Cape Verde for Digital Nomads

• An easy nomad programme. The Remote Working Programme asks for an average bank balance of €1,500 over the last six months, gives six months and can be renewed once.
• European hours. The islands are on UTC-1 all year, so a UK or Portuguese working day fits easily.
• Winter sun. Days are in the mid to high 20s °C through the European winter, with almost no rain from November to July.
• Wind and water. Sal and Boa Vista are among the world’s best kitesurfing and windsurfing spots, with diving, surfing and long sandy beaches.
• Calm and stable. Cape Verde is one of Africa’s most stable democracies and generally safe for foreigners.

Cape Verde suits nomads on European hours who want a winter or half-year base by the sea, kitesurfers and divers, hikers (on Santo Antão and Fogo), and anyone who likes small places with a strong music culture. Portuguese speakers settle in fastest.

It suits you less if you want a big city, a large nomad community or good specialist healthcare nearby. The resort islands of Sal and Boa Vista are flat and arid, island hopping takes planning, and US west coast or Asian hours are hard. The programme lasts at most 12 months, so it is a long stay rather than a route to settling.

• Santa Maria: the beach town at the southern tip of Sal, with the most nomads, kitesurf schools, restaurants and international flights. It is touristy and the most expensive base.
• Mindelo: the cultural capital on São Vicente, a colourful port town with live music, a lively waterfront and a ferry to the mountains of Santo Antão.
• Praia: the capital on Santiago, with the government, the main hospital, the most services and real city life.
• Sal Rei: the small main town of Boa Vista, with empty dune beaches and a quieter scene than Sal.
• Santo Antão: green mountains and valleys for hikers, with very basic infrastructure.

Our where to base yourself in Cape Verde page compares them in more detail.

• Visa-free entry: citizens of the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Brazil, Switzerland, Norway and a few other countries can stay 30 days without a visa. ECOWAS citizens get 90 days.
• Visa before travel: since 1 January 2026, citizens of 96 countries that used to get a visa on arrival must get a visa before they travel.
• EASE and the airport fee: every visitor pre-registers on the government’s EASE platform at least five days before arriving and pays the airport security fee (TSA) of 3,400 escudos. Since 1 July 2026, anyone who arrives without pre-registering pays double at the border.
• Remote Working Programme: for remote workers from Europe, North America and the Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) and West African (ECOWAS) countries, with an average bank balance of €1,500 over six months (€2,700 for a family). It lasts six months, can be renewed once for six more, and holders are exempt from Cape Verdean income tax.

Our visas, taxes and money page explains the programme and the process step by step.

A comfortable month for one person costs about €1,300 to €1,800 in Santa Maria, €1,100 to €1,500 in Praia and €1,000 to €1,400 in Mindelo. A lean budget is about €800 to €1,000, easiest in Mindelo or Santo Antão. A furnished one-bedroom apartment on a monthly rate costs roughly €400 to €800, more for sea views in Santa Maria, and a local set lunch (prato do dia) is cheap. These are ballpark figures.

Costs that catch people out: groceries, which are mostly imported and cost as much as in Portugal or more, especially on Sal and Boa Vista; inter-island flights; electricity and water, both expensive because they come from fuel and desalination; and health insurance with evacuation cover, which the programme requires.

Cape Verde is on UTC-1 all year, with no daylight saving. It is one hour behind the UK and Portugal in winter and two hours behind in summer. 9am in New York is 1pm or 2pm in Cape Verde, so the US East Coast afternoon overlaps with your evening. Asian hours are very hard.

July is a calm, warm transition month. Sal and Boa Vista get very little rain at any time; Santiago, Fogo and Santo Antão turn green after the rains.

Home and apartment broadband in the main towns is generally fine for video calls, though fibre is less widespread and less reliable than in Europe. For mobile, CV Movel and Unitel T+ sell prepaid SIMs registered with your passport, with 4G in the towns and good coverage across the islands. Power cuts happen on some islands, so a mobile data plan as backup is worth having. Check the connection before you sign a monthly rental.

Each island is small, and you get around by taxi, on foot or in aluguers, the shared minibuses and pick-ups that run between towns and leave when full. Ride-hailing apps play little part. Between islands, there are domestic flights between the main airports and ferries, such as the hour-long crossing from Mindelo to Santo Antão. Schedules change and delays are common, so leave slack in your plans. Sal, Boa Vista, Santiago (Praia) and São Vicente (Mindelo) have international airports, with the most flights to Europe from Sal.

The main hospitals are in Praia and Mindelo. Sal and Boa Vista have health centres and private clinics for everyday problems, but serious cases are flown to Praia or abroad, often to Portugal or the Canary Islands. Get nomad health insurance with evacuation and repatriation cover, which the Remote Working Programme requires. The World Health Organization certified Cape Verde malaria-free in 2024, but use repellent in the rainy season. Drink bottled or filtered water. The emergency numbers are 132 for police, 130 for an ambulance and 131 for the fire service.

Cape Verde is generally safe. The main risks are petty theft and occasional muggings, especially in Praia at night and on quiet beaches. Keep valuables out of sight, don’t leave things on the sand, and use taxis after dark. Strong currents make some beaches dangerous for swimming.

• The Remote Working Programme doesn’t allow local work. Your income must come from employers or clients outside Cape Verde.
• Drugs carry heavy prison sentences.
• Carry ID. Keep your passport or a copy with you, along with your programme approval if you have one.
• Protected wildlife: sea turtles nest on Sal and Boa Vista from June to October; don’t disturb nests or hatchlings, and follow local guidance on beaches at night.