After visiting 64 countries, one traveler shares why Siem Reap became her permanent home, balancing the freedom of the lifestyle with the reality of making it work.
The first time Sonya Moore visited Cambodia in 2015, the decision to leave was the hardest part of the trip. She had come for a brief visit to see Angkor Wat, but within hours of arriving in Siem Reap—a city just minutes from the temples—the place had quietly claimed a space in her life.
She didn’t know then that this would become a lifelong tether. After traveling through 64 countries, it is the only one that forced a return.
Back then, Siem Reap moved at a different pace. It was defined by a quiet. winding river and a gentle. haphazard flow of traffic where tuk-tuks. bicycles. motorbikes. and the occasional car shared the streets. Her days were a simple. rhythmic cycle of temple visits. seven-dollar foot massages. poolside lounging. and meals featuring some of the best spring rolls she would ever find. It was a place that made her feel happy from the first day. a feeling she compares to the inexplicable nature of falling in love with a person.
By 2019, the pull became irresistible. A friend who had opened a yoga studio in the city invited her to teach. and Moore agreed to a one-month stint. She ended up staying for 15 months. The city offered a comfortable infrastructure—reliable WiFi. affordable coffee. diverse global cuisines. and supermarkets stocked with both local and imported goods. There was a richness to the daily life. ranging from art galleries and the Apsara Theater to gyms and movie theaters.
Living there was practical, too. Moore made a living teaching English and yoga online. She settled into a gated, one-bedroom apartment for $450 a month, complete with weekly cleaning. Later, she upgraded to a brand-new two-bedroom house with a large yard for $600. Her landlords. a local elderly couple who lived across the way. spoke a different language. yet they became a surrogate family to her. The welcome wasn’t limited to landlords; even immigration officials at the airport greeted her with jokes. reinforcing a culture of warmth that made building a social life—often through long. unplanned conversations at local cafés—effortless.
While the. romanticized vision of expat life often ignores the friction of reality. Moore’s experience highlights a clear divide: success in Siem Reap is largely reserved for those who arrive with savings. an outside income. or a remote job. She has seen enough foreigners arrive with hopes of starting businesses. only to depart when the economics didn’t hold up. to know that the city requires more than just a desire to be there.
She briefly left during the COVID-19 pandemic to be with her partner in France. But four years later, the return felt inevitable. Now settled back in Siem Reap with her husband. who is enjoying early retirement. Moore has found the city remains a creative. liberating base. Accommodation prices have actually dipped over the last five years; they now rent a two-bedroom apartment in her original complex for $400 a month.
The city serves as a launchpad for their wider life. They frequently visit the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem—the site of their dream wedding on a deserted. white-sand beach earlier this year. When they crave the energy of a metropolis. they head to Phnom Penh. a five-and-a-half-hour bus or taxi ride away. and for nature. they retreat to the wild. remote Cardamom Mountains.
For Moore, the choice to return wasn’t about seeking out new territory. It was about staying in the one place that still felt like it was waiting for her to come back.
Siem Reap Cambodia Expat life Digital nomad Sonya Moore travel Angkor Wat