São Vicente island Costs: Prices & Budget Guide

São Vicente Cost & Budget Guide: Prices, Money & Daily Budgets

What things actually cost on São Vicente and in Mindelo, from street snacks and ferries to hotels and tours.

São Vicente sits in the middle of Cape Verde's price range. Local food, shared minibuses, and the ferry to Santo Antão are cheap. Imported goods, upscale restaurants, and private taxis cost closer to European prices. Mindelo's cafés and markets make it easy to eat and travel well on a modest budget, while its upmarket hotels and seafood restaurants can take a comfortable trip well beyond one.

At a Glance: Budget Summary

Currency: Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE), pegged to the Euro at €1 = 110.265 CVE. Roughly, 1,000 CVE is about €9.

Paying in Euros: Widely accepted, but often at a rounded rate of €1 = 100 CVE, which costs you around 10%.

Cash or Card: Cards at hotels, larger restaurants, and many shops in Mindelo. Cash for markets, street food, taxis, and alugueres.

Daily Budgets: Roughly €30–€50 on a tight budget, €60–€120 mid-range, and €150–€300+ for a comfortable trip, per person.

Section 1: Currency & Payments

How to avoid losing money on every transaction.

The Exchange Rate Trap. The Escudo has a fixed official rate of €1 = 110.265 CVE. But many cafés, shops, and taxi drivers accept Euros at a simpler rate of €1 = 100 CVE. It's convenient, but you effectively lose around 10% each time. Paying in Escudos gets you the true price.

Getting Escudos. ATMs are easy to find in Mindelo and give you Escudos at the official rate, minus any fees from your own bank and the local machine. Banks also exchange Euros, usually for a flat commission, which makes sense for larger amounts.

Cards. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at most hotels, larger restaurants, many shops, and petrol stations in Mindelo. Travel cards work well, but check your own card's foreign transaction fees before you travel.

Cash Only. Markets, street food stalls, taxis, alugueres, and many small shops and cafés take cash only. Keep small notes in your pocket.

Before You Fly. The mandatory Airport Security Tax, paid online during EASE pre-registration, costs 3,400 CVE, around €31. Our guide to Cape Verde entry requirements explains the process.

Section 2: Accommodation Costs

Where your budget varies most.

Hostel Dorm Beds: Around €15–€25 per night in central Mindelo.

Budget Rooms & Guesthouses: Around €35–€50 per night for a simple private room in a family-run pensão.

Mid-Range Hotels & Apartments: Around €60–€120 per night, in central Mindelo or around Laginha.

Upscale Hotels: Around €120–€250 or more per night, mostly on or near Laginha beach.

Carnival & Festivals. Prices rise sharply, and central Mindelo books out months ahead, around carnival in February or March, New Year, and the Baía das Gatas festival in August.

Our Where to Stay in São Vicente guide compares the areas.

Section 3: Food & Drink Prices

Eating like a local is the easiest saving on the island.

Street Food & Snacks

Churrasquinho (grilled meat skewer): Around 100 CVE, less than €1.

Pastel de milho: Small ones are reported from as little as 10–20 CVE.

Chicken sandwich or a piece of fruit: From around 50 CVE.

Local Meals

Cachupa: Around 250–350 CVE, roughly €2.30–€3.20. Cachupa refogada for breakfast will keep you going for hours.

Prato do dia with an espresso: Around 500 CVE, roughly €4.50. The dish of the day at local restaurants is one of the best-value meals in Mindelo.

Restaurants & Seafood

Fish plate, tuna, or fish soup: Around 450–1,200 CVE, roughly €4–€11, depending on the restaurant.

Tourist Restaurants. Expect around €10 for grouper, around €20 for octopus, and around €29 (3,200 CVE) for grilled lobster.

Italian Food. Mindelo has a strong Italian influence, and pasta and pizza restaurants offer good quality at moderate prices.

Drinks

Espresso or cappuccino: Around 100–200 CVE.

Local beer (Strela or Criola): Around 150–250 CVE, roughly €1.40–€2.30.

Grogue or ponche: Around 150–300 CVE a glass.

Bottled water (1.5 litres): Around 50–100 CVE.

Section 4: Transport Costs

Cheap alugueres, inexpensive taxis, and a modest ferry fare.

From the Airport

Taxi to central Mindelo: Around 1,000–2,000 CVE, roughly €9–€18.

Aluguer: Around 120 CVE, caught at the roundabout outside the terminal.

Around Mindelo

City taxi: Around 200 CVE for a short trip within town.

City bus pass: A monthly pass costs around 1,000 CVE, roughly €9, useful for long stays.

Around the Island

Aluguer to São Pedro, Baía das Gatas, Calhau, or Salamansa: Around 100–200 CVE each way.

Rentals

Scooter: Roughly €20–€35 per day.

Car: Roughly €50–€60 per day.

Ferry

Mindelo to Porto Novo, Santo Antão: Around 1,000–1,500 CVE each way, roughly €9–€14. Non-resident fares are higher than resident fares.

Our Getting Around São Vicente guide explains the options.

Section 5: Sightseeing, Tours & Connectivity

Museums are cheap; tours are where costs add up.

Museum Entry. CNAD, the national centre for crafts and design, costs roughly 500 CVE. The Torre de Belém and its Museum of the Sea cost roughly 300 CVE. Walking the historic centre and visiting the markets costs nothing.

Turtle Boat Trips at São Pedro. Around €15–€20 per person with a local fisherman. Choose an operator who doesn't feed or touch the turtles. See our guide to Swimming with Turtles at São Pedro.

Private Taxi Tour of the Island. Around €40–€80 per car for a half or full day, good value when shared.

Organised Group Tours. Around €35–€70 per person.

Local SIM Card. A prepaid SIM with a data bundle costs around €10, far cheaper than roaming.

Section 6: Sample Daily Budgets

Three realistic ways to travel, per person, excluding flights.

Budget: Around €30–€50 per Day (roughly 3,300–5,500 CVE). A hostel dorm or simple room, street snacks and cachupa, alugueres around the island, and free days at Laginha beach and exploring Mindelo on foot.

Mid-Range: Around €60–€120 per Day (roughly 6,600–13,200 CVE). A guesthouse or boutique hotel, sit-down seafood dinners, a scooter rental or occasional taxis, museum visits, and a turtle trip or island tour.

Comfort: Around €150–€300+ per Day. An upscale hotel at Laginha, lobster and grouper dinners, private taxi tours, and private boat trips.

Adding Santo Antão. The ferry adds only around €20–€30 return, but a driver or tour on the other side, plus accommodation, is where the cost of a Santo Antão extension lies.

Section 7: Money-Saving Tips

Five habits that make a real difference.

Pay in Escudos. Use ATMs or a bank rather than paying in Euros at the 100 CVE rate, and save around 10% on everything.

Use Alugueres. The airport aluguer and minibuses to the beaches cost a tenth of a taxi.

Eat the Prato do Dia. Local daily specials and cachupa give you excellent food for a few Euros. Save the lobster for one special night.

Share Tours. A private taxi tour or boat trip is far cheaper per person with three or four people.

Book the Ferry Directly. Buy Santo Antão ferry tickets at the terminal in Mindelo or through the operator's official website rather than through agencies adding a markup.

Continue Planning Your Trip

For where to base yourself, read Where to Stay in São Vicente. For transport in detail, see Getting Around São Vicente. And for your first visit, our First-Timer's Guide to São Vicente covers the essentials.