We visit Phnom Penh, Cambodia and eat a ton of Cambodian food and street food. We get a room in a Phnom Penh hostel, ride tuk-tuks and cyclos around the city, visit Central Market and Kandal Market, exercise by the Mekong River, visit the Grand Palace, hang out with locals, and eat HAPPY PIZZA – all for less than 20 bucks!

[Music produced by The Passion HiFi – www.thepassionhifi.com]

Total cost to travel Phnom Penh for a full day:

Sugarcane juice – $0.50
Four doughy cakes – $0.50
Sticky rice – $0.50
Egg and meat – $0.50
Baguette sandwich – $1
Cyclo ride – $0.50
Water – $0.50
Fish soup with rice – $2.50
Tuk-tuk ride $1
Balut – $0.37
Hostel dorm bed – $5
Happy pizza – $6

TOTAL: $18.37

Currency in Cambodia

One thing that’s good to know before visiting Phnom Penh, or Cambodia in general, is that the primary currency is the U.S. dollar. But day-to-day commerce is a mixture of both the USD and the Cambodian riel, so you’ll be given the equivalent of your change back in Cambodia’s currency.

One U.S. dollar = 4,000 Cambodian riel

Ex: if you buy a cup of sugarcane juice priced at 2,000 riel and you pay using a US dollar, you’ll receive 2,000 riel as your change.

How we travel from city to city: CamboTicket.com

We book bus and ferry tickets ONLINE for Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. *It’s convenient, dependable, ticketless, and affordable for backpackers – Click here to book a ticket through CamboTicket.com. *All opinions expressed in this article about CamboTicket are my own.

We stayed at the 19 Happy House Hostel

This hostel is a five minute walk from the riverside and a 20 minute walk to the Grand Palace. Great location, friendly staff, and a dormitory bed costs only 5 bucks for the night!

Click here to book a room at this hostel. When you arrive, tell them KEVIN SENT YOU to receive a 10% discount!

Address: អាសយដ្ឋាន៖ #59 street 13, Street 13, Phnom Penh

Happy Pizza

We visited the Happy Herb Pizza shop on the riverside and I indulged in a medium sized happy margherita pizza! It was most herbalicious. Cost: six dollars.

Balut – fertilized duck egg

On the Mekong Riverside outside of the Grand Palace, vendors sell balut, a boiled duck embryo served with lime, salt and pepper.