How much does healthcare cost in Cape Verde in 2026?

Hospital Dr. Agostinho Neto in Praia is the country’s main public reference hospital for complex emergencies and many specialist referrals. Hospital Dr. Baptista de Sousa in Mindelo plays a similar northern role for São Vicente and nearby islands. Regional hospitals such as Hospital Regional Ramiro Figueira on Sal, facilities on Fogo, and smaller posts elsewhere cover general medicine with thinner specialist depth.

Legal residents who contribute through the Instituto Nacional de Previdência Social (INPS) may access public pathways once enrolment and contributions match their status. Remote-worker stays and short permits do not automatically equal full local social-security cover: Apply for a residence permit. Public care can keep fees lower for eligible users, yet waits, pharmacy gaps, and limited equipment push many newcomers toward private rooms.

Private clinics concentrate in Praia, Mindelo, and Sal. Names such as Clínica Santa Maria, Clínica de Praia, and Cardiomed-style polyclinics appear often in expat planning notes. Routine private GP visits commonly land in a planning band of roughly €20–50 without insurance, with labs and imaging adding more. Still cheaper than many Western European cash visits, but cash hospital days without cover can erase a careful month: Monthly budget.

Most long-stay households keep international private health insurance that explicitly covers Cabo Verde and medical evacuation, often toward Lisbon under familiar Lusophone referral habits. Published expat planning bands often put solid cover around €100–200 per month depending on age, deductible, and evacuation limits. Align the policy with your real island, not a hotel clinic week.

Praia offers the densest clinic map and Agostinho Neto access: Praia cost of living. Mindelo works for northern-island life when Baptista de Sousa and private Mindelo clinics fit your risk tolerance. Sal and Boa Vista lean on regional hospitals plus private tourist-facing clinics, then flights to Praia or abroad when cases escalate: Where to live.

Model taxi or car time on fever nights, not only sunny aluguer days: Utilities, internet, and transport. Bring a multi-month supply of chronic medicines when possible; farmácia stock varies by island. National import pricing already lifts many medicines and devices: How expensive is Cape Verde.