NovForty square metres in Phnom Penh: what is included?
Read the area definition before comparing condo prices per square metre, then test the dimensions that determine whether the home will work.
This article reflects the named expert’s practical perspective. See NovAsia’s editorial policy for how material is prepared and reviewed.
Before discussing value per square metre, I want to know what has been measured. The buyer will also need to know whether their furniture fits; the advertised area cannot settle that second question.
In a hypothetical Phnom Penh offer priced at USD 80,000, one document shows 40 square metres while another includes additional parts and shows 48. The resulting figures are USD 2,000 and about USD 1,667 per square metre. The apparent improvement comes entirely from the denominator; the apartment has not grown.
Establish the measurement before comparing prices
Walls, balconies and other included parts need accounting for in the relevant property documents. Different totals call for an explanation of their basis before anyone treats the discrepancy as dishonesty.
RICS guidance on measurement practice stresses recording the basis, extent and date. That provides a useful way to question information supplied for a Cambodian home. It does not establish that every development in Cambodia must use the same international standard.
Once the calculation is understood, actual room dimensions deserve their own line. An area definition helps compare the offer; a clear wall length and door swing help establish whether the buyer's desk or wardrobe can be used. They are different pieces of evidence.
Let the furniture move
Following ordinary actions changes the plan: enter with shopping, reach the fridge, pull out a chair. All the furniture symbols may fit while those movements overlap.
Nor would I automatically deduct every corridor or balcony as wasted space. A corridor may separate the bedroom from the entrance; a balcony may be central to how someone wants to live. Usefulness comes from the household, not a universal efficiency score.
I would take the unresolved dimensions to the viewing: the space behind that chair, the wardrobe opening, the clear length of wall. They complement the documented area without replacing it.
A price per square metre needs a common denominator
Price per square metre is useful only when the area behind the calculation means the same thing in both offers. If one figure describes internal floor space while another includes a balcony, walls or other components, the arithmetic may be flawless and the comparison still misleading. I would not try to solve that by declaring one convention universally correct for Phnom Penh. The practical task is to identify the basis used for each home and, where possible, recalculate the offers on a common basis.
This matters most when the apparent bargain comes from the denominator. A larger quoted area can produce a lower unit price without giving the buyer a larger living room, bedroom or kitchen. Conversely, a compact apartment can use its dimensions well enough to feel more workable than a nominally larger one. The area figure answers a valuation question; it does not answer the layout question.
A sensible comparison therefore keeps both levels visible. First, establish what the documented area includes and use that consistently for price analysis. Then return to the dimensions that affect daily use: clear wall lengths, door swings, storage depth and the space around furniture. Mixing those two exercises creates false precision.
Three area references may appear in one purchase
A buyer can encounter an advertised figure, a figure on a floor plan and an area stated in transaction documents. They may match, but the fact that they use similar labels should not be assumed to prove that they do. When a discrepancy matters to price, the seller should be able to explain what each number represents and which one forms part of the purchase documentation.
That is also where I would stop treating a difference as a harmless marketing detail. Two numbers are not automatically evidence of wrongdoing; an unexplained number is a different problem. Until its basis is clear, neither the price per square metre nor a comparison with another project is dependable.
The same discipline helps with furniture. A buyer bringing a 1.8-metre desk does not need another abstract area metric; they need a confirmed wall that can take it, plus enough clearance to use the room. Measurement standards and room dimensions serve different decisions, and a strong property comparison keeps them separate.
The useful question is not simply, “Which apartment has more square metres?” It is, “What exactly has been measured, what am I paying for on that basis, and does the physical space still work for the way I plan to live?” Once those answers line up, the unit-price figure becomes genuinely informative.
Sources
1. RICS, Ensuring best practice in property measurement, 7 July 2023 — measurement basis, included areas and date; not a claim that one standard is mandatory in Cambodia. Accessed 27 September 2026.