A week in Cape Verde costs roughly £600 to £1,400 per person from the UK, depending on how you book. Catch an all-inclusive package deal with Jet2 or easyJet Holidays and you can be on the beach in Sal for under £700pp all-in. Build your own trip with a scheduled flight and a self-catering apartment and budget around £900-£1,100 once food and activities are added. Go luxury and the ceiling is wherever you put it.
Cape Verde is one of the few long-haul destinations where a genuine budget holiday is possible. The islands are just under six hours from the UK, the weather is reliable year-round, and there is no need for the kind of complex logistics that drives up costs elsewhere. This guide covers what things actually cost in 2026 and how to keep the total down.
Cape Verde budget breakdown: what a week actually costs
The table below covers the main cost categories for a week’s holiday in Cape Verde, based on prices from UK departure points in 2026.
| Budget type | Flights (rtn) | Hotel/night | Food/day | 7-night total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget deal | from £250 | £30-55 | £15-25 | from £650pp Best value |
| Package (AI) | from £550pp | Included | Included | from £550pp Good value |
| Mid-range | from £350 | £80-130 | £35-55 | from £1,000pp Mid-range |
| Comfortable | from £450 | £130-210 | £50-80 | from £1,350pp Higher end |
Which island is cheapest for UK travellers?
Sal is the best island for budget travellers from the UK. It has the most direct flight options, the widest choice of all-inclusive resorts, and the highest competition between operators, which keeps prices down. The main resort, Santa Maria, is compact enough that you can walk everywhere, cutting transport costs to near zero.
Boa Vista is the second-most accessible island for UK visitors. It has a similar terrain to Sal (flat, sandy, excellent beaches) but fewer tourists and slightly higher prices due to fewer flights. It works well if you want a quieter trip and are prepared to pay a small premium.
If you are travelling on a genuine shoestring, consider Santo Antão or Fogo. These islands have almost no resort infrastructure, which means basic guesthouses for £15-25 per night and meals for £4-7. The catch is getting there: both require a connecting flight or ferry from Sal or Santiago, which adds cost and time. For most UK travellers on a budget, Sal gives the best value.
The wreck on Pedra Lume beach is one of those Cape Verde details that you do not see in the brochures. Sal is a flat, sun-bleached island built for beach holidays rather than sightseeing, and that suits most UK visitors perfectly. Santa Maria, the main resort town, is compact and walkable. You can do the whole thing on foot, which matters when you are watching costs.
Flights from the UK: what to expect in 2026
Several airlines fly direct from the UK to Cape Verde. The journey takes around five to six hours depending on your departure airport.
TUI operates charter flights to Sal and Boa Vista from a wide range of UK airports including Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, and East Midlands. TUI is often the cheapest option when booked as part of a package, as the charter seat cost is bundled into the total holiday price.
easyJet Holidays flies to Sal from Gatwick, Bristol, and Manchester. Return prices start around £250-350 in the off-peak period and rise to £400-600 in peak months. easyJet Holidays is a good option if you want flights and accommodation in one booking without using a traditional package operator.
Jet2 Holidays flies to Sal from Manchester, Leeds Bradford, East Midlands, Edinburgh, and other regional airports. Their packages are competitive and worth checking alongside standalone booking. For the latest Cape Verde package deals, see the Flight Tribe deals board.
Connecting flights via Lisbon with TAP Air Portugal are available from regional UK airports without direct Cape Verde services, typically £50-100 cheaper than direct but adding four or more hours to your journey. For tips on timing your purchase, see the cheapest day to book flights and when flights are cheapest by month.
Where to stay in Cape Verde on a budget
Cape Verde’s accommodation market is dominated by all-inclusive resorts in Sal and Boa Vista, but there are cheaper options if you look beyond the main hotel strips.
Affordable: Self-catering apartments in Santa Maria start from around £35-55 per night. Studios are basic but functional: air conditioning, a small kitchen, and usually within walking distance of the beach. At this price you are self-catering for breakfast and buying lunch and dinner locally, which keeps total daily spend well under £50 per person.
