Digital Nomad Cheap Hot Winter Cape Verde 2024!
January 17, 2024

Are you a traveler, retired or a Schengen Shuffle digital nomad looking for a cheap, exotic, tropical winter just 3 or 4 hours from Europe? Then perhaps Cabo Verde, a low budget yachting, hiking & wind surfing haven, is for you! Called ‘Europe’s Caribbean’ by The Telegraph, Cape Verde is unique. I've written about the, best warm winter destinations & sunny winter tips if you are in Europe. As pioneer digital nomads, van lifers and worldschoolers, we always skip the cold, unless it is just a quick stop to ski for a weekend.
Surprisingly, Cabo Verde is a little known travel destination with no mass tourism so mostly unspoiled and authentic. Plus 9 hours of sunshine per day, stunning landscapes, and average temps of 75-85 degrees year round, makes it an ideal winter getaway.

We really enjoyed this New Years Eve, with 70's F ( 20's C) temps in Portimao, Portugal & our all day beach hike on one of Europe's most beautiful beaches - Praia Da Rocha. But the Algarve did have some colder, rainy days and Lisbon & Sintra had very cold mornings in the forties!
Day temperatures are in the low 80's since we arrived in Cabo Verde! Many are swimming in the sea in January! That is my idea of winter as I hate cold. I grew up in Michigan and lived in NYC, Pa and Boston when young, so no more cold winters for me.
We have just arrived in Praia, the largest city in Cabo Verde, so will be writing more about our experiences. It is the capitol, has 160,000 residents and is located on the southern coast of Santiago Island. Cape Verde is a safe destination, with generally low crime rates.The motto of Cape Verde is "No Stress". Morna is the most popular genre of Cape Verdean music and Cesaria Evora became a grammy-winning international superstar singing it.
Praia is tropical but arid (no winter rain) and seldom gets too hot or too cold, due to its seaside location. Temperatures are always warm, often breezy with an average high temperature of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low temperature of 22 °C (72 °F). Santiago island has many swimming beaches; a diverse landscape; excellent music and nightlife, hiking, shopping and dining. Unesco history and culture is in the old capital Cidade Velha, the first European colonial town to be built in the tropics.

Lonely Planet claimed that " Beaches and islands of Cape Verde in top-10 best of the world". But the islands of Sal and Boavista are more oriented towards tourists and have wonderful white beaches and bright blue sea.
Cabo Verde is an archipelago of 10 diverse islands off the western most point of continental Africa, 311 miles (500km) west of Senegal. It is part of the Macaronesia region along with the Azores, Canary Islands & Madeira. We took a 4 hour budget flight on TAP Air Portugal from Lisbon. It’s a 6 hour flight from London, Paris, or Amsterdam, and 7½ hours from east coast USA. For Europeans, it is the closest flight to tropical winter weather!

The first budget place we stayed in Praia was a new, fully equipped, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. With its closeness to Europe, tropical winter weather, diverse landscapes, reliable internet, and low cost of living, Cabo Verde offers an ideal setting for travelers, retirees, digital nomads and remote workers. Africa is a very expensive destination, but, luckily Cape Verde has many modern, budget options.
Now we are in a comfortable, low budget, fully equipped studio apartment with a terrace, air conditioning, washing machine, TV, internet and more. It is a close walk to grocery stores, restaurants, beaches etc. The owner is very helpful and lives next door with his wife. We will be here until April. We may do some island hopping and day trips. There are some interesting museums and Unesco site nearby.
Our kind, very helpful host was born in Cabo Verde, but went to school in the USA and owns businesses there and here. We have not needed the air conditioning. The apartment is clean, cute, very comfortable and well maintained with a sweet energy.

Next door to this apartment is the best bakery in all of Cabo Verde! The fresh bread baking smells waft up to us and are intoxicating. My father was a baker, so it brings back happy memories of visiting the bread factories he managed.

Sadly, due to our longevity, healthy eating protocol and my weight loss journey, we do not eat many carbs! But of course, we had to at least try a bit on our first day. The chocolate cake was divine, but the cheese cake was the best either one of us has ever tasted in our lives!

