Top expat cities

Cabo Verde

Santa Maria

#3 Top 5 cities

The strongest beach tourism setup, suited to a more seasonal or leisure-oriented stay, and less to deeper local integration.

Country overview

Population

8 400

Year-round temperatures

Day: 24°C aĆŸ 30°C

Night: 21°C aĆŸ 25°C

Climate

Very warm and relatively dry coastal weather year-round, favorable for beach living.

Distance to the sea

0 km

Social atmosphere

7/10

Costs

Housing cost 4/10
Food cost 4/10

Business friendliness

4/10

Safety

7/10

Santa Maria is generally safe, but its busy tourism economy attracts pickpocketing, bag theft, burglary and occasional mugging, particularly around nightlife, beaches and poorly lit areas.

Natural disaster resilience

5/10

Sal is highly exposed to drought, water scarcity, extreme heat, coastal erosion and sand-laden winds; tropical storms and rare intense rain can disrupt flights, roads and utilities.

Other scores

Other scores

Internet availability 6/10
Internet speed 5/10
Internet stability 6/10
Electricity stability 7/10

Community types

  • Seasonal expats
  • Retirees
  • Couples
  • Digital nomads

Largest nationality groups

  • đŸ‡”đŸ‡čPortuguese
  • 🇼đŸ‡čItalians
  • đŸ‡©đŸ‡ȘGermans
  • 🇬🇧British
  • đŸ‡§đŸ‡·Brazilians

Pros / Cons

Pros

  • +Beaches and sea
  • +Tourist infrastructure
  • +Strong tourism economy
  • +International environment

Cons

  • −Higher prices
  • −Tourism seasonality
  • −Less authentic atmosphere
  • −Smaller job market