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Kampot, Cambodia·8 min read·

Renting in Kampot: Cost of Living & Complete Guide (2026)

Kampot is Cambodia’s most relaxed riverside town — sleepy, green and genuinely cheap, with a tight-knit expat community, a US-dollar economy, and Bokor mountain and the Kep coast on the doorstep. Whether you're moving for a few months or settling in, this is the practical, all-in-one guide for 2026— written from time actually spent on the ground, not a rehash of someone else's. Here's what it costs to live here, where to base yourself, how to get set up, and how to land a good place before someone else does.

Currency
US dollar
Typical 1-bed
$250–$450/mo
Internet
Fibre in town, ~$15–25
Deposit
1 month + first month
Best for
Slow living, riverside, budget
Getting around
Bicycle / motorbike / tuk-tuk

Who Kampot is for

Slow-living & creative types

A famously mellow riverside pace that pulls in writers, artists and remote workers who want quiet over hustle.

Budget maximisers

Some of the cheapest comfortable rents in the region — a riverside room or a small house here costs a fraction of a Thai or Vietnamese city.

Nature & day-trip lovers

Bokor National Park, river kayaking, pepper farms, caves and the Kep crab market are all within a short ride.

Not ideal if…

You want nightlife, a big social scene or fast career networking — Kampot is small and quiet, and the nearest city buzz is Phnom Penh, 3–4 hours away.

Cost of living in Kampot

Typical monthly costs beyond rent, for one person living comfortably:

Local meal / market food
$1.50–$3
Western restaurant meal
$5–$10
Monthly groceries (1 person)
$120–$240
Coworking / café day
$3–$6
Gym membership
$20–$35/mo
Coffee at a café
$1.80–$3

Utilities are low: electricity runs roughly $30–$90/month depending on aircon use, with cheap water and fast fibre in and around town.

Build your own monthly budget for Kampot — pick a lifestyle and home size, and edit any line to match your plans (rent uses real current listings):

City
Who's going
Lifestyle
Housing
Getting around
Eating
Coworking
Rent (1-bed)typical asking price
$330
Food & eating out
$300
Transport
$60
Utilities & internet
$90
Phone / SIM
$9
Fun & misc
$180
Estimated monthly total
≈ $969/mo

Estimate for one person, in USD. Lifestyle sets your overall standard across every line; Eating and Getting around fine-tune the two most variable costs. Rent shows the live median of current listings where we have enough of them, otherwise a typical asking price; other lines are curated estimates. Tap ✎ to change any line to your own number (e.g. set a cost to $0 if it doesn't apply). Your spending will vary.

See live rentals in Kampot →

Rent prices in 2026

Typical monthly asking prices, furnished:

Room / studio, central
$150–$300
1-bed apartment or small house
$250–$450
Riverside house with garden
$400–$700
2-bed house (outer / pepper farms)
$350–$600
Prices are in US dollars. Kampot is one of the cheapest places on this whole site — a lot of the best long-stay houses never hit the big portals and go by word of mouth, so it pays to be on the ground (or watching listings) when one appears.

Where to live

Riverside / town centre

The heart of it — the old French shophouses, cafés and the riverfront. Walkable and the most social base.

Fish Market road

A short ride from the centre along the river — guesthouses, bars and a string of riverside spots.

Toward the salt fields & pepper farms

Houses with land and real space for very little, if you have a motorbike.

Kep direction / coast

Quieter still, closer to the sea and the Kep crab market — newer villas and bungalows.

Getting set up

Internet, SIM & coworking

Fibre internet is solid in town and SIMs (Smart, Cellcard) are a few dollars. There’s a small coworking scene and a long list of laptop-friendly riverside cafés — fine for remote work, if quieter than Phnom Penh.

Getting around

Kampot is tiny and flat — a bicycle covers town, tuk-tuks (PassApp) are cheap, and a motorbike opens up Bokor, the pepper farms and the run to Kep.

