Rent a flat or a house in the Cape Verde

Finding a place to live is a priority when settling in the Cape Verde. Your experience will be of a great help for the members who want to settle in the Cape Verde.

Therefore, we have prepared some questions for you:

Which kinds of accommodation are available in the Cape Verde?

Is it hard to find a flat or a house for rent in the Cape Verde?

How to find a home in the Cape Verde: classifieds, real estate portals, real estate agencies?

How much is the rental for a house, an apartment?

What are the formalities or the required documents for renting an accommodation?

Which advice would you give?

Thanks in advance for participating!

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I want to rent a single room with a family in Sal city. How much to pay monthly ? I am coming by end of April 2022.
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I want to live in Sal. Thanks.
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@Francis Gbenga Folake
Please could you send to me the contact address of the house to rent and how much to pay monthly. Thanks.
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I want to rent a single room with a family in Sal city. How much to pay monthly ? I am coming by end of April 2022.
- @Francis Gbenga Folake
Hi Francis,

It's quite shocking that you are planning to move with less than one month of notice or planning.

Sal is not a city. It is an island. There are two main towns in Sal where good apartments are available. The first is Santa Maria which is where the majority of tourists visit because it is full of hotels. The other town is Espargos, the capita of Sal island. It is where the local workers of the tourism industry live.

Since Sal is Cape Verde's major tourism center, it is the most expensive place you can live in Cape Verde. It is 50% higher that the capital island of Santiago. The reason the property rental prices are so high is because the island is very small, it is always crowded with tourists and workers, and the supply of apartments for rent is not plentiful. It may be virtually impossible to find an apartment on such notice, if at all.

But is it also the best place to get a job if you are English speaking because most of the tourists speak English and the hotels, restaurants and tourist agencies all want workers who can speak English.

When you can even find a rental availablility, an apartment would probably will cost around $400-600 per month in Santa Maria, and $300-450 per month in Espargos depending on the number of rooms.

There are not many families in Sal, and fewer who have a side room with separate entrance. If you can find a family willing to rent a single room in a apartment, it will probably be at least half of these amounts because they are always thinking about charging tourist prices.

The other option is to share an apartment with other workers because that is the only way they can afford the rents.

Good luck with your move!

Regards,

Angelo
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Thank you very much Sir. I am very grateful for your advice and information. I am not actually Keen or focus to settled down in Sal Island per se. The nature of my profession involves travelling round all Islands in Cape Verde as a Marketing Consultant on property investment and selling houses and apartments to clients.
Please Sir, what is the best Island to get an affordable accommodation with limited budget to rent first. In the near future, I am planning to buy a house to live with my family. In the month of April, I am coming alone to look for any of the Islands to settled down. Also I own 2 bedrooms house in Abuja the Capital of Nigeria to sell. I will use the proceed to buy a house in Cape Verde. This could happen between now and 2023 as I am planning it. I am looking to get T3 bedrooms burgallow or apartment for Euro 30,000. The location may not necessarily at central city but an interior part of a capital city but also secured environment. Please what advise could you give me concern any Island to move to based on my explanation above. Once again, thank you Sir.
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Thank you very much Sir. I am very grateful for your advice and information. I am not actually Keen or focus to settled down in Sal Island per se. The nature of my profession involves travelling round all Islands in Cape Verde as a Marketing Consultant on property investment and selling houses and apartments to clients.
Please Sir, what is the best Island to get an affordable accommodation with limited budget to rent first. In the near future, I am planning to buy a house to live with my family. In the month of April, I am coming alone to look for any of the Islands to settled down. Also I own 2 bedrooms house in Abuja the Capital of Nigeria to sell. I will use the proceed to buy a house in Cape Verde. This could happen between now and 2023 as I am planning it. I am looking to get T3 bedrooms burgallow or apartment for Euro 30,000. The location may not necessarily at central city but an interior part of a capital city but also secured environment. Please what advise could you give me concern any Island to move to based on my explanation above. Once again, thank you Sir.
- @Francis Gbenga Folake
Hi Francis,

Since you indicate you are willing to consider any island to visit for a short period, then I suggest you completely ignore Sal for now. The island that you will probably be best for you to start from is Santiago. Because it is the largest island with half of the entire population of the country, you will find dozens of apartments available within your budget.

