NavoyNostos

Kep vs Phnom Penh

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Kep edges it, 50 to 49, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Kep is stronger on air quality; Phnom Penh on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.5 of 50 points (scores 58/100)Safety: 7.9 of 50 points (scores 71/100)Healthcare: 6.0 of 50 points (scores 54/100)Internet: 6.0 of 50 points (scores 54/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 50 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 4.1 of 50 points (scores 37/100)Climate: 3.7 of 50 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 9.9 of 50 points (scores 89/100)Quality of life: 2.4 of 50 points (scores 22/100)50
Kep
out of 100

Sleepy seaside town of crab shacks and abandoned villas near Kampot

Full Kep profile →Where to stay in Kep →
Cost of living: 7.0 of 49 points (scores 63/100)Safety: 7.9 of 49 points (scores 71/100)Healthcare: 6.0 of 49 points (scores 54/100)Internet: 6.3 of 49 points (scores 57/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 49 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 4.7 of 49 points (scores 42/100)Climate: 2.8 of 49 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 7.7 of 49 points (scores 69/100)Quality of life: 2.4 of 49 points (scores 22/100)49
Phnom Penh
out of 100

Cheap, easy visas, and a growing scene

Full Phnom Penh profile →Where to stay in Phnom Penh →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricKepPhnom Penh
Cost of living5863 ✓
Safety7171
Healthcare5454
Internet5457 ✓
Visa ease3434
Getting there & around3742 ✓
Climate33 ✓25
Air quality89 ✓69
Quality of life2222

Cost

MetricKepPhnom Penh
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,050$922 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno data$539

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricKepPhnom Penh
Homicides per 100k1.81.8
Political stability (0–100)71.571.5
UHC service coverage (0–100)6262
Life expectancy68.9 yrs68.9 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricKepPhnom Penh
Download15 Mbps17.3 Mbps ✓
Upload9.9 Mbps10.8 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricKepPhnom Penh
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival
Entry, EU passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival
Entry, UK passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival

Getting there and around

MetricKepPhnom Penh
Non-stop airport destinations1542 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)3 ✓2
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricKepPhnom Penh
Comfortable months per year4 ✓3
Annual mean PM2.510 µg/m³ ✓19 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Kep or Phnom Penh?
Phnom Penh is cheaper: about $922 per month versus $1,050 for one person.
Is Kep or Phnom Penh safer?
Kep scores higher on safety (71 vs 71), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Kep or Phnom Penh?
Phnom Penh: a measured median of 17.3 Mbps versus 15 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); OpenFlights airports and routes; Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.