Cape Verde Currency & Money Guide: Exchange, Cards, and Tips

Cape Verde uses the Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE), pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of 1 EUR = 110.265 CVE, so most travellers bring euros and exchange locally for better value. Cards and ATMs work in main towns, tipping is 5–10%, and using the Hello app keeps your budget on track.

Prices in Cape Verde are moderate by island standards: a coffee is around 50–150 CVE, a casual meal 500–1,500 CVE, and a mid-range hotel 5,000–20,000 CVE per night, according to Travel Currency Guide (2025 data). A typical mid-range daily budget is about 7,000–10,000 CVE.

For smooth money management, exchange into escudos on arrival, carry some euros as backup, use ATMs from major banks, and avoid paying in foreign currency when prices are listed in CVE. The Hello app helps you track expenses in multiple currencies, split costs with friends, and automatically convert exchange rates so you always know what you’re really spending.

Cape Verde’s official currency is the Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE), pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of 1 EUR = 110.265 CVE, which makes prices predictable and easy to convert for travellers. The escudo is issued by the Bank of Cabo Verde and cannot be used outside the country.

Coins come in small denominations and banknotes commonly range from 200 to 5,000 CVE, with the 1,000 CVE note often nicknamed a “conto” locally. The euro peg is confirmed by the Cabo Verde Tourism Authority, which notes that a Currency Cooperation Agreement with Portugal established the fixed parity at 1 EUR = 110.265 CVE. That means 100 CVE is roughly 0.9 EUR, making quick mental math simple.

Here’s a handy comparison table to understand common costs:

Item (approx. 2025 prices)	CVE price range	Rough EUR equivalent
Local coffee	50–150 CVE	0.45–1.40 EUR
Casual restaurant meal	500–1,500 CVE	4.5–13.5 EUR
Mid-range hotel (per night)	5,000–20,000 CVE	45–180 EUR
Taxi ride in town	300–700 CVE	2.7–6.3 EUR

Because the escudo is not easily exchanged once you leave, Casa di CV and other local guides recommend spending or converting your remaining CVE before departure. The Hello app’s multi-currency tracking makes this easier — log purchases in CVE and view them instantly in your home currency without needing to do any mental conversions.

Travelling from Singapore, you can’t spend SGD directly in Cape Verde, so you’ll need to convert your money to euros or escudos; the Cape Verdean Escudo is fixed at 1 EUR = 110.265 CVE, making EUR a very practical intermediate currency for Singaporean travellers.

According to Exiap Singapore’s 2026 guide to Cape Verde, it’s generally cheaper to exchange Singapore Dollars to CVE or EUR before you travel, using a competitive Singapore money changer, then fine-tune once you arrive. Because CVE is a niche currency, many travellers from Asia simply bring euros, then change part of that to escudos in Cape Verde.

Typical options for getting CVE:

• Before your trip (in Singapore): Convert SGD → EUR at home where spreads are more competitive, then bring mainly small and mid-sized euro notes (5, 10, 20 EUR).
• On arrival in Cape Verde: Exchange euros to CVE at the airport, banks or official exchange offices. The Tourism Authority notes that airports, banks and street exchange offices all offer conversion at or near the official rate.
• ATMs in Cape Verde: Withdraw CVE or EUR using a Visa/Mastercard debit or credit card; bank guides report a small fee of a few euros per transaction.

To avoid surprise fees, decline any dynamic currency conversion (DCC) at ATMs or card terminals — Exiap specifically advises travellers to always choose to be charged in CVE rather than SGD when prompted. If you use the Hello app to track expenses, you can enter payments in SGD, EUR or CVE; Hello automatically applies live exchange rates, so your trip budget stays accurate even as you move between currencies.

Credit cards are widely accepted in Cape Verde’s main tourist islands (like Sal and Boa Vista), but cash in escudos still rules in villages, markets and taxi travel, so plan on a mix of card, cash and digital tools for your trip.

Local travel information sites note that Visa and Mastercard are the most reliable cards, especially in hotels, larger restaurants and car rental agencies. Smaller guesthouses and local eateries often prefer cash, and some will quote prices in euros but return change in escudos, occasionally at a less favourable rate (for example, 1 EUR = 100 CVE instead of the official 110.265 CVE).

ATMs from major banks such as BCA, Caixa Económica, Banco Interatlântico and BAI Cabo Verde are common in cities like Praia and on tourist islands. CapeVerdeIslands.org reports that bank cards with Visa, Maestro, Cirrus or Mastercard logos generally work, though each withdrawal includes a small fee — usually a few euros — deducted automatically per transaction.

Contactless payments (tap-to-pay) are appearing more frequently in urban areas and at international-chain hotels, but you should not rely on mobile wallets alone. Cape Verde does not widely use Chinese or Japanese-style payment apps such as WeChat Pay or PayPay, and global wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay may work only where terminals support them.

