Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Praia and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $850 a month against $1,198 in Praia, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Praia
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Praia Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Praia

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,198

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Praia and in Sal

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Praia and in Sal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,198 in Praia versus $850 in Sal.

Praia $1,198
Sal $850

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Praia versus $1,313 in Sal.

Praia $1,796
Sal $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,394 in Praia versus $1,777 in Sal.

Praia $2,394
Sal $1,777

Living in Praia is roughly 41% more expensive than in Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Praia 11% lower, Sal 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 CVE 502

$5.51 CVE 540

-7.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.67 CVE 3,497

$44.18 CVE 4,332

-19.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 CVE 696

$11.03 CVE 1,081

-35.63%

Cappuccino

$2.68 CVE 262

$2.32 CVE 227

15.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CVE 157

$2.54 CVE 249

-37.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 CVE 111

$1.09 CVE 107

4.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 CVE 255

$4.61 CVE 452

-43.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 CVE 187

$3.07 CVE 301

-38.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 CVE 135

$1.58 CVE 155

-12.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 CVE 208

$2.27 CVE 223

-6.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 CVE 340

$1.20 CVE 118

189.17%

Eggs

$2.26 CVE 222

$2.79 CVE 273

-19.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.64 CVE 2,514

$9.03 CVE 886

183.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 CVE 440

$7.51 CVE 736

-40.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.66 CVE 1,634

$15.99 CVE 1,568

4.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 CVE 507

$3.16 CVE 310

63.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 CVE 299

$2.49 CVE 245

22.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 CVE 408

$3.33 CVE 326

24.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 CVE 428

$3.98 CVE 391

9.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 CVE 148

$1.64 CVE 161

-7.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 CVE 136

$1.85 CVE 182

-24.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 CVE 97.6

$1.55 CVE 152

-35.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CVE 145

$1.10 CVE 108

34.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.28 CVE 518

$4.57 CVE 448

15.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 CVE 787

$6.40 CVE 628

25.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 CVE 180

$4.03 CVE 395

-54.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 CVE 168

$1.88 CVE 184

-9.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 CVE 73.5

$0.99 CVE 96.6

-24.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.59 CVE 2,901

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 CVE 170

$2.08 CVE 204

-16.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CVE 123

$3.08 CVE 302

-59.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.65 CVE 1,240

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 CVE 150

$1.38 CVE 135

10.14%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.9K CVE 2.8M

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.0K CVE 3.7M

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$180 CVE 17.6K

$60.8 CVE 5,964

195.87%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.33 CVE 1,797

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CVE 4,987

$49.23 CVE 4,827

3.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 CVE 3,072

$27.47 CVE 2,694

14.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.05 CVE 985

Cinema Ticket

$5.47 CVE 537

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$129 CVE 12.6K

$115 CVE 11.2K

12.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,128 CVE 306.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 CVE 6,121

$30.09 CVE 2,950

107.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.54 CVE 2,505

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.6 CVE 6,335

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 CVE 8,949

$144 CVE 14.1K

-36.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 CVE 55.9K

$252 CVE 24.7K

126.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 CVE 28.1K

$168 CVE 16.5K

70.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 CVE 88.7K

$307 CVE 30.1K

194.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 CVE 47.0K

$206 CVE 20.2K

132.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,350 CVE 132.3K

$654 CVE 64.1K

106.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$985 CVE 96.6K

$331 CVE 32.5K

197.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$308 CVE 30.2K

$257 CVE 25.2K

19.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

52.38%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Praia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Praia

$348 29%

Sal

$296 34.8% 14.9% $52

Accommodation & Living

Praia

$286 23.9%

Sal

$168 19.8% 41.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Praia

$249 20.8%

Sal

$110 * 13% 55.8% $139

Eating Out

Praia

$122 10.2%

Sal

$149 17.5% 21.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Praia

$110 9.2%

Sal

$78 * 9.2% 28.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Praia

$42 3.5%

Sal

$27 * 3.2% 35% $15

Getting Around

Praia

$41 3.4%

Sal

$21 * 2.5% 47.2% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $571 in Praia and $252 in Sal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Praia pays 20% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36.00 in Praia vs $44.00 in Sal. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $296, with Sal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Praia

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

Same time as Praia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,832 Capital

1,288

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Praia Sal 210 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Praia vs Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sal wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Praia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Praia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $571 in Praia versus $252 in Sal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $129 in Praia versus $115 in Sal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sal – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $36.00 in Praia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $850 in Sal versus $1,198 in Praia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sal but tight or insufficient in Praia. The gap between the two cities makes Sal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Praia and Sal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Praia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.