Not safe to drink. Based on the national picture for Cambodia and local conditions.
Can you…
Can you drink the tap water in Siem Reap?
Last reviewed 2026 · Cambodia
Siem Reap scores 30/100 for tap-water safety — not safe to drink. So if you’re asking whether the tap water is safe in Siem Reap, the short answer is “not safe to drink.” Scores above 70 mean tap water is generally safe to drink. 40–69 means treat it with caution — filtering or bottled water is wise. Below 40 means it’s best avoided straight from the tap.
Ice, brushing your teeth & cooking: what’s safe in Siem Reap?
- Drinkable?
- No — don’t drink it unfiltered. Boil, filter, or buy bottled.
- Brush teeth?
- Risky — use bottled or boiled water to brush, especially for children.
- Ice?
- Avoid ice — it’s frequently made from untreated water.
- Cooking?
- Boil first — water that reaches a full boil is far safer than raw tap; don’t rinse salad or fruit in it.
Should you boil the tap water in Siem Reap?
If you have to use the tap water in Siem Reap, boil it first: a rolling boil for one minute makes it microbiologically safe to drink. Boiling does not remove chemicals, heavy metals, or lead, so filtered or bottled water is better where you can get it. More on what boiling does and doesn’t remove.
Do you need bottled water or a filter in Siem Reap?
Bottled water is the safest choice for drinking in Siem Reap, and it's widely sold — always check the seal is intact before you buy. A reusable bottle with a built-in purifier cuts both cost and plastic waste on longer stays.
A basic taste filter won't make the tap water in Siem Reap safe. If you filter, use a purifier certified to remove bacteria and viruses; otherwise rely on bottled or boiled water.
How Siem Reap compares to the rest of Cambodia
There’s no separate official water-quality feed for Siem Reap, so its rating tracks the national picture for Cambodia, which scores 30/100. Conditions in a specific neighbourhood, hotel, or older building can still differ from the city as a whole.
Common questions about tap water in Siem Reap
Can you drink tap water in Siem Reap?+
Siem Reap scores 30/100 on our water-safety index — not safe to drink. No — don’t drink it unfiltered. Boil, filter, or buy bottled.
Is it safe to brush your teeth with tap water in Siem Reap?+
Risky — use bottled or boiled water to brush, especially for children.
Is ice safe to use in drinks in Siem Reap?+
Avoid ice — it’s frequently made from untreated water.
Is tap water in Siem Reap safe for cooking?+
Boil first — water that reaches a full boil is far safer than raw tap; don’t rinse salad or fruit in it.
Data & sources
City-level tap-water safety isn’t published as a single official global dataset, so the Siem Reap score is derived from Cambodia’s national water-safety assessment together with CDC traveler guidance. For the full country picture and its official sources, see tap water in Cambodia.
Read the full methodology — how the 0–100 score is built and what it does (and doesn’t) mean.