The Different Types and Costs of Hookers in Cambodia

There are many reasons for Cambodia becoming more and more a sexual mecca for men in Southeast Asia. If you look at Phnom Penh for example, five years ago there were only a dozen or so foreign oriented girly bars in Streets 130 and 136. Now, new such places full of young and hot Cambodian girls are being opened almost every month all around town.

Or take the night clubs. Like the infamous “Heart of Darkness” which has been the only night club for foreigners to meet Cambodian hookers for centuries. Now there are several great night clubs all around town that attract countless of chicks every night.

And also the massage places are getting filled with more and more girls that are ready to perform the “special” kind of massage for some extra tip.

By reading this intro you already get an idea about the different types of Cambodian hookers and so here comes the detailed explanation to each category and how much they usually charge:

Cambodian Bar Girls

Cambodian HookersThe Cambodian bar girls are easily the most common type of hookers. Most people know of them and they are the easiest to spot by just walking down the streets in the tourist areas and then hear them yelling at you something like “Hey, where are you going? Come inside! Have a drink!”

These ladies are employed by the bar owner for a relatively low salary, usually around 100 USD a month. Their other two types of more lucrative sources of incomes are lady drinks, i.e. if you buy her a drink for 4.50 USD she gets like 1.50 USD. So if she sells 3 drinks every night that would be an additional income of 135 USD – more than her salary!

However, the main source of income for the Cambodian bar girl is of course her price for short time / long time. Means if she goes with a customer and has sex with him she charges money that goes 100% in her own pocket.

These days the girls usually ask for 50 USD for short time (one or two shots, 1-2 hours) and 100 USD for long time (several shots, usually until breakfast the following morning). Of course these rates are very much negotiable and if she likes you it’s not uncommon that she accepts as little as 20 USD.

If you take a girl out of her bar you will also have to pay the bar fine of generally 10 USD and this money is not included in her price for sex.

Cambodian Freelance Bar Girls

In some other bars which are not dedicated “hostess bars” (or girly bars, whatever) you can also find a lot of freelance bar girls. These are girls who are not employed by the bar but rather visit them privately and look to hook up with foreign men. They tend to ask for the same as the “regular” bar girls. Even though you save some money for the bar fine, the whole experience is a little riskier as you don’t know where to find her in case there are problems, i.e. she steels from you.

Cambodian Club Freelancers

Very similar to the freelance bar girls (and sometimes the same girl is working in these two different venues) the Cambodian Club Freelancers dress themselves as sexy as possible and go in the night clubs merely for the reason to meet foreign guys. It’s not unusual for them to go alone (which is very strange and uncommon for Cambodian women) and then tell you something like their friends already went home and she felt like staying and dancing for a little bit longer.

These ladies usually don’t go with you straight away but expect that you spend some time with them in the club and buy them some drinks. Then when the time has come they usually ask for 50 USD for some dirty short time fun in your hotel room. Again, very much negotiable.

Cambodian Go Go Girls

If you are looking for something similar to the Go Go Bars in Pattaya you have to be patient as there are no Go Go Bars in Cambodia (yet) – neither in Phnom Penh nor in Siem Reap.

Cambodian Massage Girls

There are just about as many massage salons as there are girly bars both in Phnom Penh as well as in Siem Reap. If you are out for a happy ending don’t take the foot massage! It may be the cheapest one for 5-6 USD but you don’t get a private room as they perform the massage downstairs and you are surrounded by lots of other people.

What you should ask for is not just if you can pick a girl (if they laugh and say sorry cannot then it’s unlikely that you’re going to get a happy ending) but if they say “yes, can” then make up your mind and also let them know if you want to have a Cambodian Body Massage (just like the Thai massage, 6-7 USD) or an Oil Massage (8-10 USD).

If you’re lucky and the girl doesn’t mind to provide some extra service, 10 USD for a hand job is the standard price.

The ladies in the massage salons usually don’t offer sex – it’s different in the erotic massage parlors of Phnom Penh with fishbowl arrangement, then the massage is 10 USD plus 50 USD (negotiable) for “Boom Boom” – yes, they call it the same like in Thailand. By the way, blow job means yam yam in Cambodian and prices for that start at 20 USD.

