Austin vs Siem Reap

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.

Siem Reap, Cambodia
🇰🇭Cambodia

Siem Reap

64Freedom Score#71Global rank$885Per month

Gateway to Angkor Wat — sunrise over the world's largest religious monument, a laid-back café scene, and a long-stay visa built for nomads.

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.

ExpenseAustinSiem Reap
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$2,800$885✓
Rent, 1BR city centre$1,453$334✓
Meal, mid-range$18$5✓
Coworking deskper month$290n.a.
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper71.832.0✓

Quality of life

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

MeasureAustinSiem Reap
Safety
56
68
Healthcare
75
40
Walkability
50
58
English spoken
100
42
Food & dining
80
68
Nightlife
85
55
Outdoors
66
36
Nomad community
60
55
Climate quality
78
68
Public transit
35
25

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureAustinSiem Reap
Freedom Score67/100✓64/100
Global rankof 100 cities#57✓#71
Internet200 Mbps✓55 Mbps
Average temperature70°F82°F
Air quality48/100✓45/100
Airport connectivity78/100✓58/100
Nomad visaUS citizen/visaLong-stay visa
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 Siem Reap if runs $1,915/mo cheaper, rent is $1,119/mo lower, it scores higher on safety (68 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

Siem Reap

  • Angkor Wat: the largest religious monument on earth
  • 6–12 month long-stay visa
  • Tiny expat town, easy community
  • Temples, rice paddies, low costs

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Austin or Siem Reap?
Austin scores higher on the Freedom Score (67/100 against 64/100), 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 Siem Reap?
Siem Reap is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $885 against $2,800, a difference of $1,915 a month or about $22,980 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $1,453/mo in Austin versus $334/mo in Siem Reap.
Which is safer: Austin or Siem Reap?
Siem Reap scores higher on safety, 68/100 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 Siem Reap?
Austin averages 200 Mbps and Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap?
Austin sits in USA (US citizen/visa) and Siem Reap in Cambodia (Long-stay visa). 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.