Mid-range: Morabeza Hotel, Sal is a family-run hotel on Santa Maria beach with a pool and direct beach access. One of the most consistently well-reviewed hotels on the island, with regulars who return year after year. At £80-130 per night (room-only) it is the most obvious mid-range choice in Sal.
High end: Meliá Tortuga Beach, Sal is a five-star all-inclusive on one of Sal’s best beaches. All food, drinks and most activities are included. The effective cost per day, accounting for meals and drinks, is around £150-200pp per night in shoulder season, which compares favourably with a non-inclusive mid-range hotel once you add food costs.
For most visitors, all-inclusive makes the budget more predictable. The alternative, room-only combined with eating locally, works out cheaper if you are disciplined about where you eat. Sal’s supermarkets carry the basics at reasonable prices. A week’s self-catering grocery shop for two people runs roughly £80-100. That is a realistic option if you are staying seven nights or more.
Best months to visit Cape Verde on a budget
Cape Verde has two seasons: a dry season from November to July and a wetter season from August to October. The wetter months bring the cheapest prices, and the rain mainly affects the northern islands rather than Sal or Boa Vista.
| Month | Weather on Sal | Price level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-Mar | Dry, 23-26°C | Peak Most expensive | Book 4+ months ahead or pay premium |
| Apr-May | Warm, 25-27°C | Shoulder Mid-price | Good balance of weather and value |
| Jun | Hot, 26-28°C | Shoulder Mid-price | Prices easing. Still good weather on Sal |
| Jul-Sep | Humid, 27-30°C | Cheapest Save 25-35% | Lowest prices of the year. Rain mainly misses Sal |
| Oct-Nov | Drying out, 26-28°C | Good value Low season | Best-kept secret. Excellent value, good weather |
| December | Dry, 23-25°C | Peak Most expensive | Christmas and New Year push prices up sharply |
Food and drink costs in Cape Verde
Food in Cape Verde is cheap by European standards if you eat where locals eat. The key dish is cachupa, a slow-cooked stew of maize, beans and fish or meat that costs £4-7 in a local restaurant. Grilled fish is everywhere and excellent: a full plate in a non-touristy spot costs £6-10.
The gap between tourist and local restaurants is significant. In Santa Maria’s main beachfront strip, a main course costs £10-18 and a beer £3-4. Walk five minutes back from the waterfront and the same meal costs roughly half as much. Local eateries (esplanadas) serve simple, filling meals for £4-8.
The fishing boats that work the waters around Sal land their catch each morning. By lunchtime it is on the table. Fresh fish served grilled with rice and salad is the default meal in the local restaurants back from the main strip, and it rarely costs more than £8-10. It is some of the best-value food you will find at that price anywhere in the Atlantic.
The local spirit is grogue, Cape Verde’s sugar cane rum. A glass costs £1-2 in a local bar. A Strela beer costs around £1.50-2 in a local shop and £3-4 in a tourist bar. Imported alcohol and cocktails in hotel bars are substantially more expensive.
If you are on a tight budget, buy breakfast supplies from a supermarket and eat your main meal at a local restaurant at lunch. That will comfortably keep daily food spend under £20 per person.
Three restaurants worth seeking out
Budget: Restaurante Kriola in Santa Maria, Sal, serves the dishes Cape Verde actually eats: cachupa stew, grilled fish, fresh seafood by weight. Mains £8-12. Busy at lunch, quieter in the evenings.
Mid-range: Chez Pastis, a French-influenced restaurant in Santa Maria, has built a loyal following over many years. Good for grilled fish, seafood pasta, and Creole dishes. Mains £15-22. Better at dinner than lunch.
Worth the splurge: The dining room at Hotel Morabeza is one of Sal’s longest-established restaurants. Beachfront setting, reliably good seafood, and a menu that handles both local and international dishes well. Around £30-45 per head.
Getting around Cape Verde
On Sal and Boa Vista, most resorts are within walking distance of the beach and Santa Maria town. When you do need to move, the options are clear.
