Austin vs Phnom Penh

Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.

Austin, USA
🇺🇸USA

Austin

67Freedom Score#57Global rank$2,800Per month

Texas tech capital — no state income tax, live music, and a booming startup scene with perfect US market hours for traders.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia
🇰🇭Cambodia

Phnom Penh

62Freedom Score#80Global rank$1,268Per month

Cambodia's riverside capital blends Royal Palace grandeur, French-colonial boulevards, and an easy e-visa with one of Southeast Asia's lowest cost floors.

The short answer

Compare these two in the full toolBoth cities pre-loaded — add your income and priorities to get a personal match score

Cost of living

Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.

ExpenseAustinPhnom Penh
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$2,800$1,268✓
Rent, 1BR city centre$1,453$642✓
Meal, mid-range$18$6✓
Coworking deskper month$290$150✓
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper71.840.0✓

Quality of life

Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.

MeasureAustinPhnom Penh
Safety
56
58
Healthcare
75
45
Walkability
50
55
English spoken
100
42
Food & dining
80
70
Nightlife
85
65
Outdoors
66
36
Nomad community
60
58
Climate quality
78
68
Public transit
35
42

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureAustinPhnom Penh
Freedom Score67/100✓62/100
Global rankof 100 cities#57✓#80
Internet200 Mbps✓55 Mbps
Average temperature70°F84°F
Air quality48/10055/100✓
Airport connectivity78/100✓62/100
Nomad visaUS citizen/visaE-visa 30d
Headline tax rateon local income10%10%

Which should you choose?

Choose Austin if internet is faster at 200 Mbps, English is more widely spoken, the climate scores better and the nomad community is larger.

Choose Phnom Penh if runs $1,532/mo cheaper, rent is $811/mo lower, it scores higher on safety (58 vs 56) and it is more walkable.

What each city is known for

Austin

  • Texas has zero state income tax — max your take-home
  • Perfect market hours: NYSE opens at 9:30am (with 1hr offset)
  • Booming tech & startup ecosystem — huge networking
  • Live-music, food-truck, and outdoor culture year-round

Phnom Penh

  • 30-day e-visa on arrival
  • Royal Palace and riverside promenade
  • Among the cheapest SE Asian capitals
  • Friendly, USD-friendly economy

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Austin or Phnom Penh?
Austin scores higher on the Freedom Score (67/100 against 62/100), which makes it the stronger all-round base. That is an average, though — if cost, climate or community is what actually decides it for you, the tables above will point the other way as often as not.
Which is cheaper: Austin or Phnom Penh?
Phnom Penh is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $1,268 against $2,800, a difference of $1,532 a month or about $18,384 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $1,453/mo in Austin versus $642/mo in Phnom Penh.
Which is safer: Austin or Phnom Penh?
Phnom Penh scores higher on safety, 58/100 against 56/100. Safety scores blend crime levels, political stability and healthcare access, and they describe a city as a whole — individual neighbourhoods vary far more than the headline number suggests.
How fast is the internet in Austin and Phnom Penh?
Austin averages 200 Mbps and Phnom Penh averages 55 Mbps, so Austin has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Austin or Phnom Penh?
Austin sits in USA (US citizen/visa) and Phnom Penh in Cambodia (E-visa 30d). Requirements, income floors and processing times change often, so check the visa and residency guide before you commit to either.
Open the interactive comparison

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Cost, connectivity and quality-of-life figures come from the YourLifeMatch city dataset. Where a value is not confirmed it reads n.a. rather than an estimate. Figures are for planning, not professional advice.