Foreigners can own condominium units outright with a strata title, on the first floor and above, capped at 70% of any building and not within 30km of a land border. Land itself cannot be foreign-owned, so houses and villas are taken on long leases (commonly up to 50 years) or through a majority-Cambodian company.
Before you buy in Cambodia, always:
General guidance only — rules change; confirm the current position with a qualified local lawyer.
Our free ownership checker and the Overseas Property Playbook walk through how foreign ownership works step by step — the questions to ask and the traps to sidestep.
Expect a 4% transfer tax on the government-assessed value for a strata-title condo, plus registration and legal fees and any title-upgrade cost; US dollars are used, which keeps transactions simple. Foreigners buy condo units (not land), and registration can take some weeks.
Phnom Penh for the widest amenities and healthcare, temple-rich Siem Reap for a calmer pace, and riverside Kampot with seaside Kep in the south for laid-back living, all with established expat pockets.
Public healthcare is limited and private clinics in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, while improving, still send serious cases to Bangkok or Singapore — so international insurance with medical-evacuation cover is strongly advised. Routine care is cheap and largely cash-based. Generally safe and friendly, though watch for bag-snatching and chaotic traffic; English is widely spoken in expat and tourist areas, the US dollar is used day-to-day, and driving is on the right.
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