We're thinking about moving to boa vista.

Try www.numbeo.com for living costs.

Thank you for the information.  Where could I read about taxes, pensions charged on the islands.

Hello Katrina,

I did not see your post until today. You mentioned moving to Boavista. It's the absloute worst choice you could make for an island to relocate to in Cape Verde. Boavista has one of the smallest local populations (besides Brava). Since the local population is poor and small (just 5.000 people) the government has invested almost nothing in infrasturcture on this island. There are few public services. No hospital (except a basic public health center). Few schools. Do not move to Boavista with children...you'd be making a huge mstake. That's the best adbice I can offer you.

If you are relocating to Cape Verde with children, you should consider Sal or Santiago. Sal is where most tourists visit ad most expats reside. It has a highly evolved infrastructure. Most of the services you will need as an expat, you will find there. Satiago is the capital island where half the country's population lives. It has the most capital investments and public services. There are also a large number of private businesses and services available. This is where you will find private schools. It is where the seat of goverment is located. The United Nations, EU Commission and all Emabssies are based here. There are hundreds of Eurpoean and American expats here (but there is not as many tourists as Sal).

Anyway, I have answered your original questions below:

How it looks with taxes on revenues from European countries. You do not pay personal income taxes on income you earn from clients outside of Cape Verde. You pay taxes only on income you earn from work you do for clients located inside Cape Verde, or if you are an employee of a company in Cape Verde.

You should research whether you need to pay income taxes to Poland on income you earn outside of Poland (I don't know the income tax rules in Poland).

And certainly, if you create a business in Cape Verde, you will have to pay Cape Verde taxes of 25-35% on profits of the business.

As with health insurance and the availability of doctors. There is no private health insurance in Cape Verde. If you want private health insurance, you will have to look into health insurance from some international company.

There is a public social insurance program called INPS in Cape Verde. You can only obtain this if you are employed by a business in Cape Verde. It provides basic health insurance such as reduced payemts: to see a doctor, for services at the public hospitals and for precriptions at the pharmacies. The benefits are low and the coverage is very basic.

We are curious how much money do we need for basic live for 5 people? Like food made at home, an apartment rent, other basic needs. For a couple with 3 children, the basic cost of living will be about €1.200, which will cover rent, food, transport, education, etc. In Boavista and Sal it will be more expensive because the cost of apartments are higher than in the other islands.

We would like to have an apartment of about 100 m², minimum 2 bedrooms, preferably 3. How much would such an apartment cost to rent, and how much to buy. Where is the best place to look. In Santiago, an unfurnished 3 bedroom apartment of this size would be around €350 per month. In Sal or Boavista, it will cost at least €500. If you want a furnished apartment, you should increase the rent by €150 per month. If you want an idea of what you can rent, you should visit the website of IMOR which has been in the apartment rental business for decades.

We also thing about sell our house to buy something ther. At this time, new construction real estate in Cape Verde is likely to be around the same price or slightly cheaper than the equivalent house/apartment in Europe. To get an idea of what apartments cost to purchase, check the website of Porta Aberto.

And the last question is, about the school for children and kindergartens. I know there is an international school. What language do children learn in? What are the workings hours? How much it cost? Private schools and international schools are only in Praia, Santiago. The classes are taught in Portuguese. The international schools are taught in French. There are no schools which teach in English. The cost of a private international school is €80 per month. Kindergarden will be less.

Best reagrds,

Angelo

KatrinaP wrote:

Hi,

We come to boa vista for a month's vacation to see if we could live here.
We have a small, steady incomes.  I work remotely, So I would like to continue my work.  My husband we will see or if is some opurnoti to do something.

How it looks with taxes on revenues from European countries.  As with health insurance and the availability of doctors.

We are curious how much money do we need for basic live for 5 people? Like food made at home, an apartment rent, other basic needs.

We would like to have an apartment of about 100 m², minimum 2 bedrooms, preferably 3. How much would such an apartment cost to rent, and how much to buy. Where is the best place to look. We also thing about sell our house to buy something ther.

And the last question is, about the school for children and kindergartens. I know there is an international school. What language do children learn in? What are the workings hours? How much it cost?

Thank you in advance for answering even single questions.

Hi Angelo,

Thanks a lot for the advice.  We're on boa vista right now.  I really like that it's a small community.  We are considering home schooling for children.  So far I like it very much.  From my information it appears that, however, it is possible to transfer your pension and pay less tax here than in eu.  But I'm at the information gathering stage.

Hi Katrina,

You're on Boavista right now, but have you visited any other islands? Your situation reminds me of what I did when I first came to Cape Verde. I visited only São Vicente and decided to live there and start my business there without visiting any other island until 1 year after I already relocated. Then I realized I made a mistake, because I found that one of the other islands I visited was perfect for my personal situation and objectives. It took me another year to organize everything and move from São Vicente to Santiago. My point is that you may come to regret making this decision if you do not look at/research any other islands to understand which one is the best fit for you and your family. But I do wish you luck with whatever decision you make.

As far as your pension, as I stated in the previous post, you do NOT need to pay any taxes on the pension you transfer from Poland as this is not income that you earned in Cape Verde. But you will need to show that you have this pension when you are applying for your residency visas. However, you need to confirm with your Polish financial advisors whether you will still need to pay taxes in Poland.

If you need to speak to me in more detail, please send me a private message. There is no need to request contact. Just send your message.

Best regards,

Angelo

KatrinaP wrote:

Hi Angelo,

Thanks a lot for the advice.  We're on boa vista right now.  I really like that it's a small community.  We are considering home schooling for children.  So far I like it very much.  From my information it appears that, however, it is possible to transfer your pension and pay less tax here than in eu.  But I'm at the information gathering stage.