Money in Cambodia: Using US Dollars, Riel, and ATMs as an American

Cambodian riel: your small change, explained

The simplest way to think about riel is as the coins the US dollar does not have here. Because no American coins circulate in Cambodia, any amount below a dollar is settled in riel at a fixed working rate of about 4,000 riel to $1. So 1,000 riel is roughly a quarter, 2,000 riel is about fifty cents, and 500 riel is a hair over a dime. You almost never need to buy riel deliberately — it accumulates naturally as change throughout the day.

A typical transaction makes it concrete. You buy a $2.50 coffee with a $5 bill; you get $2 back in dollars and 2,000 riel to cover the remaining fifty cents. Hand over exact dollars and a little riel, and you keep your big bills intact for longer. Most Americans settle into this rhythm within a day: pay in dollars, top up odd amounts with the riel in your pocket, and let the change sort itself out.

Spend your riel before you leave. It is the small denomination you accumulate without trying, and it is hard to exchange back home for anything close to its value, so treat the last day of your trip as the time to use it up — tips, water, snacks, a tuk-tuk fare. Hold onto your dollars for the airport and the journey out; spend the riel down to nothing.

ATMs in Cambodia: fees, limits, and how to use them well

ATMs are widespread in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and any town a tourist passes through, and the great majority dispense US dollars directly. You insert your American debit card, choose a dollar amount, and receive US banknotes — usually in tens, twenties, and fifties. A few machines also offer riel, but for a US traveler the dollar option is the obvious one. Coverage thins out in rural areas, so top up your cash before heading off the main routes.

The cost to know about is the machine fee. Most Cambodian ATMs charge a fixed fee of roughly $4 to $6 per withdrawal, displayed on screen before you confirm, and that is separate from anything your own US bank adds for an out-of-network or international withdrawal. Because the machine fee is flat rather than a percentage, the math is simple: it stings far less on a $300 withdrawal than on a $40 one. Withdraw larger amounts less often and the per-dollar cost drops sharply.

Cutting your ATM costs

• Withdraw in bigger chunks. A flat $4–$6 fee on $300 is far cheaper per dollar than the same fee on $50, so consolidate your withdrawals rather than topping up daily.
• Use a US bank account that reimburses or waives ATM fees. Several online banks and fintech checking accounts refund out-of-network ATM charges, which can erase the machine fee entirely.
• Always decline the ATM's currency conversion. If a machine offers to charge your card in dollars at "its own rate," decline and let your US bank convert — the bank rate is almost always better.
• Check the withdrawal limit. Many machines cap a single withdrawal around $300–$500; if you need more, a second withdrawal beats carrying nothing, but plan for the second fee.
• Bring a backup card. Pick an ATM attached to a real bank branch where possible, and keep a second debit or credit card separate from the first in case one is held or swallowed.

The single biggest lever on ATM and card costs is the card itself. A US card with no foreign transaction fee adds nothing to card payments and pairs well with a fee-reimbursing account for cash — our guide to the best no-foreign-transaction-fee card for Cambodia walks through how to pick one or check the card already in your wallet.

How much cash should an American bring to Cambodia?

There is no single right number, but a useful rule for most US travelers is to land with a few hundred dollars in clean small bills and rely on ATMs to top up from there. Arriving with enough cash to cover your first day or two — airport transport, a meal, a SIM card, a tuk-tuk or two, and a buffer — means you are never stuck before you find a working ATM. A common comfortable starting figure is $200 to $400 in cash, weighted toward fives, tens, and twenties.

You do not need to bankroll your whole trip in cash from home. Cambodia is a cash-friendly place, but ATMs are reliable in the cities and many mid-range and upscale hotels, tour operators, and restaurants accept cards. The practical mix for most Americans is cash for everyday small spending — street food, tuk-tuks, markets, tips — and a card for hotels, tours, and bigger tabs. Bringing a modest cash float and refilling on the ground beats carrying a thick stack the entire trip.

One number you do need to mind is the cash declaration threshold. If you carry the equivalent of $10,000 USD or more in cash and instruments across the Cambodian border, it must be declared on arrival — a rule no ordinary tourist comes close to, but worth knowing if you travel with large sums. It is a declaration requirement, not a limit; you simply have to put it on the form.

For most US travelers the real question is not the $10,000 threshold but the everyday one — how much you will actually spend day to day. Our Cambodia trip cost and budget guide for Americans breaks down the numbers in USD so you can size your cash float and your card spending with confidence.

Cash and cards when you first land at KTI

Your first money moment in Cambodia is the arrivals hall. Phnom Penh now flies into Techo International Airport (KTI), which replaced the old airport in September 2025, and like Siem Reap and Sihanoukville it has ATMs in the arrivals area that dispense US dollars. If you have landed with a small cash float as suggested above, you can walk straight past the exchange counters — you do not need to change money, because you are already carrying the local working currency.

There is no need to convert dollars to riel at the airport, and doing so usually costs you on the rate. Your dollars are spendable the moment you step outside, and the riel you need for small change will arrive naturally as you spend. If your cash runs low, use an arrivals-hall ATM for a single larger withdrawal of dollars rather than several small ones, to keep the flat machine fee from biting more than once.

For a closer look at the exact ATM locations, the on-arrival cash flow, and the currency-exchange traps at the airport, our Cambodia airport cash, ATM, and currency exchange guide for Americans walks through arrivals step by step.

The money waiting at the airport is one thing you cannot pay for at the airport, though: your visa and your e-Arrival Card are both settled online, in dollars, before you ever reach the kiosk. That is deliberate — it means the only cash decision you face on landing is how much dollar cash to pull from the ATM, not whether your entry is sorted. Handle the online steps from home and arrivals becomes a walk-through.

The bottom line on money in Cambodia for Americans

Put simply: spend US dollars, treat riel as your small change, and use ATMs in larger, less frequent withdrawals to keep the flat fee down. Bring a few hundred dollars in clean, untorn, post-2013 bills weighted toward small denominations, carry a no-foreign-transaction-fee card for hotels and tours, and refill cash on the ground rather than hauling it all from home. That is the entire money playbook for a US trip to Cambodia.

The two rules that save the most hassle are the smallest. First, the 4,000-riel-to-a-dollar working rate — memorize it and your change never confuses you. Second, the bill-condition rule — clean, newer notes are accepted, damaged or pre-2013 ones often are not. Get those two right and money simply stops being something you think about, leaving you to enjoy the trip.

Next steps and related reading for Americans: apply for your Cambodia eVisa when you are ready to lock in your trip, plan your spending, sort the right plastic for cash and cards, and bookmark the Cambodia visa for US citizens hub as your single reference for everything else.