How to Choose a Condo Floor in Phnom Penh: Heat, Noise and Resale

Prepared by the NovAsia Editorial Team

The best floor in a Phnom Penh condominium is not necessarily the highest one. Lower floors are easier to reach when lifts fail and quicker to leave during an emergency, but they receive more road noise, dust, lighting and activity from the street. Upper floors provide wider views and greater privacy, yet depend more heavily on lifts, pumps, backup power, façade quality and management.

For many buyers, a well-positioned apartment in the middle section of the building is the most versatile choice. It is normally high enough to escape part of the street-level disturbance but not so high that every technical weakness becomes a daily inconvenience.

The floor must always be assessed within the specific building. The tenth floor of a 15-storey development and the tenth floor of a 50-storey tower occupy very different positions. Buyers should also identify pools, gyms, restaurants, car parks, generators, pumps, technical floors and lift machinery above or below the apartment. The number on the door does not show the real context.

Start with the position inside the building, not the floor number

There is no official line separating low, middle and high floors. A useful working method is to think in proportions of the total residential height.

In a 20-storey building, the eighth floor is near the middle. In a 50-storey tower, it remains relatively low.

Treat the following as special categories rather than ordinary floors:

• the first residential level above parking or retail;
• apartments beside pools, gyms or event spaces;
• technical floors;
• the highest residential level;
• penthouses;
• apartments directly below the roof;
• levels connected by sky bridges;
• floors beside lift machinery or plant.

Request the building’s vertical section, not only the apartment plan.

Lower floors: who they suit

Lower floors can be a rational choice for residents who value quick access, lower lift dependence and a more modest purchase price.

They may suit:

• older residents;
• families with young children;
• pet owners;
• people leaving the building several times a day;
• tenants who work in or near the project;
• buyers who dislike lift waiting;
• residents who do not value a panoramic view.

A low floor is not necessarily a poor apartment. In a project set back from the road, with landscaping, good windows and controlled access, the fifth or seventh floor may be more comfortable than a much higher apartment facing a major boulevard.

Typical disadvantages

Lower floors are more exposed to traffic, horns, loading, parking ramps, commercial music, signs, dust, insects, smells and direct views from neighbouring buildings.

The severity depends on the façade. A sixth-floor unit facing an internal garden may be quieter than a twentieth-floor unit overlooking a busy arterial road.

When a lower floor can be the better investment

A lower apartment may be more rational where lifts are limited, the building contains hundreds of units, one lift is frequently reserved for service, high floors are very windy, the view is blocked at every level, the target tenant is price-sensitive or the developer’s floor premium is excessive.

Liquidity is reduced by an unattractive combination of noise, poor privacy and a bad view—not by the number alone.

Middle floors: the broadest compromise

The middle section normally avoids the most extreme risks.

Common advantages include:

• less direct street disturbance than the lower section;
• moderate lift travel time;
• a more realistic stair route during a temporary failure;
• views above low-rise neighbours;
• limited roof heat;
• less extreme wind;
• appeal to a broad rental audience;
• a lower purchase premium than the uppermost levels.

For a 35–45-storey tower, a rough band between the low teens and mid-twenties may often be practical, but this must never become a fixed rule. A future 30-storey building may block the twentieth floor, while an eighth-floor unit may already overlook a permanently low-rise area.

The main risk is paying a vertical premium without receiving a meaningful improvement. Compare several apartments in the same stack and observe exactly when the view opens, noise changes or the price rises.

Upper floors: views, privacy and technical dependence

Upper floors attract buyers with wider horizons, more daylight and less direct visual intrusion from the street.

Potential advantages include:

• panoramic views;
• lower exposure to ground-level dust;
• reduced local voices and loading noise;
• better privacy;
• stronger marketing appeal;
• possible rent or resale value where the view is protected.

These benefits exist only in a well-operated building.

A resident on an upper floor depends more heavily on:

• reliable lifts;
• backup power;
• water pressure and pumps;
• façade seals;
• fire-safety systems;
• maintained stairwells;
• responsive building management.

The fortieth floor of a tower with four fast, generator-supported lifts may be comfortable. The same height in a building with two unreliable lifts can become a daily problem.

High does not always mean quiet

Local sounds such as conversations and individual motorbikes normally reduce with height. Broad low-frequency noise can remain: major roads, construction, rooftop music, loudspeakers, aircraft, wind and mechanical equipment.

Test the apartment itself with windows open and closed. A balcony visit alone is not enough.

The top floor is a separate category

The highest residential floor should be assessed independently. Above it may be the roof, pool, bar, restaurant, water tanks, pumps, lift machinery, ventilation equipment, solar panels or service areas.

