Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is a capital on the rise, with glass towers going up beside French colonial buildings and a riverfront that comes alive in the evenings. For nomads it offers city convenience at lower prices than Bangkok, a lively food and bar scene, and an expat community that has deep roots in business, development work and teaching. It suits people who like a bit of grit and are comfortable with a city that is still finding its shape.

BKK1 is the classic expat district, packed with cafés, restaurants and serviced apartments. Tonle Bassac, just east, is slightly more polished, and Toul Tom Poung around the Russian Market is the cheaper and more characterful option. For work, The Desk on Norodom Boulevard offers hot desks for roughly 60 to 80 dollars a month, Impact Hub Phnom Penh caters to social enterprises and startups, and Factory Phnom Penh, a converted garment factory south of the centre, combines workspaces with art, cafés and events.

Fixed broadband is improving but averages around 50 Mbps nationally, so it is worth checking speeds before committing to an apartment and keeping a 4G or 5G SIM as backup. A one-bedroom in BKK1 or Tonle Bassac typically costs 500 to 700 dollars a month, with Toul Tom Poung cheaper, and a comfortable month comes to about 1,200 to 1,300 dollars. The US dollar is used for most transactions. PassApp and Grab tuk-tuks make getting around easy. The new Techo International Airport lies about 25 km south of the centre. The cooler months of November to February are the most comfortable.

Petty crime is the main concern, especially bag and phone snatching from passing motorbikes, so keep valuables out of sight. Traffic is chaotic, pavements are often used for parking, and the city floods in heavy rain. The heat from March to May is intense, and the nomad community is smaller than the size of the city might suggest.