Digital Nomad Kampot Travel Guide
Cambodia is one of the best places in the world to get paid to travel, Kampot is one of the best places in Cambodia, so ergo the Digital Nomad Kampot scene must be good right? Well, yes and no.
Kampot for sure is one of the best places to be a digital nomad, but it is small, quiet and not without its challenges if you do want to live and work here.
What the Kampot?
Kampot is a small riverside town in southern Cambodia with a population of around 45,000 in the town itself and roughly 90,000 in the wider province. It sits on the Praek Tuek Chhu River and is close to both the Vietnamese border and the Gulf of Thailand.
Once an important French colonial trading port, Kampot still retains faded colonial architecture mixed with low-rise modern development. It is best known today for Kampot pepper, slow living, river sunsets and a small but steady expat and digital nomad community.
It is not a city. It is a town built for people trying to escape cities oh and hippies.
Click to read about the Xi’an nomad scene.
Cost of living in Kampot
Kampot is still cheap, but not the mythical ultra-budget backpacker fantasy people sometimes claim unless you want to live very bare bones. There are a lot of poor white dudes in Kampot.
Rent:
- Basic room / guesthouse: $100–$200 per month
- Standard furnished apartment: $200–$400 per month
- Riverfront or expat villa: $400–$900+ per month
Internet:
- Home fibre: $20–$50 per month
- Mobile data backup: $5–$15 per month
Food:
- Local Khmer meal: $2–$4
- Western meal: $5–$15
- Weekly groceries: $30–$80
Going out:
- Light social life: $80–$150 per month
- Heavy expat lifestyle: $200–$400 per month
Total monthly cost:
- Budget: $400–$700
- Comfortable: $700–$1,200
- High-end expat living: $1,200–$2,000+
The Digital Nomad Kampot scene
The Digital Nomad Kampot scene is small, informal and built around cafés rather than co-working spaces. There is no real startup infrastructure here. People work where the WiFi works and where the coffee is decent.
Epic Arts Café – Reliable Work Base
Street 730, Kampot
A social enterprise café with strong WiFi, quiet seating and a steady working crowd. One of the most consistent places in town for laptop work.
Simple Things – Riverside Nomad Spot
Riverside Road, Kampot
One of the main digital nomad hangouts. Good coffee, river views and enough plugs to make it practical for long work sessions.
Espresso Kampot – Coffee First, Work Second
Near Old Market, Kampot
Small espresso-focused café. Not designed as a coworking space but commonly used as one due to its calm atmosphere.
Karma Traders Café – Hostel Work Hybrid
Kampot Riverside area
Part café, part hostel, part bar. Works well for daytime productivity and easily transitions into social evenings.
Lotus Café – Quiet Local Option
Near Durian Roundabout, Kampot
Less touristy, more local feel. Reliable WiFi and a quieter atmosphere than riverside spots.
The Kampot Nightlife and food scene
While mostly a fairly quiet city, it is with the nightlife and food scene where the city shines. Bar wise there is a little something for everyone including classic pubs, clubs and even girly bars. There’s a great expat scene here too, with them even hosting a beer festival.
And while the food scene is nowhere near as eclectic as Phnom Penh, there’s all kinds of international fare including great burgers, French food and of course local seafood. The street food Kampot scene is all cheap and of great quality.
Naga House
Riverside Road, Kampot
Backpacker hub with sunset views, cheap drinks and pool tables. Almost everyone passes through here at some point.
Oh Neil’s Irish Bar
Riverside Road, Kampot
Classic expat Irish pub with Guinness, sports and pub food. One of the longest running social bars in town. Allegedly where one buys green. We have no comment on this, nor on if its authentically Irish (its not).
Banyan Tree
Riverside area, Kampot
Relaxed cocktail bar with a more polished feel. Good for sunset drinks and quieter evenings.
Mad Monkey Rooftop Bar
Mad Monkey Hostel, Kampot
Hostel-based party spot with themed nights and a backpacker-heavy crowd. Great party place and beer festival host.