If I can reach my goal weight I am aiming for by the time we leave, I have promised myself one more piece on our last day!

Like our digital nomad, long stay experiences in Bulgaria, Albania and Cyprus, we are off the beaten path & learning as we go. Sometimes it does feel like we are on another planet, but that is part of the fun too.
“But that's the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned. I don't want to know what people are talking about. I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.” - Bill Bryson

We are not in a tourist focused place as we are not tourists. We decided to base in Praia because it is the biggest city on the biggest island in Cape Verde. We almost never need a doctor or hospital, but at our age, glad to be close to the best in CV if needed . One of the hardest things about Carpe Verde is gathering information before coming. The person who helped us the most was Angelo ( who moved here from Boston and has a consulting business specializing in Expat Relocation and Investment ). He is an American ( who is originally from the Caribbean) who has lived here 16 years. He is really a super helpful and friendly person. We will be writing more about our experiences here to help others. What would you like to know?
Are you a traveler, retired or a Schengen Shuffle digital nomad looking for a cheap, exotic, tropical winter just 3 or 4 hours from Europe? Then perhaps Cabo Verde, a low budget yachting, hiking & wind surfing haven, is for you! Called ‘Europe’s Caribbean’ by The Telegraph, Cape Verde is unique. I've written about the, best warm winter destinations & sunny winter tips if you are in Europe. As pioneer digital nomads, van lifers and worldschoolers, we always skip the cold, unless it is just a quick stop to ski for a weekend.
Surprisingly, Cabo Verde is a little known travel destination with no mass tourism so mostly unspoiled and authentic. Plus 9 hours of sunshine per day, stunning landscapes, and average temps of 75-85 degrees year round, makes it an ideal winter getaway.
We really enjoyed this New Years Eve, with 70's F ( 20's C) temps in Portimao, Portugal & our all day beach hike on one of Europe's most beautiful beaches - Praia Da Rocha. But the Algarve did have some colder, rainy days and Lisbon & Sintra had very cold mornings in the forties!
Day temperatures are in the low 80's since we arrived in Cabo Verde! Many are swimming in the sea in January! That is my idea of winter as I hate cold. I grew up in Michigan and lived in NYC, Pa and Boston when young, so no more cold winters for me.
We have just arrived in Praia, the largest city in Cabo Verde, so will be writing more about our experiences. It is the capitol, has 160,000 residents and is located on the southern coast of Santiago Island. Cape Verde is a safe destination, with generally low crime rates.The motto of Cape Verde is "No Stress". Morna is the most popular genre of Cape Verdean music and Cesaria Evora became a grammy-winning international superstar singing it.
Praia is tropical but arid (no winter rain) and seldom gets too hot or too cold, due to its seaside location. Temperatures are always warm, often breezy with an average high temperature of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low temperature of 22 °C (72 °F). Santiago island has many swimming beaches; a diverse landscape; excellent music and nightlife, hiking, shopping and dining. Unesco history and culture is in the old capital Cidade Velha, the first European colonial town to be built in the tropics.
Lonely Planet claimed that " Beaches and islands of Cape Verde in top-10 best of the world". But the islands of Sal and Boavista are more oriented towards tourists and have wonderful white beaches and bright blue sea.
Cabo Verde is an archipelago of 10 diverse islands off the western most point of continental Africa, 311 miles (500km) west of Senegal. It is part of the Macaronesia region along with the Azores, Canary Islands & Madeira. We took a 4 hour budget flight on TAP Air Portugal from Lisbon. It’s a 6 hour flight from London, Paris, or Amsterdam, and 7½ hours from east coast USA. For Europeans, it is the closest flight to tropical winter weather!
The first budget place we stayed in Praia was a new, fully equipped, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. With its closeness to Europe, tropical winter weather, diverse landscapes, reliable internet, and low cost of living, Cabo Verde offers an ideal setting for travelers, retirees, digital nomads and remote workers. Africa is a very expensive destination, but, luckily Cape Verde has many modern, budget options.
