Where should foreigners invest in Cambodia?

Before we look into property investment in Cambodia, let’s learn about the demographics of Cambodia (Officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia!)

Located in the southern region of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia, Cambodia is surrounded by neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Laos, as well as Vietnam.

As of 9th September 2020, its population is 16,718,965 based on Worldometer, from the latest United Nations data!  It’s a fairly small nation with a population that is equivalent to 0.21% of the total world population. Plus, the median age in the country is 25.6 years. Hence, it’s a relatively young generation of the community.

Foreigners can buy or invest in Cambodian properties, but there are some restrictions. Foreigners can only own properties on the first floor or higher (not the ground floor) up to 70% of any building, but they are not allowed to purchase landed property. Besides, there is no minimum investment amount required to purchase; all they need are a current passport and cash. There is no mortgage option available for a foreigner when coming to property investment, except for some established developers offering short term funding.

So where to invest then? Here are the...

Phnom Penh is the capital city of Cambodia. They are also the largest in terms of population - with a whopping 1,501,725 people. Due to its popularity, it has attracted the most foreign investors and has grown to become the nation's economic, industrial, and cultural centre. All major Phnom Penh real estate markets are growing rapidly for the past few years through massive development in the city, ranging from luxury to affordable; be it from local developers or from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

The median price for an apartment is still around USD2,000 per sqm. Average apartment prices range from USD$90,000 to 300,000 depending on the size and location of the property. The rental market could fetch from USD500 to 2,000 per month depending on the location, type, size as well as furnishing of an apartment. Generally, the rental yield can easily hit 6 to 8% per year.

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Siem Reap is the 2nd largest city in Cambodia, internationally known as a tourist destination, especially known for its world’s largest religious structure - Angkor Wat. It is one of Asia’s most visited attractions, drawing more than 2 million tourists each year!

Tourism is one of the major economic drivers of the city and created a lot of job opportunities for the locals. Hence, the city has a huge market for rentals that accommodate both locals as well foreign tourists on a short-term holiday home.

Though there are not many luxury developments in Siem Reap yet, there are still many apartments in and around the city centre and the property price is slightly cheaper than Phnom Penh. The median pricing for an apartment is around USD$68,000 to 163,000 depending on the size and location of the property; and the median rental is around USD400 to 450 per month also depending on the size, location and furnishing of the apartment.

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Sihanoukville is a coastal city in Cambodia, a four-hour drive from Phnom Penh. The city is flanked by an almost uninterrupted string of beaches along its entire coastline and has some of Asia’s best beaches and premium seaside resorts. Also, it has one of the cheaper Asia’s beachfront and beach view properties.

In the past few years before the Cambodian government banned the gambling license, this city flooded with thousands of mainland Chinese workers, developers and investors settling here. The amount of Chinese residing here had contributed almost 90% of the total expat population in this city.

This helped Sihanoukville property prices double up between 2016 and 2018 and rental yield with double digits! But property sales and rental seem affected tremendously ever since the online gambling business was banned early this year. In Sihanoukville, the apartment prices range from USD$90,000 to 180,000 and the median property price is around USD$116,000 as of now.

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