to do other things that another 30 year old couple would maybe do. We sold our car, all of our things, we don’t have a stable place to live, we haven’t started a family, we don’t own a home.

We work overtime to afford our travels, and we have very little money for anything else. 

And of course, we must acknowledge that we have huge amounts of privilege to even be able to make that choice. Our strong passports allow us to see much of the world, we were born into a country where our currency is valued worldwide, and we always have a friend or family member’s couch to crash on if we need it.

So this post is not meant to complain, rather show: everything comes with a sacrifice - and if you’re considering giving up your stable life for full-time travel, there may be some things you have to leave behind.

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

__

Tags: #notluxe #traveltips #budgettravel #cheaptravel #budgettraveltips  #girlslovetravel #travelgram #getoutstayout #livetoexplore #travelblogger #canadiancreator #vancouverblogger #vanlifesociety #vanlifediaries #traveldiaries
  • We’ve lived on 3 continents by travelling slow and working when we end up 🫶🏼

& somehow our travels brought us back to our home city for the summer this year for the first time in 6 YEARS! Damn.

But we’ve said it once and we’ll say it a trillion times, we will do almost a n y t h I n g in the name of travel.

Any questions?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

__

Tags: #notluxe #traveltips #budgettravel #cheaptravel #budgettraveltips #gapyear #travelgirls #travelgirlsgo #girlslovetravel #travelgram #granolagirl#getoutstayout #livetoexplore #travelblogger #vanlifeculture #vanlifediaries #vanlifeideas #liveoutdoors #vanlifeliving #vanlife #homeiswhereyouparkit #tinyhome #canadiantravel #ohcanada #canadiancreators
  • If you want to live in a van in 2023/2024, here is our roadmap for getting started with van life. 

⇾ Embrace minimalism and downsize your possessions

⇾ Research different van options that fit your lifestyle and budget

⇾ Set a realistic budget for your van purchase or build

⇾ Plan your layout and storage needs

⇾ Learn about solar power and sustainability

⇾ Source materials and supplies for your build - you can learn on YouTube

⇾ Talk to insurance companies and classify your van as a motorhome

⇾ Download iOverlander and create a budget for your travels

⇾ Connect with the van life community and attend meetups

⇾ Hit the road and embrace the freedom of van life 

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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Tags: #notluxe  #vanlife #vanlifemovement  #vanlifegirl #tinyliving #vanconversion #vanconversionideas #vanbuild #camperlife #homeonwheels #vanlifers #vanlifecouple #travelcouple  #granolagirl #vandwellers #explorecanada #travelcanada #yvrcreators #canadiantravelbloggers #outdoorscreator
  • How much I spend in a day living *basically* rent-free in Vancouver 

As many of you know, we live in a van, but we also do housesitting with @trustedhousesitters 

Transit with a compass card is $2.50 which I use frequently - especially to visit my parents who also live in Vancouver 

This day we checked out To Live For Bakery @tolivefor.bakery which I highly, highly recommend to anyone who is cruising through the city and ends up on Nanaimo 

Also popped by @welksonmain for some N/A drinks from  @sobercarpenter & @getgruvi 

And our Trusted Housesitters membership is $11/mo totalling $0.38 for rent per day

& the one day total was $18.23 

Any questions?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe  #vanlifeculture  #traveldiaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vandwelling #discovercanada #vancitylife #bcadventure #canadiancreator #vancouverfoodie #veganfoodie #outdoorsycreator #minimalism #housesitting
  • Things we would have never done if we had listened to ✨ fear ✨(and these are just a few)

• quit our jobs to teach English in Asia
• sold everything we owned (twice) 
• moved to a country we’d never been to before (twice)
• converted an old ambulance into a tiny home with no experience
• drove from Canada to Mexico in our van 
• met up with people from the internet and became best friends 

But mostly, taken a chance on ourselves.

We do our best to not let fear or the opinions of others lead the way. 

Do you have any to add?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • Is van life really cheaper than renting? Van life costs vs. monthly expenses living in an apartment.

Not to mention the average price in Vancouver now is $2,700 - so not sure where we’d find that $1,300 rental anymore.

Any questions about van life?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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