Aluguers (shared minibuses) are the cheapest option at £0.50-2 per journey. They run fixed routes and leave when full. Slow but very cheap. Taxis are widely available in Santa Maria: a short town journey costs £3-5 and airport transfers cost £8-15. Always agree the price before you get in. Car hire starts from around £25-40 per day on Sal, useful if you want to explore beyond the resort. Inter-island flights with Binter Canarias and TACV connect the main islands for £30-80 one way; ferries are cheaper but take significantly longer.
Mindelo on São Vicente is the cultural capital of Cape Verde. It has a music scene built around morna, a melancholic style associated with Cesária Évora, a proper old town, and a harbour lined with fishing boats and inter-island ferries. Getting there from Sal means a 30-minute flight or a longer ferry via Santiago. If your schedule allows one night away from the resort, this is the island to spend it on.
8 tips to cut the cost of your Cape Verde holiday
Book a package rather than separate flights and hotel. For Sal and Boa Vista, Jet2 Holidays and easyJet Holidays packages are almost always cheaper than booking your own flight and accommodation separately. The operators buy charter seats in bulk and pass some of the saving on. Compare the package price against a DIY build before you commit.
Travel in October and November. These two months offer the best combination of value and weather on Sal. The rains have largely passed, prices are well below peak, and the beaches are quiet. It is the most underrated window in Cape Verde’s calendar. See our month-by-month flight price guide for the full picture.
Go all-inclusive if you drink regularly. The maths on all-inclusive works in your favour if you drink more than two or three drinks a day. Alcohol is the biggest variable in a Cape Verde daily budget. If you barely drink, self-catering and eating locally will likely cost less overall.
Eat away from the waterfront. Santa Maria’s beachfront restaurants charge tourist prices. Walk one or two streets back and prices drop by roughly half. The food is usually better too, because local restaurants compete on quality rather than location.
Book your flight 10-14 weeks ahead for off-peak, 4-6 months ahead for peak. Cape Verde is popular with UK holidaymakers and peak inventory sells out early. For our full breakdown, see the cheapest day to book flights.
Use aluguers for short hops. Sharing a minibus costs a fraction of a taxi. It requires patience, but on a budget it adds up: two or three shared journeys a day for a week saves £30-50 compared to taxis.
Check your carry-on allowance before you fly. easyJet, TUI and Jet2 all have specific bag size and weight rules. A bag fee at the airport is an avoidable cost. See hand luggage sizes for all UK airlines before you pack.
Use a travel money card. The Cape Verdean escudo is pegged to the euro. Most tourist areas accept euros at a fair rate, and ATMs are widely available. A fee-free travel card (Wise, Starling or similar) is the cheapest way to spend. Avoid airport currency exchange desks in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cape Verde a good budget holiday destination from the UK?
Yes. Cape Verde is one of the better-value long-haul destinations for UK travellers. A week all-inclusive in Sal can cost under £700 per person when booked through a package operator. Flights take around six hours and no visa is required for UK passport holders.
Which Cape Verde island is cheapest for UK visitors?
Sal is the cheapest island to reach from the UK because it has the most direct flights and the highest competition among tour operators. Boa Vista is a close second. For pure value, Sal all-inclusive packages are hard to beat.
When is the cheapest time to fly to Cape Verde from the UK?
July to September is the cheapest period, with prices typically 25-35% lower than peak. October and November offer a better balance of price and weather: costs are still well below peak and the chance of rain on Sal is low.
How much spending money do you need for a week in Cape Verde?
On an all-inclusive package, £200-300 spending money covers excursions, occasional meals out, and local transport for a week. If you are room-only or self-catering, budget around £400-500 per person per week for food, drink, activities and transport.
Do you need to book all-inclusive for Cape Verde?
No, but all-inclusive packages are often the cheapest option for Sal and Boa Vista once flights are factored in. If you want to explore local culture and visit multiple islands, room-only or self-catering gives more flexibility.
Do UK visitors need a visa for Cape Verde?
No. UK passport holders do not need a visa for stays of up to 30 days. You must pay the EASE tourist entry fee of around €26 online at ease.gov.cv before travel. A valid return ticket and proof of accommodation are also required at entry.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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