Visas & staying long-term

Same as the rest of Cambodia — the E-class (ordinary) visa extends to 6 or 12 months through an agent, cheaply and with little paperwork.

Healthcare, shopping & essentials

Healthcare

Local clinics and a referral hospital handle the everyday; anything serious means Phnom Penh (3–4h) or a flight to Bangkok.

Supermarkets

A few mini-marts and Western-stocked shops in town; the central market (Psar Kampot) is cheapest for fresh produce and the famous Kampot pepper.

Coworking & cafés

A genuinely good café culture for the size of the town, plus a couple of coworking spots along the river.

Fitness

A handful of gyms and yoga studios, with kayaking, cycling and Bokor hikes for the outdoors crowd.

Things to do

  • Bokor National Park and the old hill station
  • Sunset river cruises and kayaking
  • Kampot pepper plantation tours
  • Day trip to Kep and the crab market
  • Phnom Chhnork cave temples
  • Riverside café and bar evenings

See every Kampot rental on one live map

Browse current listings, filter by price and bedrooms, and get an email the moment a new match appears. Free to browse.

Open the Kampot map →

Deposits & renting safely

Expect one month’s deposit plus the first month up front. Leases run from month-to-month (easy here, given the long-stay crowd) up to 12 months, where you can usually negotiate a lower monthly rate or a bigger house.

Before you hand over a deposit:

  • View in person and test the aircon, fans and water pressure
  • Many of the best houses go by word of mouth — ask around locally too
  • Confirm what’s included: water, internet, garden/pool upkeep
  • Get the deposit-return terms written into the lease
  • Pay the deposit only after seeing the actual house, not photos
  • Ask about generator or backup power for the odd outage

Finding a good place before it goes

The well-priced, well-located places don't sit empty for long — the renters who get them are the ones who see a listing the day it appears and message first. Rather than refresh scattered sources, Rental Alert puts every current Kampot listing on a single map and can email you the moment something inside your budget and area shows up, so you reach the landlord before it's taken.

Kampot rental FAQ

How much does it cost to rent in Kampot?

Typical furnished monthly asking prices in Kampot: Room / studio, central, $150–$300; 1-bed apartment or small house, $250–$450; Riverside house with garden, $400–$700; 2-bed house (outer / pepper farms), $350–$600.

What is the cost of living in Kampot?

Beyond rent, typical monthly costs for one person are: Local meal / market food, $1.50–$3; Western restaurant meal, $5–$10; Monthly groceries (1 person), $120–$240; Coworking / café day, $3–$6; Gym membership, $20–$35/mo; Coffee at a café, $1.80–$3. Utilities are low: electricity runs roughly $30–$90/month depending on aircon use, with cheap water and fast fibre in and around town.

How much deposit do I need to rent in Kampot?

Expect one month’s deposit plus the first month up front. Leases run from month-to-month (easy here, given the long-stay crowd) up to 12 months, where you can usually negotiate a lower monthly rate or a bigger house.

What are the best areas to live in Kampot?

Riverside / town centre — The heart of it — the old French shophouses, cafés and the riverfront. Walkable and the most social base. Fish Market road — A short ride from the centre along the river — guesthouses, bars and a string of riverside spots. Toward the salt fields & pepper farms — Houses with land and real space for very little, if you have a motorbike. Kep direction / coast — Quieter still, closer to the sea and the Kep crab market — newer villas and bungalows.

Is Kampot good for expats and digital nomads?

Kampot is Cambodia’s most relaxed riverside town — sleepy, green and genuinely cheap, with a tight-knit expat community, a US-dollar economy, and Bokor mountain and the Kep coast on the doorstep. Fibre internet is solid in town and SIMs (Smart, Cellcard) are a few dollars. There’s a small coworking scene and a long list of laptop-friendly riverside cafés — fine for remote work, if quieter than Phnom Penh.

Find your next place in Kampot first

Every current Kampot listing on one live map, with email alerts the moment a match inside your budget appears. Free to browse.

Open the Kampot map →

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