Kep Crab Market Prices: How Crab Is Priced in 2026

Crab at the market is sold by weight, usually priced per kilogram and weighed on the stall's own scale in front of you. You are generally choosing between live crab (kept in baskets or ice boxes) and crab that a nearby restaurant will cook for you. Live, unprocessed crab costs less than a plated dish, because the cooking, sides and service are added on top.

Two things move the price most: size and species. Larger crabs and the prized blue swimmer crab (sometimes called Kep crab) tend to cost more per kilogram than smaller or commoner kinds. Prices also shift with the season and with how good the catch has been that week.

Rather than a fixed menu, think of it as two steps: the crab itself (weighed and priced by the kg) plus a cooking and service charge if you eat at one of the market restaurants. A sensible approach is to agree the total — crab weight, price, and cooking fee — before it goes on the grill, and to confirm whether pepper sauce, sides and rice are included.

If you only want to take crab home, buy it live and have it cleaned; you then skip the restaurant markup entirely. Many travellers compare the per-kg rate at two or three stalls before deciding.

Bargaining is normal at the stall level, especially if you are buying several crabs. Cash is the easiest way to pay and is expected at most stalls. Check the reading on the scale yourself, and don't be shy about asking the price for "one crab, cooked" all-in so there are no surprises.

Crab prices at Kep change week to week with the catch, fuel costs and demand, and we are not the market operator. Publishing a single "today's price" would quickly go out of date and mislead you. Treat the notes above as a pricing model, then confirm the actual rate with the stall when you arrive. A photo of the market's real price board, with the date, is far more useful than any number we could print here.