Cambodian KTV / Karaoke Bar Hookers

Those Khmer girls who are serious about prostitution and regard it as a real job would usually start working in the KTVs. These are usually big complexes (which almost look like casinos) found in every major town around Cambodia and are officially run as “Karaoke Bars”. Surely you can sing some songs in there, but of course it’s the girls you are there for.

These places are comparable to the gentlemen’s clubs in Thailand: They are quite expensive, but the girls are the most attractive type of prostitute: They are usually young, thin, light skinned and beautiful. Just like in the local brothels, there are also a lot of Vietnamese girls working in the KTVs, not just Khmer girls.

It usually works like this: You walk in the place and ask the manager about the prices. He will then tell you like 10 USD for the private room rental (equipped with couches, TVs and microphones), plus 5-10 USD per girl per hour to accompany you, plus around 2-3 USD per beer (but they often sell you packages of 24 beer cans for around 40 USD). Yes, you can take out the girls for sex if you want, but you will need to talk and arrange with them separately. You should expect at least 50 USD for a short time with most KTV girls, maybe more if they are confident and really attractive.

Not to be confused with the big KTV complexes are the smaller and often a little bit dirty karaoke bars. Those are cheaper and there is no room rental fee, but the ladies are usually not as attractive as in the bigger KTVs.

Cambodian Street Hookers

One of the quickest methods to get laid in Cambodia is to simply pick up a street hooker. Advantage: They are cheap, means they usually ask for 20 USD plus 5 USD for the rental of a short time room nearby. Disadvantages: They aren’t the most stunning girls around and you can only meet them during the nighttime.

Cambodian Brothel Girls

The lowest category in terms of hookers in Cambodia. These girls are primarily Khmer but also plenty of Vietnamese girls working there. Brothels are usually found in the bigger cities and are big and old houses with 3-6 girls waiting for customers.

These places are obviously located outside the tourist areas and difficult to find. You can expect to pay 15-20 USD for sex with these girls.

Cambodian Dating Site Girls

More and more Cambodian girls are signing up for the popular online dating site and while the majority of them have a regular day job and are looking either for exciting adventures with foreigners or serious relationships, a fair share can be classified as “sugar babies” who will tell you something like “but you have to give me some money ok?” once you’ve asked them out for a date.

Now since you know the characteristics of each type of hooker in Cambodia and how much they generally cost, here are some clarifications of things you may still be uncertain about:

Where to Find Hookers in Cambodia?

If you’ve read through this post all the way to here, you then know that Cambodian hookers are found in hostess bars, regular bars, night clubs, massage shops, massage parlors, dark places on the streets and on the internet. You can find the exact locations of all these mentioned venues in the Phnom Penh Nightlife Guide. For other cities, just use the menu on the top of the site (under “Nightlife”).

Where to Find “Normal Girls” in Cambodia?

If you don’t really like the idea of paying a girl for sex of course you don’t necessarily need to do that to get laid in Cambodia. There are three other easy ways on how to meet and sleep with Khmer girls which are covered here.

Is Prostitution in Cambodia Illegal?

Just like in neighboring Thailand, prostitution in Cambodia is illegal by law – yet the country is similar famous for its open sexual entertainment. The owners of the brothels simply get around the law by declaring their venues as massage parlous, hostess bars and the like while paying some money to the local authorities on a monthly basis to both have them turn a blind eye on what is really going on inside as well as getting the permission to stay open until late.

Are there also ladyboy hookers in Cambodia?

Yes of course there are. Sure, not as many as in Thailand but still more than you could possibly handle. Check out this guide to find the best places to meet ladyboys in Phnom Penh.

Comparison to Thailand’s Sex Industry

If you visit both countries you will quickly notice that the cost of sex in Cambodia is significantly cheaper than in Thailand, well almost half the price for both the bar fines and massage services as well as the prices for hand job, yam yam (BJ) or boom boom. However, here in Cambodia you are a lot more limited in the way that there are really only two cities that have these kind of entertainment venues and foreign oriented hookers: Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Last Updated on December 14, 2023