My last visit, pre-Covid, CK was packed. So much so that we decided not to stay overnight. I guess it is nearly 100% dependent on tourism. I definitely would not want to live there.
For Mekhong living I think I'd go back to Nakhon Phanom. It is a decent sized town with a small airport and plenty of food options. The view across to Laos is nice too. The river runs north-south here so you can watch the sunrise and the moonrise across the river.