Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Cambodia Property Pack
Yes, the analysis of Sihanoukville's property market is included in our pack
Sihanoukville's residential land market in 2026 reflects a city in transition, shaped by port expansion, airport upgrades, and coastal development plans that continue to reshape which neighborhoods feel accessible and which feel remote.
Prices vary dramatically depending on beach proximity, road access, and whether utilities are already in place, making it essential for buyers to understand how these factors translate into real costs per square meter.
We constantly update this blog post to reflect the latest available data and market conditions in Sihanoukville.
And if you're planning to buy a property in this place, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in Sihanoukville.
How much does residential land usually cost in Sihanoukville?
What is the average residential land price per sqm in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, typical buildable residential land in Sihanoukville costs about $450 per sqm (around 1,850,000 KHR or €415), though this reflects plots with reasonable road access and clear boundaries rather than beachfront trophy sites.
Most residential land transactions in Sihanoukville fall within a realistic range of $200 to $700 per sqm (820,000 to 2,870,000 KHR, or €185 to €645), with anything above that typically involving special features like beach adjacency or premium infrastructure.
The single factor that most significantly affects land prices per sqm in Sihanoukville is proximity to functioning transport corridors connecting to the port and airport, because these routes determine which plots feel "15 minutes from town" versus "an hour in rainy season."
Compared to Phnom Penh, where prime urban land can exceed $2,000 per sqm, Sihanoukville's average remains more accessible, though it has climbed closer to secondary cities like Kampot and Kep as infrastructure investment has intensified along the coast.
By the way, we have much more granular data about property prices in our property pack about Sihanoukville.
What is the cheapest price range for residential land in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, the cheapest residential land in Sihanoukville typically ranges from $120 to $250 per sqm (490,000 to 1,025,000 KHR, or €110 to €230), usually found in areas with unpaved access roads or where drainage infrastructure is still being developed.
At the premium end, buyers should expect to pay $800 to $1,500 per sqm (3,280,000 to 6,150,000 KHR, or €735 to €1,380) for well-serviced plots near beaches or main corridors, and anything quoted above $2,000 per sqm is typically a rare ultra-prime parcel or priced as commercial development land.
The key trade-off with the cheapest land in Sihanoukville is that buyers often inherit hidden costs like road filling, drainage work, and extended utility connection timelines that can add 20% to 40% to the effective purchase price before construction begins.
Buyers looking for these affordable options should focus on Prey Nob District and the more inland parts of Krong Preah Sihanouk, where larger plots with lower per-sqm prices are more common, though access roads may be seasonal.
How much budget do I need to buy a buildable plot in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, the minimum budget to purchase a standard buildable plot in Sihanoukville starts around $30,000 to $40,000 (123 to 164 million KHR, or €27,500 to €36,800), which would secure a modest 150 to 200 sqm plot in an outlying area with basic access.
This entry-level budget typically covers a compact plot suitable for a small single-family home, though buyers should note that these plots often require additional investment in access improvements or drainage before construction.
For a well-located buildable plot with proper road access and utilities nearby, a realistic mid-range budget in Sihanoukville runs $90,000 to $135,000 (369 to 554 million KHR, or €82,800 to €124,200), covering a 200 to 300 sqm plot at typical market rates plus a 6% to 10% buffer for transfer taxes and administrative costs.
You can also check here what kind of properties you could get with similar budgets in Sihanoukville.
Are residential land prices rising or falling in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, residential land prices in Sihanoukville are estimated to be stable to gently rising in desirable locations, with year-over-year increases of roughly 3% to 8% in areas benefiting from infrastructure improvements, while oversupplied pockets remain essentially flat.
Over the past five years, Sihanoukville residential land prices experienced a boom-correction cycle, surging dramatically during the 2018-2019 construction rush, pulling back during pandemic-related slowdowns, and now stabilizing at levels that remain well above pre-2017 baselines.
The single factor most responsible for the current price trend in Sihanoukville is the sustained government commitment to port expansion and logistics corridor development, which keeps employment and business activity expectations elevated even as speculative fever has cooled.
Want to know more? You'll find our latest property market analysis about Sihanoukville here.
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How are residential land prices measured and compared in Sihanoukville?
Are residential lands priced per sqm, acre, or hectare in Sihanoukville?
In Sihanoukville and throughout Cambodia, residential land is most commonly priced per square meter (sqm), which is the standard unit you will encounter in broker listings, marketplace ads, and official documentation.
