How I Survive And Thrive In Cambodia On $10 a Day

You might think that living on $10 a day in Cambodia is a sign of poverty or hardship, but for me and my wife (Sophorn), it is a choice. We decided to stay in this beautiful country, not because we had to, but because we wanted to. We wanted to live a simple, sustainable and fulfilling life, close to nature and away from the stress and consumerism of the modern world.

Sophorn and I bought a small piece of land in the jungle, where we built our own house with local materials and installed solar panels and a water pump. We have a few modern amenities such as: fans, laptops, phone & internet, but we don’t need much more. Anything we do not have that could be produced via electricity, we decided to purchase a non-electric version. For example, we purchased a manual juicer and blender. In the jungle, most of our time has been spent outdoors, tending to our garden and farm, where we grow our own food and sell any surplus at the local market or to a neighbor if we do not want to travel all the way to town.

We grow a variety of vegetables, such as lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, lots of peppers, zucchinis, radishes, carrots, and a variety of herbs, using organic methods only with absolutely no chemicals. To protect the plants from pests, we normally use homemade concoctions and we do not always get the mixtures correct, that is for sure. We also have fruit trees, such as: mangoes, bananas, papayas and coconuts, which provide us with fresh and delicious snacks. We raise chickens for eggs and meat, and fish in our pond for protein (although I stay far away from eating marine life). We also make our own compost and fertilizer from animal manure and kitchen scraps.

We continually share our resources, knowledge and skills. When we sell our produce at the market or to our neighbors, we typically get fair prices and additional access to quality seeds and tools for growing (otherwise the level of difficulty increases slightly) and caring for anything we want. Sometimes, we have to splurge and buy some staples from a few local vendors, such as: rice, noodles, olive oil and palm sugar. We rarely eat out or buy processed food, as we prefer to cook our own meals with fresh ingredients from our garden.

We spend about $2.50 a day on food for the two of us (with bread) and $1.25 (without purchasing bread), which is enough to feed us well and keep us healthy. We spend another $2 a day on transportation (which goes in an envelope for repairs, oil, and gas), which is usually through the use of one of our motorbikes. We decided to put $2 a day towards energy costs. We do this because if we encounter any issues, we can use funds from this category of designated monies as opposed to it being a shock to our budget. It seems to work fine as we have designed it. Water is free, but to heat the water we either buy charcoal (produced locally in the jungle) or use gas. We spend about $3 a day on miscellaneous expenses, such as phone credit, internet access, toiletries and any other necessities. Altogether, we approach about $10 per day, which on the whole, is plenty. Again, the ability to do this comes from the fact that we own the land we live on and do not pay any rent to anyone as well as provide for most things right on our land and are primarily self-sustainable.

We don’t have any insurance or medical bills to worry about, as we take care of our health with natural remedies and preventive measures. We don’t have any taxes or fees to pay, as we are registered as self-employed. Our savings and investments provide for any future endeavors and a safety net for any emergencies. My wife and I tend to live in the present and trust in the abundance of nature and so far, so good.

We are happy with our lifestyle and don’t feel like we are missing out on anything. We have everything we need and more. We have freedom, peace and joy. We have each other and our community. We have a connection with the land and the seasons. We have a purpose and a passion.

We are not living on $10 a day because we have to, but because we choose to. We would not have it any other way.

Thank you for your time, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed what you have read today. Please clap, comment, subscribe and help donate to our cause of supporting the Bunong Tribal People of Cambodia.

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I have plenty of articles on various topics, please check them out. You will find future articles of mine also published in: “Writers’ Blokke”, “Illumination”, “Illumination’s Mirror” and other publications along the way. Furthermore, previous articles may be in the “Living Abroad and Loving It” Publication.