Check on these two websites: IMOR and Porta-Aberta. These are the two most reliable local agencies for finding rentals as well as property sales on every island in Cape Verde (EXCEPT Sal, where you will have to deal with exclusive property managers who only lease apartments owned by foreigner at very expesive prices).

On those websites, you should look for rentals in Palmarejo, Palmarejo Baixo, Achada Santo Antonio, Terra Branca, Achadinha, and Vila Nova.

I am not sure for how much you can sell your house in Nigeria, but real estate in Cape Verde is not cheap for Africa, although it is still much cheaper than American and European prices.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Regards,

Angelo
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Good morning Sir and thanks. I have briefly check these websites. I will focus on those cities you had mentioned. The 2 bedrooms in Nigeria can be sold for ten million naira ( local currency in Nigeria) about Euro 15,000. It cannot buy 2 bedrooms in any Cape  Verde Island. We are living a free life in Nigeria and Africa !  I could work for what I could afford. Many thanks Sir.
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Good morning Sir and thanks. I have briefly check these websites. I will focus on those cities you had mentioned. The 2 bedrooms in Nigeria can be sold for ten million naira ( local currency in Nigeria) about Euro 15,000. It cannot buy 2 bedrooms in any Cape  Verde Island. We are living a free life in Nigeria and Africa !  I could work for what I could afford. Many thanks Sir.
- @Francis Gbenga Folake
Ok. If you need any further help, I am available to assist.

Regarding the cost of apartments or houses here in Cape Verde, €15.000 will only buy some land. It is not sufficient to buy a house here.

Best of luck,

Angelo
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@CVAngelo Hello please can you check your private message

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Sir, is this your private message box. Let me know to discuss further with you.. Thanks.

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Sir, is this your private message box. Let me know to discuss further with you.. Thanks.

- @Francis Gbenga Folake

You are on the public forum!
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Hi to everyone my name is David in the UK. I'm thinking of coming to Cape Verde {Praia }to be exact towards the end of this year when i retire. with the hope of staying permanently , I've found this site very useful and informative but would greatly appreciate any help or tips that you may feel useful to thanks Dave
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Hi to everyone my name is David in the UK. I'm thinking of coming to Cape Verde {Praia }to be exact towards the end of this year when i retire. with the hope of staying permanently , I've found this site very useful and informative but would greatly appreciate any help or tips that you may feel useful to thanks Dave
- @fixupropertyrepairs

Hi David,

That's a pretty broad request for help! Please be more specific about the areas in which we can be of assistance. Personally, I can think of a thousand and one tips, but I have no idea where to start of what would actually be helpful.

Please note there are hundreds of expats from all over the world who now call Praia home. So there are lots of people who can share there experiences, but, only a minority of them may follow the CV forum.

Cheers,

Angelo
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You may let me know if you are interested to buy property for residential purpose or commercial building. Thanks.
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@CVAngelo  Good morning sir it is a pleasure to be in contact with you  as for over a year now I've been reading your answers to all the questions that people put to you , the information I've been able to gather has been of great help and I must thank you and the other people who have taken the time and & trouble to help people such as myself with a dream of coming to Cape Verde , from what I gathered from this information as a English person with a pension I should be able to live a comfortable life in the almost year long sun ,although this is my retirement plan I'm still very fit & active so would most probably do some work within the property repair sector as this is where I prefer to work although I've experience in all sorts of other divers fields for an example I can repair pianos !! The way of life there is most appealing to me especially as the UK is now becoming ridiculously expensive and its one time crowning glory the NHS is being eroded away .my plan is to come there around October on a holiday & hopefully be able { with the knowledge provided by people like yourself } to set my self up with a affordable rented property & register a business , I'm currently learning Portuguese although just about get by in French & have a small vocabulary in Mandarin as I spent a few years working within the Chinese community here in Manchester & Warrington , I would be grateful if you can spot any flaws in my hopes & aspirations , kindest regards David