For larger investment tracts, you may see prices quoted per hectare (1 hectare equals 10,000 sqm), while some expat-oriented listings use acres (1 acre equals approximately 4,047 sqm), so buyers should keep these conversions handy when comparing properties.
Foreign buyers accustomed to acres (common in the US, UK, and Australia) or hectares (common in Europe) will find the sqm standard more granular, which actually helps when evaluating smaller residential plots where precision matters for budgeting.
What land size is considered normal for a house in Sihanoukville?
A typical single-family home plot in Sihanoukville ranges from 150 to 250 sqm, which provides enough space for a modest house, parking area, and a small outdoor area without feeling cramped.
Most residential properties in Sihanoukville fall within a range of 150 to 400 sqm, with smaller plots common in more urban areas and larger plots available in developing neighborhoods or outskirts where land supply is greater.
Cambodia's building regulations do not impose a strict nationwide minimum plot size, but local commune-level guidelines and practical construction requirements typically make plots under 100 sqm difficult to develop for standalone housing.
How do urban and rural residential land prices differ in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, urban and near-beach residential land in Sihanoukville typically costs 2 to 5 times more per sqm than inland or rural plots, meaning urban land at $600 per sqm (2,460,000 KHR or €550) compares to rural land at $150 per sqm (615,000 KHR or €140) for similar sized parcels.
Buyers typically pay a 20% to 60% premium for serviced land (with road access, drainage, and power connections) compared to unserviced plots of similar size and location, because serviced land eliminates months of preparation work and unpredictable costs.
The single infrastructure factor that most significantly drives the urban-rural price gap in Sihanoukville is all-weather road access, because seasonal flooding and unpaved roads can make a plot that looks "20 minutes away" on a map feel unreachable for half the year.
We did some research and made this infographic to help you quickly compare rental yields of the major cities in Cambodia versus those in neighboring countries. It provides a clear view of how this country positions itself as a real estate investment destination, which might interest you if you’re planning to invest there.
What location factors affect residential land prices in Sihanoukville?
Which areas have the most expensive residential land in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, the most expensive residential land in Sihanoukville is found in Otres Beach and Otres corridor (around $700 to $1,200 per sqm or 2,870,000 to 4,920,000 KHR or €645 to €1,100), Serendipity and Ochheuteal beach areas ($600 to $1,000 per sqm), and Independence Beach and Sokha vicinity ($550 to $900 per sqm).
What these expensive areas share is direct or near-direct beach access combined with established tourism infrastructure, meaning buyers pay for the certainty that visitors, renters, and hospitality businesses already know where to find them.
Buyers in these premium Sihanoukville areas typically include foreign investors structuring long-term leases for boutique hospitality projects, Cambodian business families seeking beachfront lifestyle properties, and developers assembling parcels for branded residential or mixed-use projects.
Prices in these top areas are showing signs of stabilization rather than rapid appreciation, as the speculative surge of 2018-2019 has given way to more cautious purchasing focused on plots with clear titles and verified infrastructure.
Which areas offer the cheapest residential land in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, the cheapest residential land in Sihanoukville is found in Prey Nob District ($120 to $200 per sqm or 490,000 to 820,000 KHR or €110 to €185), inland parts of Krong Preah Sihanouk away from beach strips ($150 to $250 per sqm), and areas where access roads remain unpaved or under improvement ($100 to $180 per sqm).
These affordable areas commonly share the drawback of limited all-weather road access and incomplete utility infrastructure, meaning buyers must budget for road improvements, drainage work, or extended timelines to connect water and electricity.
Some of these cheaper areas, particularly those along planned ring road corridors and last-mile logistics routes identified in government priority projects, are showing early signs of future price appreciation as infrastructure work progresses and travel times shrink.
Are future infrastructure projects affecting land prices in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, announced infrastructure projects are having a measurable impact on residential land prices in Sihanoukville, with plots near confirmed road upgrades and transport corridors commanding 15% to 30% premiums compared to similar plots without infrastructure proximity.
The top infrastructure projects currently influencing Sihanoukville land prices include the ongoing port expansion at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the airport terminal upgrade targeting completion in 2026, the coastal economic corridor master plan reviewed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and ring road and last-mile logistics improvements under the MPSEZ priority framework.
Buyers have observed price increases of 20% to 40% in areas where new road connections have been completed or where airport-related accessibility improvements have shortened travel times to beaches and business districts.
