Cambodia - Cambodian riel - Currency Guide

US dollar to Cambodian riel - Historical Rates

Travel, Currency and Money saving tips for Cambodia

Cambodia is a very cheap country to travel in. Visas are available on arrival (also known as the "VOA"), cost US$30 and take about 20-30 minutes to process. One can also apply for the visa online. Note that at some border crossings they do not accept the e-visa, be sure to check which crossings accept them on the site prior to purchasing the e-visa.

If you're out in the crowded streets of Phnom Penh, trying to enjoy the sights of this captivating city, but you're constantly approached by locals trying to sell you stuff you don't want. Although selling over-priced merchandise or pestering relatively wealthy tourists isn't a crime, some find it really annoying.

Tuk Tuks are the cheapest way to get around in a city, set your price before jumping in and pay on arrival. Local city transportation is cheap, costing only a few dollars. You can get a bus anywhere in the country at a good price.

While in Siem Reap or Phnom Penh you can gain a lot by hiring one tuk tuk driver during your whole stay.This is one way to build a rapport, to get good continuous service and to remove some of the hassle factor in having to flag down a tuk tuk.

Booking internal  travel from Siem Reap to other centres such as Battambang or Phnom Penh is generally easy with most every hotel and guest house having good local knowledge. Ask your hotel/guest house manager and they will be sure to help.

Travel money for Cambodia

As mentioned above, the Cambodian riel is a closed currency. Which means that you may find it difficult (or be permitted) to purchase the currency (KHR) before departure and will need to buy it upon arrival in Cambodia.

For these types of destinations, using a pre-paid travel card is a good solution. As no travel cards support loading closed currencies like the KHR you will incur currency conversion or foreign transaction fees if you use a travel money card in Cambodia.

However, using a pre-paid travel card is still a good idea as you can avoid ATM fees and also you can avoid using (and losing!) your main bank or debit/credit card.

Send Money to Cambodia - Best Rates

To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Cambodia you need to find and compare exchange rates for International Money Transfers (IMTs).

The available FX rates for sending money abroad can be very different to the mid-market (wholesale) rate which you see reported online and in the News.

You should especially compare your own bank's exchange rates to those available from Money Transfer specialists to see how much you can save - we make that calculation easy in the below table.

Get a better deal for foreign transfers to Cambodia

When sending money to Cambodia it’s important to compare your bank’s rates & fees with those we have negotiated with our partner money transfer providers. To get a better deal you should follow these 4 simple steps :

1. Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
2. You specify the local or Cambodian riel amount you want to transfer
3. Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
4. Once your funds are received by the provider the converted KHR amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Cambodia.

Use the above Send to Cambodian riel calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more Cambodian riel deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!