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Hi David,

Happy that you appreciate all the information provide by myself and other contributors to the CV forum here on Expat. You've come to the right place as I have helped quite a few retirees (singles and couples) to relocate to Cape Verde. My comments and observations are indicated below:

From what I gathered from this information as a English person with a pension I should be able to live a comfortable life in the almost year long sun...
Yes indeed. With a foreign pension, you should be able to live more than comfortably in Cape Verde. With a pension as a base of your retirement income, you will also easily obtain a residency visa.

...although this is my retirement plan I'm still very fit & active,,,
One thing you will need to consider is that the healthcare system in Cape Verde does not extend beyond the basics and is nothing like the NHS system in the UK even at its worst. Now, while you can certainly enroll in the local national health insurance program, the coverage is also quite basic with the biggest benefit being discounts on prhamaceutical prescriptions. So, you should either keep your NHS coverage active or obtain private health insurance designed for Expats in case coverage does not extend outside of the UK. You may need this facility in case you wish to seek medical attention back in the UK or if you may need prescription drugs. Without such insurance, you may suffer significant expenses in case of any health issues.

...so would most probably do some work within the property repair sector as this is where I prefer to work although I've experience in all sorts of other diverse fields: for an example I can repair pianos !!...
This is a really good business idea as there are always local and expat customers who need renovation and repair work done on their residences. The local providers leave a lot to be desired in terms of work ethic, customer service and meeting their commitments. This way, you will stay active and make a pretty good income on the side.

my plan is to come there around October on a holiday & hopefully be able { with the knowledge provided by people like yourself } to set my self up with a affordable rented property & register a business
That's exactly what you should do. Come for an extended visit. However, you will need to decide on which island you would make your home. For you, I would recommend either Sal (lots of propert owners and managers serving expats there) or Santiago (the largest island with the majority of the local population including hundreds of expats). The question is whether you want a turistic lifestyle or whether you would rather be immersed in the Cape Verdean culture. However, Sal is also extremely expensive (double the cost of living of all the other islands) because there is a heavy presence of European holiday makers (mostly from the UK) and those who own second homes in Sal. I just looked at your first post and realized that you already indicated that Praia is where you plan to live ... and I am in full agreement that, based on your background and your desired lifestyle, the island of Santiago is where you will fit right in.

And while you are here, do yourself a big favor and register a TAX-FREE business. You will not need any special license to offer home renovations and repairs.

I'm currently learning Portuguese although just about get by in French & have a small vocabulary in Mandarin as I spent a few years working within the Chinese community here in Manchester & Warrington
Those language skills will come in extremely handy as English is not widely spoken and Portuguese is the official language. French is also widely spoken by many expats from Europe as well as from the French-speaking West African countries. Your Mandarin skills will serve you well to drum up jobs and projects from the local Chinese business community.

David, I hope this is helpful. I think you will be able to adapt very quickly to life in Cape Verde. If you need more specific information or advice, feel free to send me a private message.

Cheers,

Angelo
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Hello sir & once again thank you for your help & it will be my pleasure to buy you a drink or two {maybe more} once I arrive in Praia , the information you have provided is most encouraging and confirms what I had concluded from over a year of research and I'm looking forward to my visit { hopefully indefinite } it is going to be October at the earliest before I can look to go as I'm trying to track down a couple of old pensions to go alongside my government one which starts in September, it is clearly not cost effective to bring my motor cycle or car however I do have a large amount of tools & equipment which could be boxed & shipped over , is this viable or is there a plentiful supply of such items in Praia to purchase ? cheers David
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