Now we are in a comfortable, low budget, fully equipped studio apartment with a terrace, air conditioning, washing machine, TV, internet and more. It is a close walk to grocery stores, restaurants, beaches etc. The owner is very helpful and lives next door with his wife. We will be here until April. We may do some island hopping and day trips. There are some interesting museums and Unesco site nearby.
Our kind, very helpful host was born in Cabo Verde, but went to school in the USA and owns businesses there and here. We have not needed the air conditioning. The apartment is clean, cute, very comfortable and well maintained with a sweet energy.
Next door to this apartment is the best bakery in all of Cabo Verde! The fresh bread baking smells waft up to us and are intoxicating. My father was a baker, so it brings back happy memories of visiting the bread factories he managed.
Sadly, due to our longevity, healthy eating protocol and my weight loss journey, we do not eat many carbs! But of course, we had to at least try a bit on our first day. The chocolate cake was divine, but the cheese cake was the best either one of us has ever tasted in our lives!
If I can reach my goal weight I am aiming for by the time we leave, I have promised myself one more piece on our last day!
Like our digital nomad, long stay experiences in Bulgaria, Albania and Cyprus, we are off the beaten path & learning as we go. Sometimes it does feel like we are on another planet, but that is part of the fun too.
“But that's the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned. I don't want to know what people are talking about. I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.” - Bill Bryson
We are not in a tourist focused place as we are not tourists. We decided to base in Praia because it is the biggest city on the biggest island in Cape Verde. We almost never need a doctor or hospital, but at our age, glad to be close to the best in CV if needed . One of the hardest things about Carpe Verde is gathering information before coming. The person who helped us the most was Angelo ( who moved here from Boston and has a consulting business specializing in Expat Relocation and Investment ). He is an American ( who is originally from the Caribbean) who has lived here 16 years. He is really a super helpful and friendly person. We will be writing more about our experiences here to help others. What would you like to know?
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I hope to visit Cape Verde someday. Its good to know that the temperature is always pleasant there.
Posted by: Gabby Leopard | January 17, 2024 at 10:28 AM
I didn't realize Cabo Verde was such a quick flight from Spain, good to know! This guide makes me want to plan a visit in the next few years.
Posted by: Lindsey | January 17, 2024 at 11:32 AM
Smart Gabby! For us ,the perfect winter temperature and low costs makes it ideal. I do not like cold and we have a bunch of work to do, so easier to do at the beach. The people are very sweet here too and I love the music.
Posted by: Jeanne Dee | January 17, 2024 at 12:57 PM
Yep, Lindsey, that short flight from Lisbon, good internet & tropical winter weather was what convinced us. Even the Canary Islands and Madeira nearby are not as warm and have more spring like temps and rain. If you like to hike, I hear it is spectacular on some of the islands!
Posted by: jeanne dee | January 17, 2024 at 01:08 PM
Sounds like a great destination to visit someday!
Posted by: Valeriya | January 18, 2024 at 12:35 AM
I went to Sal years ago but would to explore more islands! Thanks for the inspiration!
Posted by: Marga | January 18, 2024 at 04:41 AM
Thanks Valeriya! I think it is an ideal winter getaway destination for Europeans!
Posted by: jeanne dee | January 18, 2024 at 05:11 AM
So cool Marga! I've heard great things about Sal! So many interesting and very different islands here. I like that aspect - the diversity, as each island seems unique.
Posted by: jeanne dee | January 18, 2024 at 05:16 AM
This is a place I would love to explore. Congrats on your health journey.
Posted by: Jolayne | January 18, 2024 at 09:56 AM
I’d love to visit Cape Verde. I love that it’s unspoiled and has great weather. I too grew up in NYC and I prefer warmer climates as opposed to cold.
Posted by: Lenore | January 19, 2024 at 10:22 AM
Thanks so much Jolayne for your kind words about my health journey. My life is MUCH easier now that I am so much lighter! CV is a great winter get away for peeps in Europe!
Posted by: Jeanne Dee | January 19, 2024 at 03:14 PM
Thanks Lenore! It is a fascinating place that most miss. So hard to find a tropical location like this in winter near Europe and at low cost to boot! Yep, some of us raised in the cold decide warm winter is a better way to go. :)
Posted by: jeanne dee | January 19, 2024 at 03:18 PM