How much do utilities, internet, and transport cost in Cape Verde in 2026?

Electra is the main electricity and urban water company across most inhabited islands. Power and desalinated water are the swing lines. Air conditioning in Praia’s Achada Santo António or Palmarejo flats, Santa Maria tourist apartments, and poorly insulated west-facing rooms can rewrite the electricity line faster than a mild Mindelo week. Dry-season cistern top-ups and tanker deliveries sit outside a postcard “utilities” average when building storage is thin.

Ask the landlord for recent Electra statements for the exact unit, and confirm whether water is billed with Electra, a building cistern schedule, or private delivery. Transferring service can take multiple office visits and usually needs a signed lease, a NIF, and residence paperwork: How to rent a home.

Internet has improved with submarine cables to Europe. Fibre is strongest in Praia and Mindelo, with growing coverage on Sal and Boa Vista. Unitel T+ and CVTelecom (including CVMovel-style mobile plans) cover the everyday stack; many remote workers keep a fibre line plus a local SIM for OTP codes and failover. Santa Maria co-working desks help when a holiday flat’s Wi-Fi is tourist-grade. Plan broadband in a rough €40–60 band for solid urban packages, then rebuild from the provider quote rather than a holiday hotspot screenshot.

For a careful one-bedroom with moderate cooling, combined electricity, water, and internet often land near a planning band of about €100–220 per month, then climb when full-home AC runs all day or cistern trucks become routine. Convert every quote at the escudo peg (110.265 CVE = 1 EUR).

On Santiago and São Vicente, aluguers (shared minibuses) and hiaces cover daytime neighbourhood hops for cash fares far below private taxis. Uber-style apps appear more in Praia than on quieter islands. Evenings, luggage runs, and late Plateau or Mindelo music nights still push taxis.

Sal and Boa Vista are more car- or taxi-shaped for newcomers. Compact Santa Maria life can work without owning, yet airport runs, Espargos errands, and kite-beach days add up. Fuel, insurance, and spare parts are import products, so a small car is a mobility decision, not a cheap mainland habit.

Inter-island travel is a separate trip line: domestic flights through Cabo Verde Airlines or Bestfly, plus CV Interilhas ferries on routes such as São Vicente–Santo Antão or Santiago–Fogo. Do not bury those hops inside a Praia monthly budget: Where to live, Praia cost of living, and Monthly budget.