The Bay
Street 724, Kampot
Craft beer, river views and a calmer crowd. Popular with expats and digital nomads.
What is there to see and do in Kampot guide?
Kampot does not have the history and draw of say Siem Reap, but that is not to say there are not things to so here. Most of the fun is based around the river, getting out to Kep, or Bokor Hill and its Khmer Rouge based jollies.
Bokor National Park
An abandoned French hill station sitting above the coast, now partly ruined and partly redeveloped, with wide views over the Gulf of Thailand.
Kep Crab Market
A short trip from Kampot, famous for fresh seafood, especially crab cooked with Kampot pepper. Some of the best street food in the world.
Kampot River Cruises
Sunset boat trips along the river are one of the most popular ways to spend an evening in town.
Pepper Plantations
Kampot pepper farms are a key part of the region’s identity and can be visited on short tours outside town.
Salt Fields and Countryside Loops
Simple motorbike routes through rural villages, salt pans and farmland surrounding Kampot.
Can you work in Kampot?
As I state in the next section getting a work permit and visa in Cambodia is very easy, but this is not the same as getting a job. Kampot though do hire lots of foreigners, but these tend yo be in the hospitality industry and thus not so well paid and informal.
On a slightly higher end there is teaching, or of course opening your own business. There are a while heap of expat owned businesses in Kampot, again mostly bars, restaurants and hotels. Do not though expect lots of business opportunities in Kampot, Kampot is not Phnom Penh.
Getting a visa and opening a company in Cambodia Guide
I will not go into crazy detail about these two points as I have largely covered them in other articles, bit basically as things stand you can simply buy a work visa in Cambodia. This allows you not just to live in the country without hassle, but also open a bank account and thus be able to use ABA Pay. This is a big deal.
Alas opening a company is not nearly as traughtfzoward as getting a work permit in Cambodia. Technically it can be done online, but in reality it is a few grand to set up and probably $500 a month to maintain, with the associated tax implications!
Click to read about the Thai digital nomad visa vs a Cambodian work visa!
Getting in and out of Kampot Guide
There is no airport in Kampot which means you will have to get in, or out via Phnom Penh, or at a push Sihanoukville. It is though easy reach to both of these places, as well as to Vietnam and beyond. It is also on the fabulous Cambodian Railway Network!
Typical travel:
- Phnom Penh to Kampot by bus: 3–4 hours ($8–$12)
- Phnom Penh to Kampot by train: 4–5 hours ($6–$8, limited service, slower but more scenic and comfortable)
- Phnom Penh to Kampot by taxi / private car: 2.5–3.5 hours ($40–$70)
- Sihanoukville to Kampot by bus: 2–3 hours ($5–$10)
- Sihanoukville to Kampot by train: 2.5–3.5 hours ($4–$7, limited service, not always daily)
- Sihanoukville to Kampot by taxi / private car: 1.5–2.5 hours ($25–$50)
- Kampot to Kep by tuk-tuk: 30–45 minutes ($8–$12)
- Kampot to Kep by taxi / private car: 25–40 minutes ($15–$25)
Regional routes:
- Kampot to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City): 8–10 hours via border crossing ($12–$20)
- Kampot to Phu Quoc: 4–6 hours via Ha Tien including bus + ferry ($20–$40)
- Kampot to Koh Rong: 4–6 hours via Sihanoukville including transfer + ferry ($25–$50 depending on speed ferry or slow boat)
Click to read about the worst cities in Vietnam.
The Digital Nomad Kampot Score
I personally love Kampot as a digital nomad destination quite simply because of its low cost and high standard of living. Hotel wise for $30 a night you get deluxe, while for the $250-300 a month
In fact it is even the negatives here that I like. Kampot is far from an airport and the capital, which makes it remote and it is much quieter than other nomad destinations. If you can handle these points then there are few better places out there.
Digital Nomad Kampot score – 8/10 – VERY respectable
Click to check my Cambodia Tours with YPT.