Lima 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.

Lima, Peru
🇵🇪Peru

Lima

74Freedom Score#35Global rank$1,367Per month

The gastronomic capital of the Americas — Lima pairs world-class Miraflores dining and a Pacific cliffside lifestyle with South America's most underrated value, fast internet, and a growing creative scene.

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.

ExpenseLimaPhnom Penh
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$1,367$1,268✓
Rent, 1BR city centre$774$642✓
Meal, mid-range$12$6✓
Coworking deskper month$160$150✓
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper54.040.0✓

Quality of life

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

MeasureLimaPhnom Penh
Safety
52
58
Healthcare
72
45
Walkability
70
55
English spoken
42
42
Food & dining
92
70
Nightlife
78
65
Outdoors
65
36
Nomad community
62
58
Climate quality
52
68
Public transit
55
42

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureLimaPhnom Penh
Freedom Score74/100✓62/100
Global rankof 100 cities#35✓#80
Internet100 Mbps✓55 Mbps
Average temperature66°F84°F
Air quality55/10055/100
Airport connectivity78/100✓62/100
Nomad visa90 daysE-visa 30d
Headline tax rateon local income15%10%

Which should you choose?

Choose Lima if internet is faster at 100 Mbps, it is more walkable and the nomad community is larger.

Choose Phnom Penh if runs $99/mo cheaper, rent is $132/mo lower, it scores higher on safety (58 vs 52) and the climate scores better.

What each city is known for

Lima

  • Back-to-back World's 50 Best Restaurant wins — unmatched food scene
  • Fast 100 Mbps fiber and a growing Barranco/Miraflores creative hub
  • Pacific cliffside malecón living at a fraction of coastal-city prices
  • Perfect US market alignment — open at 10:30am local time

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: Lima or Phnom Penh?
Lima scores higher on the Freedom Score (74/100 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: Lima or Phnom Penh?
Phnom Penh is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $1,268 against $1,367, a difference of $99 a month or about $1,188 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $774/mo in Lima versus $642/mo in Phnom Penh.
Which is safer: Lima or Phnom Penh?
Phnom Penh scores higher on safety, 58/100 against 52/100. 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 Lima and Phnom Penh?
Lima averages 100 Mbps and Phnom Penh averages 55 Mbps, so Lima has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Lima or Phnom Penh?
Lima sits in Peru (90 days) 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.