How Much Does a Home Elevator Cost in Cambodia?
What was once a luxury – a lift inside your home – is fast becoming a necessity. Aging parents, new builds of forever homes, limited space but more floors. All these things combine to create a need for home elevators. But how much does a home elevator cost in Cambodia?
Table of contents
- 1. Traction Lifts are Not Home Elevators
- 2. What is a Home Elevator (ជណ្តើរយន្តសម្រាប់ផ្ទះ)?
- 3. What is the right technology for home elevators and what is the home elevator price (តម្លៃជណ្តើរយន្តក្នុងផ្ទះ) in Cambodia?
- 4. How Much does a Home Elevator Cost (តម្លៃសម្រាប់ជណ្តើរយន្តក្នុងផ្ទះ) in Cambodia?
- 5. FAQ About Home Elevator Price (តម្លៃជណ្តើរយន្តក្នុងផ្ទះ) in Cambodia
- Conclusion
1. Traction Lifts are Not Home Elevators
Unfortunately, when looking for the cost of home elevators in Cambodia, people all too often make the mistake of going to the big elevator companies first: Kone, Otis, Thyssen Krupp, among others. While their prices at first seem reasonable, usually in the 20-25,000 USD range, there are two quick realizations that appear:
- These prices are not all-inclusive: and in fact, often do not include the shaft which can easily add another 10,000 USD to the price.
- These are not home lifts. They are huge, with the smallest standard models requiring roughly 1.5 x 1.5 INSIDE the shaft. This can lead to space usage in your home of 4 square meters or more, on every single floor. A HUGE waste of space.
2. What is a Home Elevator (ជណ្តើរយន្តសម្រាប់ផ្ទះ)?
How do we define a home lift? A home lift needs to have a total area of less than 2 sqm all-inclusive. Some companies, like Cibes or Kalea, can even do tiny sizes that are under 1 sqm – a truly impressive technological achievement.
Furthermore, a home lift needs to be non-destructive for homes. That means the pit needs to be tiny, preferably under 70 mm, to avoid any damage to bottom slab, foundations, or problems with ground-swelling. It also needs to be able to go all the way to the roof. This means no machine room, which we call MRL – Machine Room Less in the industry.
In some cases, where it does not need to go to the roof, the home lift should have small headroom. Preferably under 3000 mm, so that it doesn’t need to break through the ceiling just to fit in the home.
3. What is the right technology for home elevators and what is the home elevator price (តម្លៃជណ្តើរយន្តក្នុងផ្ទះ) in Cambodia?
Screw driven lifts are the ones that really hit all of these points. Their tiny pits (0 mm or 50 mm), limited headroom (as low as 1100 mm) and no need for a machine room make them a wonderful fit inside the home.
Most screw driven lifts are also platform lifts, which means they can save even more space as they don’t need to waste space for sliding doors or cabin walls. Screw driven lifts can even reach as much as 73% space efficiency – compare with a 30 – 45% average for traction lifts. This means that for a 1 sqm finished shaft, you could get as much as 0.73 sqm standing space!
4. How Much does a Home Elevator Cost (តម្លៃសម្រាប់ជណ្តើរយន្តក្នុងផ្ទះ) in Cambodia?
Unfortunately, because of all these advantages, home lifts don’t come cheap. It’s kind of like a mobile phone: the slimmer and smaller it gets, the more the price goes up.
For a screw drive from Sweden, expect to pay 35,000 USD up to 70,000 USD. The price will vary based off of your number of stops and the model. A company like Cibes has super high-end models that are more than simple lifts and often actual works of art.
You can also get lifts from other countries in Europe for a cheaper price by 10-15%, but many customers say the trade-off in quality is just not worth it. The gold standard for screw drive is Sweden. The quality is exceptionally good and they have been making them for years and years.
5. FAQ About Home Elevator Price (តម្លៃជណ្តើរយន្តក្នុងផ្ទះ) in Cambodia
A certified home elevator in Cambodia usually costs between US $35,000 and US $80,000, depending on technology, brand, finishes, and number of stops.
Number of stops / floors served : more floors = more materials, more labor, more cost.
Type of drive / technology : screw driven elevators, traction, hydraulic, etc. Better, more reliable technologies like screw-drive are more expensive.
Brand & origin : imported elevators, especially from Europe, tend to be more expensive.
Finishes and customizations : interior materials, doors, lighting, cabin size, etc.
Installation complexity : whether there is existing shaft / space, whether structural modifications are needed, whether a machine room or significant foundation / pit is required.
Some common types:
Screw drive : high-precision, often imported; tends to be on the upper end of the price range.
Traction / electric / cable driven : depending on specification, could be more economical than premium imported screw systems.
Hydraulic systems : typically heavier, need more maintenance, might cost more depending on local infrastructure.
Machine-room-less / compact / minimalist systems : these can reduce installation costs, especially if no big shaft or room is required.
The quoted ranges usually include the core elevator unit, often basic installation, but extra costs may come from:
Structural changes (shaft construction, pit, reinforcement of floors)
Import taxes, shipping, customs (especially for foreign-made equipment)
Electrical work, power supply upgrades
Local permits, engineering, safety certification
Finishing work (cabinet interiors, lighting, doors, etc.)
Possibly yes, but it depends on what you compromise:
Fewer stops (1-2 floors)
Simpler designs / materials (lower finish)
Using more local components rather than importing everything
Reducing custom features
But going below the ~US$35,000 range might mean a more basic model or limited features. Or worse yet, a different business model (like those used by traction) where the lift is sold at a loss but the customer is trapped with expensive maintenances and repairs every month.
Excellent question. This depends on the technology. These are very low for screw-driven, but extremely high for traction, due to its business model being centered around maintenances and repairs. Furthermore, at the ~10 year mark, the lift will be slated for modernization (read: replace the whole thing at a 200% margin). Higher up-front cost but lower long-term cost for screw-driven lifts.
All factors considered (quality, business model, technology, design), the answer is Cibes Lift Cambodia, with no close second.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when it comes to mini home lifts, you can find a truly wide variation in prices. Starting from the low end with traction lifts and going to the high-end with premium models of screw drive. While the price difference may be large though, it is often a good investment. The lift will waste less space inside your home, require less civil work and ultimately last a lot longer with lower maintenance.
Richard Hale is the founder of Cambodia Elevator, the most trusted online resource for elevators in Cambodia. Drawing on over 25 years of international experience in the elevator and lift industry, Richard built the platform to provide homeowners, developers, and businesses with clear, reliable, and unbiased information about home elevators, residential lifts, and commercial lift solutions in Cambodia. His blog has become the go-to destination for understanding elevator prices, safety standards, and installation requirements, making it an essential guide for anyone considering a home lift or commercial elevator project. With a mission to raise awareness about safety and quality in Cambodia’s rapidly developing real estate sector, Richard has positioned Cambodia Elevator as both an educational hub and an industry watchdog. Before establishing Cambodia Elevator, Richard spent 25 years leading and supporting elevator projects across the UK and Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia. This hands-on regional experience gave him deep insights into how local regulations, building codes, and cultural expectations influence elevator design and adoption. By combining global expertise with local knowledge, Richard offers unique authority on the Cambodian elevator market—helping families choose safe home lifts, guiding developers through complex installation decisions, and promoting international safety standards. His commitment to transparency and consumer education continues to make Cambodia Elevator the most authoritative voice on elevators in Cambodia.