For daily money management, a practical system is: use cards and ATMs for big payments, keep 3,000–5,000 CVE in cash for taxis, cafés and markets, and track everything in the Hello app. With AI receipt scanning and bank-statement import, Hello can centralise your spending even if you’re paying by card in some places and cash in others.

Tipping in Cape Verde is appreciated but generally modest: plan on 5–10% at restaurants, small round-ups for taxis, and a few hundred escudos for exceptional service, which matches local advice from CapeVerdeIslands.org and other island travel guides.

In restaurants, especially on Sal and Boa Vista where tourism is the main industry, leaving 5–10% of the bill is considered polite if service was good. Some higher-end venues may add a service charge; in that case, locals often add a small extra tip only if the experience was excellent. For taxis, rounding up a fare (e.g., paying 500 CVE on a 450 CVE ride) is common, while hotel staff and tour guides might receive 200–500 CVE depending on the length of service and your budget.

To avoid money-related hassles, keep an eye out for these common pitfalls:

• Unfavourable euro pricing: Some shops and taxis quote in euros but use 1 EUR = 100 CVE rather than the official 110.265 rate, effectively charging around 10% more.
• Street currency exchange: Casa di CV and similar local resources advise against changing money on the street due to the risk of counterfeit notes or poor rates.
• Dynamic currency conversion at ATMs and card terminals: As Exiap highlights, always choose to be charged in CVE to avoid hidden markups.

Money-saving tips include eating where locals eat (500–800 CVE for a hearty plate of cachupa), using fixed-price aluguer shared taxis between villages, and paying in escudos wherever prices are posted in CVE. The Hello app can help here by letting you set a daily budget (say, 8,000 CVE), then watching your real-time spend so you don’t drift into holiday overspend territory.

The easiest way to stay on top of Cape Verde’s escudo prices and your home-currency budget is to combine local cash and cards with Hello’s eSIM connectivity and multi-currency expense tracking, so your phone becomes both wallet and travel command centre.

Cape Verde’s islands are spread out, and roaming from your home provider can get expensive quickly. Instead, travellers increasingly use Hello eSIM data plans to arrive connected: you can buy and activate an eSIM from Hello before your trip, then land with instant access to maps, banking apps and messaging without hunting for local SIM counters. Plans start around 5GB with live-updated pricing, and cover 200+ countries including Cape Verde.

Once you’re on the islands, the Hello app’s budget tools matter as much as the data. Multi-currency tracking automatically converts CVE transactions to your home currency using live exchange rates, while AI receipt scanning lets you simply snap a café bill or grocery receipt and have it logged and categorised for you. Voice expense entry is handy after a busy day of island-hopping when you just want to say “Taxi from Santa Maria to Espargos, 600 CVE” and be done.

If you’re travelling with friends, Hello’s expense splitting makes group budgets painless: each person can log expenses in their own currency, and the app handles automatic exchange-rate conversion so you can settle fairly at the end. Combined with trip planning and budget tracking, Hello turns the question “How much is that in my money?” into something you never have to worry about again. For connectivity, you can check Hello eSIM for Cape Verde while planning.

Most travellers want to know whether they should bring euros, how much cash they need, and what the tipping norms are in Cape Verde; the short answer is: bring euros as your main foreign currency, convert a portion into escudos on arrival, and tip 5–10% in restaurants when service is good.

Q: What is the official currency in Cape Verde?
A: The official currency is the Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE). The Banco de Cabo Verde oversees it, and the Tourism Authority notes a fixed exchange rate of 1 EUR = 110.265 CVE, making the euro the most practical currency to bring from abroad.

Q: Should I pay in euros or escudos?
A: You can often pay in euros in tourist hotspots like Sal and Boa Vista, but many businesses use a rounded rate of 1 EUR = 100 CVE, which is worse than the official rate. For best value, pay in escudos wherever prices are listed in CVE.

Q: Are ATMs and credit cards reliable?
A: Yes in towns and tourist areas, limited in remote villages. ATMs from banks such as BCA, Caixa Económica and BAI Cabo Verde are common in cities and at airports, and Visa/Mastercard cards are widely accepted in hotels and larger restaurants. Expect a small fee — typically a few euros — per withdrawal.

Q: What’s the normal tipping etiquette?
A: Local guides suggest tipping 5–10% in restaurants, rounding up taxi fares, and giving 200–500 CVE for hotel staff or guides if service was particularly good.

Q: How can I track my spending in CVE?
A: The Hello app lets you record expenses in CVE, automatically convert them to your home currency, and split costs with friends, so you always know what your Cape Verde trip is really costing in familiar money terms.