The absence of a neighbour above can improve privacy. It can also introduce roof heat, equipment noise, water-ingress risk, wind and the strongest dependence on lifts.

Ask for the plan of the level above the apartment. “Top floor” is not a complete description.

Apartments below a pool or gym

Living directly below an amenity floor may appear attractive because access is convenient and there is no residential neighbour overhead.

Possible problems include footsteps, moving furniture, music, pumps, moisture, early cleaning, events and maintenance access.

Inspect during operating hours. In an unfinished project, request the acoustic and waterproofing design but do not treat a sales assurance as proof of silence.

Floors above parking or retail

The first residential level may sit several physical storeys above the ground. It can provide quick access and a lower price while remaining reasonably elevated.

Potential disadvantages include car alarms, gate vibration, parking ventilation, headlights, restaurant extraction, music and loading.

A unit above a quiet lobby and one above a commercial kitchen are completely different products.

Floor level and heat

Height alone does not determine temperature. Orientation, glazing, balcony depth, neighbouring buildings, roof insulation, curtains and air-conditioning matter more.

The top floor can be hotter because of the roof. A middle-floor west-facing glass apartment without shade may nevertheless perform worse than a well-insulated top-floor unit.

Lower apartments may receive shade from nearby buildings, reducing heat but also daylight and air movement.

Assess the façade separately from the floor.

Wind on high floors

Stronger wind can help ventilation, but it may make a balcony difficult to use, cause doors to slam, create whistling, push rain deeper into the apartment and require furniture or child-safety measures.

Wind conditions are highly local. Inspect the actual façade and, where possible, visit in different weather.

Noise comes from several directions

Separate noise into three groups.

Street-level noise includes horns, scooters, loading, parking and trading. It is usually strongest at lower levels.

Broad urban noise—arterial roads, construction, ceremonies and rooftop music—can remain audible throughout the tower.

Internal building noise is unrelated to height and may come from lifts, pumps, refuse areas, doors, technical shafts, gyms and neighbouring apartments.

A buyer can choose a high floor for quiet and end up beside a machine room. Review the engineering layout.

Lift time matters more as the floor rises

Lift convenience depends on the unit count, number of towers, passenger lifts, service lifts, speed, control system, car-park stops, card access and peak-hour demand.

Three lifts may be adequate for 150 apartments and inadequate for 600. The higher the apartment, the more the resident feels every stop and breakdown.

When possible, view the project around 8 am or 6 pm rather than in an empty midday lobby.

Why lift compliance matters more in 2026

Cambodia introduced more formal lift-use and contractor requirements in early 2026, including Prakas No. 008 on lift-use certificates and later licensing rules for installation and repair companies.

For a buyer, the practical questions are whether the building has valid documentation, a qualified maintenance contractor, inspection records, emergency response and backup power for at least part of the lift group.

A certificate does not guarantee that the system has sufficient capacity, but unclear documentation is a serious warning—especially for a high-floor purchase.

Stairs and evacuation

Walk several levels of the emergency stairwell.

Check fire doors, lighting, floor numbers, stored objects, locked exits, ventilation or pressure systems and the final route outdoors.

A well-designed upper-floor apartment can be safe, but evacuation takes longer and requires disciplined building management. Paper compliance and day-to-day operation are not the same thing.

Water pressure and technical systems

High floors rely on pumps and storage tanks. Test the shower, run more than one tap, ask about peak-hour pressure, hot-water response, outages and generator support.

Poor pressure may indicate a temporary adjustment or a deeper operational problem. Speak to residents rather than relying on one short test.

Which views are genuinely protected?

A panoramic outlook is the main reason many buyers pay more for height. Its value depends on whether it is likely to remain open.

Check vacant plots, old villas, low warehouses, later phases, land controlled by the developer and recent building heights nearby.

Views over a wide river, large public park or completed internal master plan are generally more defensible than views over privately owned low-rise land. They are still not automatically guaranteed.

Floor level and rent

Tenants pay for a practical benefit rather than a number.

A high floor may command more where it provides a rare view, privacy and quiet without excessive heat or lift inconvenience. Middle floors often let faster because they suit more people. Lower floors can remain competitive where they are cheaper, larger, easy to reach and protected from road noise.

There is not enough transparent closed-transaction data in Phnom Penh to support a universal rent premium per floor.

Floor level and resale

Developers commonly apply a floor premium on the primary market. Resale buyers assess the completed outcome: view, building management, unit condition, running costs, competition and remaining developer inventory.