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How do people actually negotiate and judge prices in Sihanoukville?
Do buyers usually negotiate residential land prices in Sihanoukville?
Buyers in Sihanoukville can typically negotiate 5% to 15% off the asking price for residential land, with the actual discount depending on how motivated the seller is, how long the plot has been listed, and whether there are any title or access complications.
Sellers in Sihanoukville are most willing to negotiate when the plot has unclear boundary documentation, when access roads are informal or seasonal, when the property has been on the market for several months, or when the seller needs liquidity quickly for other investments.
To better negotiate, you need to understand how things are being done in this place. That's why we have built our our pack covering the property buying process in Sihanoukville.
Do foreigners usually pay higher land prices in Sihanoukville?
Foreigners in Sihanoukville often pay 5% to 20% more than locals for residential land exposure, though this premium reflects the cost of proper legal structuring rather than simply being quoted higher prices.
The main reason foreigners pay more is that they cannot directly own land under Cambodian law, so they must pay for compliant structures like long-term leases or properly drafted company arrangements, plus the legal fees to ensure these structures actually protect their investment.
Using a trusted local representative or properly structured Cambodian company can help foreigners access fairer market prices, but this only works when the representative is genuinely trustworthy and the legal structure is drafted by reputable counsel, otherwise buyers trade one risk for another.
Now, you might want to read our updated list of common traps foreigners fall into when purchasing real estate in Sihanoukville.
Are private sellers cheaper than developers in Sihanoukville?
Private sellers in Sihanoukville typically offer residential land at 10% to 25% less than developers, though prices vary widely depending on the seller's circumstances and how urgently they need to close.
Developers in Sihanoukville often justify higher prices by providing surveyed boundaries, cleared access roads, basic utility readiness, and sometimes staged payment options, which reduces the buyer's post-purchase preparation burden and timeline uncertainty.
The main risk when purchasing from private sellers in Sihanoukville is encountering incomplete title documentation or disputed boundaries, because many private plots were informally subdivided or passed through family arrangements without full cadastral registration under the hard title system.
How transparent are residential land transactions in Sihanoukville?
Residential land transactions in Sihanoukville have moderate transparency by international standards, with significant variation depending on whether the plot has hard title registration and whether buyers engage established legal and brokerage professionals.
Cambodia's land registry system exists and hard title records are officially maintained, but public access to transaction records and pricing history remains limited compared to markets with fully digitized and searchable property databases.
The most common transparency issue in Sihanoukville is the gap between "soft title" possessory rights and "hard title" registered ownership, because many sellers market plots as if they have the same legal standing when they do not, leaving buyers exposed to boundary disputes or competing claims.
The most essential due diligence step in Sihanoukville is verifying hard title registration directly with the cadastral office and confirming that the plot boundaries match what is being physically shown, because paper documentation alone can be outdated or inconsistent with on-the-ground reality.
We cover everything there is to know about the land buying process in Sihanoukville here.
We created this infographic to give you a simple idea of how much it costs to buy property in different parts of Cambodia. As you can see, it breaks down price ranges and property types for popular cities in the country. We hope this makes it easier to explore your options and understand the market.
What extra costs should I budget beyond land price in Sihanoukville?
What taxes apply when buying residential land in Sihanoukville in 2026?
As of early 2026, buyers should expect to pay approximately 4% of the assessed transfer value in taxes when purchasing residential land in Sihanoukville, plus minor administrative fees that together bring total transaction costs to around 4.5% to 5%.
This total consists primarily of the transfer tax (commonly called stamp duty or registration tax) at 4% of the official assessed value, which is the main government-imposed cost at the point of purchase.
After purchase, owners in Sihanoukville may face recurring annual property taxes including the Tax on Immovable Property (assessed annually on property values above certain thresholds) and potentially the Unused Land Tax if land is left undeveloped, though implementation and exemption details have been subject to ongoing government clarifications.
Cambodia has introduced various tax incentives and exemptions for real estate, particularly during recent years, and some first-time buyers or specific transaction types may qualify for reduced rates or temporary exemptions depending on current government notices.
Our our pack about real estate in Sihanoukville will surely help you minimize these costs.
What are typical notary or legal fees for land purchases in Sihanoukville?
Legal due diligence and contract preparation for a standard residential land purchase in Sihanoukville typically costs $800 to $2,500 (3,280,000 to 10,250,000 KHR or €735 to €2,300), with fees rising toward the higher end when foreign ownership structures or complex lease arrangements are involved.
