Most travelers in Cambodia use between 500 MB and 1 GB of mobile data a day for maps, Grab or PassApp rides, Telegram and WhatsApp, and some social media. A week split between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap usually fits in 5 GB for typical use, or 10 GB or more if you upload a lot of video or make daily video calls. Here is how to size a plan for your own trip.
What uses data in Cambodia — and what barely does
- Maps and navigation: light. Turn-by-turn directions use a few megabytes per hour, and offline maps use almost none. You will use maps a lot in Phnom Penh, where drivers often work from a dropped pin rather than a street address.
- Grab and PassApp: very light — a few megabytes per ride, including the live map while you wait for your tuk-tuk.
- Telegram, WhatsApp and Messenger: text and voice messages are tiny; photos add a few hundred kilobytes each and short videos several megabytes.
- Social media: heavy. Scrolling video-first feeds such as Instagram Reels or TikTok can use several hundred megabytes to more than a gigabyte per hour.
- Photo and video backups: sunrise at Angkor Wat fills camera rolls fast, and a minute of high-resolution phone video can be well over 100 MB. Automatic cloud backups of full-size files can quietly eat a small plan.
- Music streaming: moderate, roughly 40–150 MB per hour depending on quality.
- Video calls: heavy, often 0.5–1.5 GB per hour.
- Video streaming: the heaviest, around 1–3 GB per hour in HD.
Daily budgets that work in Cambodia
Wi-Fi is common in hotels, guesthouses and cafés across the main tourist areas, which keeps mobile data needs moderate for many visitors. Pick the profile that sounds like you:
- Light (about 300–500 MB per day): maps, ride apps, messaging and the occasional search. Social media, calls and uploads wait for Wi-Fi.
- Typical (about 500 MB–1 GB per day): everything above plus regular social media, photo sharing and a short video call now and then.
- Heavy (2 GB or more per day): daily video calls, lots of short-form video, posting Angkor footage straight from the temples, working remotely or streaming through long bus rides.
Plan sizes for common Cambodia itineraries
These suggestions use the fixed-data plans in our Cambodia range. Light and typical users can often start one size down and top up later.
| Trip | Light use | Typical use | Heavy use |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-night stopover or transit day | 500 MB (7 days) | 1 GB (7 days) | 24-hour pass |
| 3–4 days in Siem Reap for Angkor | 1 GB (7 days) | 3 GB (15 days) | 10 GB (30 days) |
| One week: Phnom Penh and Siem Reap | 3 GB (15 days) | 5 GB (30 days) | 20 GB (30 days) |
| Two weeks, adding Kampot, Kep or Koh Rong | 5 GB (30 days) | 10 GB (30 days) | 20 GB plus a top-up |
| Three weeks or more | 10 GB (30 days) | 20 GB (30 days) | 20 GB plus top-ups |
If your route continues to Vietnam, Laos or Thailand, remember that Cambodia-only plans stop working at the border; the complete Cambodia eSIM guide explains the multi-country options. Current plans and prices are always on our Cambodia eSIM plans list.
Fixed-data plan or 24-hour pass?
Both run on the same Metfone and Cellcard networks at 4G speeds; the difference is how the data is measured.
- Fixed-data plans give you a set amount of data — from 100 MB up to 20 GB — valid for 7, 15 or 30 days from your first connection in Cambodia. You can use more on a busy temple day and less on a beach day, and plans marked Top-up can be refilled on the My eSIM page. For most trips of several days this is the simpler choice.
- 24-hour passes give a daily high-speed allowance, from 500 MB to 3 GB, for 24 hours. After the allowance is used you stay online at a reduced speed, shown on each plan, until the pass ends. A pass fits a single heavy day, for example a stopover in Phnom Penh with video calls home and uploads before the next flight.
The very small plans have a place too: 100 MB is enough to message and look up a few addresses if you only want a backup to Wi-Fi.
Ways to make your data last
- Download offline maps for Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and the Angkor area, and for any route to the coast or the countryside. Our Angkor Wat and Siem Reap guide explains why this matters at remote temples.
- Set photo backups to Wi-Fi only in iCloud Photos or Google Photos, and upload your Angkor footage from the hotel in the evening.
- Turn off video autoplay in social apps, and lower the default video quality where the app allows it.
- Prepare for long journeys: download music, podcasts and shows before bus rides between Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and the coast, and before the ferry to Koh Rong, where signal can be weak anyway.
- Keep app updates on Wi-Fi so a large download does not start over mobile data.
- Check your balance on the My eSIM page now and then, and top up before a long day out rather than in a temple with weak signal.
The essential apps guide lists the apps worth installing before you go — set them up on Wi-Fi at home and they will use little data on the road.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 GB a day enough in Cambodia?
For most visitors, yes. A gigabyte a day covers maps, ride apps, messaging and regular social media, especially if you use guesthouse Wi-Fi for uploads; daily video calls push you toward 2 GB.
What happens if I run out of data?
Plans marked Top-up can be refilled on the My eSIM page and keep working on the same eSIM, with nothing to reinstall. You can also buy and install a new plan at any time.
Does the validity period start when I buy the plan?
No. It starts when the eSIM first connects to a network in Cambodia, so you can buy and install it well before your trip.
Get online in Cambodia the moment you land
Cambodia eSIM from $0.90 · QR code by email · Metfone, Cellcard