Five Years in Siem Reap: Why We'll Never Go Back to Florida

We first visited Siem Reap in 2019 for a bucket-list trip to Angkor Wat. On day three, sitting on the terrace of a beautiful restaurant that cost less than an Applebee's, I turned to Linda and said, "What if we just... stayed?" She didn't even hesitate. "I was thinking the same thing."

It took us two years to plan the move properly. We sold our Orlando house (the Florida insurance crisis was already getting insane), arranged our pensions and Social Security for international transfers, and got long-term retirement visas. We landed in Siem Reap in November 2021 with two suitcases and a sense of terrified excitement.

Our monthly expenses in Florida were running about $4,500 — mortgage, insurance, healthcare, utilities, groceries, gas. In Siem Reap, we live on about $1,800/month and have a significantly better lifestyle. We rent a beautiful two-bedroom house with a garden in a quiet Cambodian neighborhood for $400/month. We have a housekeeper who comes three times a week for $120/month. We eat out for most meals because it's cheaper than cooking.

Healthcare was our biggest worry, and it's been the biggest positive surprise. We use Royal Angkor International Hospital for routine stuff, and Bangkok (a 1-hour flight) for anything major. Our international health insurance costs $380/month for both of us — less than my Medicare supplemental alone was costing in Florida. Dental work here is exceptional and a fraction of US prices — I had two crowns done for $300 total.

The social scene for retirees is wonderful. There's a strong community of expats from all over the world — Americans, Australians, French, Korean, Japanese. We play golf twice a week at Angkor Golf Resort ($35 green fees — my Florida club was $200), I volunteer teaching English at a local school, and Linda runs a small art class for Cambodian kids.

What surprises people is how safe and comfortable Siem Reap is. The town has excellent infrastructure, reliable internet, modern supermarkets, and international restaurants. We don't live in some bamboo hut — we have air conditioning, Netflix, and a Western-style kitchen. But we also have temple sunrises, $2 massages, and fresh tropical fruit every day.

Our retirement savings are now projected to last until our late 90s instead of running out in our 80s as our financial advisor had warned. That alone has eliminated the single biggest stress of our retirement years.

Do we miss America? Honestly, not much. We video call our grandkids weekly, fly back once a year for Christmas, and get American news through our phones. We miss Target and Costco occasionally. But then I sit on my terrace watching the sun set behind palm trees, a cold Angkor beer in hand, and I remember why we did this.