Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sal and Praia

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.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Praia
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Praia Living Index

Jump to prices

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$850

/mo nomad

Praia

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sal and in Praia

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

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

Sal $850
Praia $1,198

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

Sal $1,313
Praia $1,796

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

Sal $1,777
Praia $2,394

Living in Sal costs roughly 29% less than in Praia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.51 CVE 540

$5.12 CVE 502

7.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.18 CVE 4,332

$35.67 CVE 3,497

23.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 CVE 1,081

$7.10 CVE 696

55.35%

Cappuccino

$2.32 CVE 227

$2.68 CVE 262

-13.43%

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

$2.54 CVE 249

$1.60 CVE 157

58.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 CVE 107

$1.14 CVE 111

-4.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 CVE 452

$2.60 CVE 255

77.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 CVE 301

$1.90 CVE 187

61.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 CVE 155

$1.38 CVE 135

14.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 CVE 223

$2.12 CVE 208

7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 CVE 118

$3.47 CVE 340

-65.42%

Eggs

$2.79 CVE 273

$2.26 CVE 222

23.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 CVE 886

$25.64 CVE 2,514

-64.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.51 CVE 736

$4.48 CVE 440

67.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 CVE 1,568

$16.66 CVE 1,634

-4.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CVE 310

$5.18 CVE 507

-39.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 CVE 245

$3.05 CVE 299

-18.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 CVE 326

$4.16 CVE 408

-19.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 CVE 391

$4.36 CVE 428

-8.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CVE 161

$1.51 CVE 148

8.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 CVE 182

$1.39 CVE 136

33.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 CVE 152

$1.00 CVE 97.6

55.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CVE 108

$1.48 CVE 145

-25.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 CVE 448

$5.28 CVE 518

-13.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 CVE 628

$8.03 CVE 787

-20.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.03 CVE 395

$1.84 CVE 180

119.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CVE 184

$1.71 CVE 168

9.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 CVE 96.6

$0.75 CVE 73.5

32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.59 CVE 2,901

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 CVE 204

$1.73 CVE 170

20.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 CVE 302

$1.26 CVE 123

144.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.65 CVE 1,240

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CVE 135

$1.52 CVE 150

-9.21%

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)

$60.8 CVE 5,964

$180 CVE 17.6K

-66.20%

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

$18.33 CVE 1,797

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.23 CVE 4,827

$50.9 CVE 4,987

-3.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.47 CVE 2,694

$31.33 CVE 3,072

-12.32%

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)

$115 CVE 11.2K

$129 CVE 12.6K

-10.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,128 CVE 306.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.09 CVE 2,950

$62.4 CVE 6,121

-51.80%

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

$144 CVE 14.1K

$91.3 CVE 8,949

57.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 CVE 24.7K

$571 CVE 55.9K

-55.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 CVE 16.5K

$286 CVE 28.1K

-41.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 CVE 30.1K

$905 CVE 88.7K

-66.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 CVE 20.2K

$479 CVE 47.0K

-56.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$654 CVE 64.1K

$1,350 CVE 132.3K

-51.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$331 CVE 32.5K

$985 CVE 96.6K

-66.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 CVE 25.2K

$308 CVE 30.2K

-16.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

-34.38%

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

Last update for Sal: October 10, 2026

Last update for Praia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sal

$296 34.8%

Praia

$348 29% 17.5% $52

Accommodation & Living

Sal

$168 19.8%

Praia

$286 23.9% 70.6% $119

Eating Out

Sal

$149 17.5%

Praia

$122 10.2% 17.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sal

$110 * 13%

Praia

$249 20.8% 126% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Sal

$78 * 9.2%

Praia

$110 9.2% 40.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sal

$27 * 3.2%

Praia

$42 3.5% 53.9% $15

Getting Around

Sal

$21 * 2.5%

Praia

$41 3.4% 89.4% $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 $252 in Sal and $571 in Praia. 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: $44.00 in Sal vs $36.00 in Praia. Groceries flip the comparison at $296 vs $348, with Sal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Sal

🇨🇻 Praia

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

Same time as Sal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,288

127,832 Capital

💱 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

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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

Sal vs Praia: 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.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Praia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

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

Childcare runs $115 in Sal versus $129 in Praia. 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, Sal and Praia 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.