Land registration and administrative costs beyond the 4% transfer tax typically add $200 to $1,000 (820,000 to 4,100,000 KHR or €185 to €920) depending on the complexity of the documentation and how much chasing of records is required.
Legal fees in Sihanoukville are typically quoted as flat rates for standard transactions rather than as a percentage of purchase price, though complex deals involving multiple parcels or foreign structures may be billed on a time-and-complexity basis.
How much does land maintenance cost before construction in Sihanoukville?
Annual maintenance for an undeveloped residential plot in Sihanoukville typically costs $500 to $2,000 (2,050,000 to 8,200,000 KHR or €460 to €1,840), depending on plot size, vegetation growth rates, and whether security or fencing is required.
Typical maintenance tasks in Sihanoukville before construction begins include vegetation clearing and grass control (often needed quarterly in the rainy season), boundary marker maintenance, minor drainage or filling work, and basic security measures to prevent encroachment.
Cambodia's Unused Land Tax framework can apply penalties to land left neglected or unproductive, though enforcement varies and recent government clarifications have adjusted implementation timelines, making it prudent to maintain at least basic upkeep documentation.
Do permits and studies significantly increase total land cost in Sihanoukville?
Permits and required studies for a standard residential plot in Sihanoukville typically cost $2,000 to $8,000 (8,200,000 to 32,800,000 KHR or €1,840 to €7,360), covering surveys, soil tests, and construction permit applications.
These permit and study costs typically represent 3% to 8% of the land purchase price, with the percentage running higher for cheaper inland plots that require more preparation work and lower for premium plots where much of the groundwork is already completed.
Mandatory requirements before construction in Sihanoukville generally include a topographic or boundary survey, a soil and foundation study (particularly important given coastal sand conditions), and a construction permit from local authorities, with environmental assessments sometimes required for larger or coastal-adjacent projects.
The permit and study process in Sihanoukville typically takes 2 to 6 months from initiation to approval, with timelines varying based on plot complexity, local authority workloads, and how complete the existing documentation is.
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What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Sihanoukville, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can and we don't throw out numbers at random.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why It's Authoritative | How We Used It |
|---|---|---|
| Cambodia Land Law 2001 | The core national law governing land ownership and titles in Cambodia. | We used it to explain ownership types and why foreigners cannot directly own land. We also used it to frame which title checks matter before trusting any price. |
| APS Cambodia | A major local brokerage platform with current asking prices and plot sizes. | We computed implied price per sqm from listed prices and sizes. We used those calculations as a key input for our 2026 price triangulation. |
| Khmer24 | One of Cambodia's largest classified marketplaces with real listing data. | We used it to compute example per-sqm prices from dated listing snapshots. We treated it as a market check alongside broker data. |
| Knight Frank Cambodia | A global real estate firm with institutional-grade local market coverage. | We cross-checked which areas appear in professional land searches. We used it to verify our expensive versus affordable area mapping. |
| Sihanoukville Autonomous Port | The official port operator describing expansion plans and logistics capacity. | We used it to explain why port corridors affect nearby land values. We linked price pressure to real infrastructure plans. |
| MPSEZ Key Priority Projects | Government investment portal listing transport and development priorities. | We identified which road and logistics works change neighborhood accessibility. We explained why some inland areas reprice when roads improve. |
| B2B Cambodia | A well-known Cambodia business outlet with specific project timelines. | We used it to explain airport upgrade impacts on residential demand. We referenced it for early 2026 completion expectations. |
| PwC Tax Summaries | A widely used professional reference summarizing Cambodian tax rules. | We validated the standard 4% transfer tax rate and tax base logic. We cross-checked against local guides and law firm updates. |
| DFDL Legal Updates | A major regional law firm with Cambodia-specific tax and legal updates. | We reflected moving parts in property taxes and incentive timelines. We avoided outdated assumptions about exemptions. |
| National Bank of Cambodia | Cambodia's central bank and standard source for inflation and macro data. | We anchored early 2026 purchasing power context using inflation data. We avoided mixing nominal and real price trends. |
We made this infographic to show you how property prices in Cambodia compare to other big cities across the region. It breaks down the average price per square meter in city centers, so you can see how cities stack up. It’s an easy way to spot where you might get the best value for your money. We hope you like it.
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