A high floor resells better only when it delivers a visible advantage. Where the outlook is blocked, lifts are overloaded or the developer is still offering new apartments with instalments, recovering the original premium can be difficult.

Middle floors often retain broad appeal because the purchase price is lower. Lower floors require a greater discount where they face parking, traffic or a poor outlook.

This article is general information and is not individual legal, financial or investment advice.

Is the floor premium worth paying?

Calculate it in absolute terms.

If the fifteenth-floor apartment costs USD 80,000 and the same plan on the twenty-fifth costs USD 84,000, the premium is USD 4,000 or 5%.

Then identify what the additional USD 4,000 buys. Does the view open? Is the bedroom quieter? Does privacy improve? Will a tenant pay more? Is the outlook protected?

Where only the floor number changes, the premium is weak. Where the apartment gains a genuinely protected river view, it may be more defensible.

Floor numbering and missing numbers

Some projects skip numbers associated with local or international superstition. Marketing floor numbers may therefore differ from the physical number of slabs above ground.

Clarify the actual level, number of parking and podium floors below, and whether the lift panel and legal documents use the same numbering.

A “twentieth-floor” unit may not be physically twenty levels above the entrance.

Families with children

Families should balance balcony safety, lift waiting, emergency access, noise and proximity to common facilities.

A middle floor is often practical. Very low floors may receive more traffic and insects, while very high floors increase lift dependence and wind exposure.

Check window restrictors, balcony rails, access to stairs and whether a pushchair can move easily between parking and the apartment.

Older residents

A lower or middle floor usually offers greater resilience during lift maintenance. The key issues are not age alone but mobility, medical needs, stair tolerance and the reliability of the building.

A high apartment may still suit an older resident in a well-managed tower with several lifts and backup power. It is less suitable where one breakdown isolates the resident.

Choosing a floor for rental

For a broadly lettable investment, prioritise a quiet bedroom, efficient cooling, reliable lifts and a view that is pleasant without requiring a large premium.

Middle floors are often the safest default. A high-floor purchase should have a visible feature tenants value, while a lower-floor unit should compensate through price, space or convenience.

Conduct a vertical comparison

Compare the same layout on several floors within one stack.

Record:

• purchase price;
• actual view;
• noise;
• afternoon heat;
• privacy;
• lift journey;
• proximity to technical floors;
• expected rent.

This makes the developer’s floor premium measurable rather than abstract.

Questions for the developer or management

Ask for the vertical section, full lift plan, backup-power arrangement, water-pressure system, use of the levels above and below, future neighbouring phases, fire documentation, maintenance records and comparable rents in the same stack.

Answers should relate to the selected apartment rather than the tower in general.

Red flags

Investigate further where:

• the seller will not show the vertical section;
• the highest floor sits below equipment but no acoustic details are available;
• a large tower has too few lifts or no service lift;
• the generator supports no lift to the selected level;
• emergency stairs are obstructed or locked;
• the premium is justified only by the floor number;
• the view relies on developable land;
• water pressure is weak during a normal viewing;
• a unit is directly above a restaurant, ramp or event area without disclosure;
• the developer promises an automatic rental premium for height.

Which floor suits which priority?

The final choice still depends on façade, layout and building systems.

Conclusion

Lower floors offer access and resilience but require careful noise and privacy checks. Upper floors offer views and marketing appeal but rely heavily on lifts, pumps, façades and management. Middle floors often provide the widest balance of comfort, price and liquidity.

Choose a floor only after examining what lies above, below and in front of the apartment. The most successful purchase is not the highest unit available, but the one whose height creates a real benefit without introducing disproportionate technical or financial risk.

Sources

1. Kingdom of Cambodia — Law on Construction, 2019.
2. Cambodia’s national fire-safety framework and building-operation requirements.
3. Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction — Prakas No. 008 on lift-use certificates, January 2026, and subsequent lift-contractor licensing rules.
4. Project vertical sections, lift plans and condominium management documents.
5. Knight Frank Cambodia, CBRE Cambodia and IPS Cambodia — Phnom Penh residential and rental-market materials.

Frequently asked

Which floor is best for living in Phnom Penh?

There is no universal answer. For many buyers, the middle of the building provides the most practical balance: less street noise than lower floors and less dependence on lifts than the uppermost levels.

Are higher floors always more expensive?

Developers often apply a floor premium, but resale buyers pay for a protected view, quiet, working lifts and a comfortable apartment—not for the floor number alone.

How can I check whether a unit will be too hot?

View the actual apartment in the afternoon, check the glass and wall temperature, shading, neighbouring buildings and the air-conditioning. Floor level without façade orientation proves very little.