The best eSIM for Cape Verde
A country on an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean. Here is the plan we would pick today, the live pricing for every plan we track, and the practical things to know before you fly.
The lowest price-per-gigabyte we currently track for Cape Verde. A solid fit for most one-to-two-week trips with maps, messaging, and the occasional photo upload.
| Provider | Data | Days | Price | $/GB | Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nomad | 10GB | 30 | $45.00 | $4.50 | Get → |
| Nomad | 5GB | 30 | $29.00 | $5.80 | Get → |
| Nomad | 3GB | 30 | $21.00 | $7.00 | Get → |
 Saily | 5GB | 30 | $42.99 | $8.60 | Get → |
| Saily | 3GB | 30 | $28.99 | $9.66 | Get → |
| Saily | 1GB | 7 | $9.99 | $9.99 | Get → |
 GoMoWorld | 2GB | 30 | $19.99 | $9.99 | Get → |
| GoMoWorld | 3GB | 30 | $29.99 | $10.00 | Get → |
 GigSky | 5GB | 30 | $49.99 | $10.00 | Get → |
| GoMoWorld | 1GB | 30 | $10.99 | $10.99 | Get → |
| GigSky | 3GB | 15 | $34.99 | $11.66 | Get → |
| GigSky | 1GB | 15 | $13.99 | $13.99 | Get → |
| Nomad | 1GB | 7 | $15.00 | $15.00 | Get → |
 Roamless | 1GB | PAYG | $19.45 | $19.45 | Get → |
 Virgin Connect | 5GB | 30 | $123.00 | $24.60 | Get → |
Prices are live and may change. Google Fi is excluded from the value ranking because it is a full phone plan rather than a travel data plan.
Praia (Santiago)
- Arriving
- Nelson Mandela International (RAI) on Santiago is close to Praia; transfers are by taxi or aluguer (shared minibus). The airport has 4G from CV Movel and Unitel T+. Praia is the capital, on the main island of Santiago. Cape Verde is increasingly well covered by Africa regional eSIM plans.
- On the subway and rail
- Praia moves by aluguer shared minibuses and taxis; the Plateau historic centre is walkable. There is no metro. Coverage holds across the capital and the main island roads. Inter-island flights and ferries connect to Sal, Boa Vista and São Vicente.
- Free public WiFi
- Hotels, the cafes and the Plateau restaurants provide WiFi. RAI airport has terminal WiFi. Connectivity is reliable in the capital.
- Coverage in the city
- CV Movel and Unitel T+ both run 4G across Praia, the Plateau and the main island of Santiago, with CV Movel the wider. The mountainous interior around Serra Malagueta thins; the smaller islands have 4G in their main towns. Data is useful for checking inter-island schedules.
- If you prefer a local SIM
- CV Movel and Unitel T+ sell SIMs at RAI and in Praia, with CV Movel the wider. Cape Verde is covered by some Africa regional eSIM plans; a local SIM works across the archipelago.
Santa Maria (Sal)
- Arriving
- AmÃlcar Cabral International (SID) on Sal is close to Santa Maria; transfers are by taxi or shuttle. The resort town has 4G from CV Movel and Unitel T+. Santa Maria, with its long white-sand beach, is Cape Verde's main package-tourism hub. Have data ready for the watersports and excursion bookings.
- On the subway and rail
- Santa Maria moves by aluguers, taxis and resort shuttles; the beach town is walkable. There is no metro. Coverage holds across the resort strip and the island. The catamaran and fishing-trip boats stay connected close to shore.
- Free public WiFi
- The resorts, the beach bars and the cafes provide WiFi across Santa Maria. SID airport has terminal WiFi. Connectivity is reliable across the resort town.
- Coverage in the city
- CV Movel and Unitel T+ cover Santa Maria, the resort strip and the Sal interior. The watersports beaches and the Pedra de Lume salt crater are covered; the boat trips hold signal close to shore. Boa Vista, the other resort island, has similar coverage in its main town.
- If you prefer a local SIM
- CV Movel and Unitel T+ sell SIMs at SID and in Santa Maria. A Cape Verde or Africa regional eSIM works for the resort islands; resort WiFi covers a good deal of a beach stay.
Grab an eSIM before you arrive in Cape Verde to skip local SIM queues. Most urban areas offer 4G or better, while rural regions can slow down, so keep offline maps handy. Activating the eSIM in advance ensures you are connected the moment you clear customs.
Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) is a volcanic archipelago off West Africa with decent connectivity on its main islands. CV Movel and Unitel T+ provide 4G coverage on Santiago (Praia), Sal, Boa Vista, and Sao Vicente (Mindelo). The tourist-focused islands of Sal and Boa Vista have reliable coverage in resort areas and main towns.
Smaller, less-visited islands like Santo Antao, Fogo, and Brava have more basic coverage concentrated in their main settlements. Santo Antao's spectacular hiking trails through deep ribeiras (valleys) can lose coverage in remote areas. Inter-island flights and ferries are the main transport, so having data for schedule checking is useful. Cape Verde is increasingly well-covered by Africa regional eSIM plans.
- Sal and Boa Vista resort areas have reliable coverage for tourists
- Santiago (Praia) and Sao Vicente (Mindelo) have good coverage in town
- Download offline maps for hiking on Santo Antao or Fogo
- CV Movel has the wider network across the archipelago
- Data is useful for checking inter-island ferry and flight schedules
Average Data Cost
~$8-$14/GB
Network Quality
4G on main tourist islands. 3G on smaller islands. Limited on remote hiking trails.
eSIM Availability
eSIM supported by some regional Africa plans.
Major Carriers
Recommended Providers for Cape Verde
Plans for Cape Verde
From $15.00
Plans for Cape Verde
From $9.99
Plans for Cape Verde
From $10.00
Pay-as-you-go: $10.00/GB
Plans for Cape Verde
From $3.99
Plans for Cape Verde
From $10.49
Plans for Cape Verde
From $19.45
Pay-as-you-go: $19.45/GB
Plans for Cape Verde
From $27.00
- 1
Buy and install at home on WiFi.
Installation is not the same as activation. You can install the Cape Verde eSIM days ahead and only switch it on after you land, which avoids burning days of validity in transit.
- 2
Screenshot your current APN before you swap.
If you ever need to switch back to your home line quickly, that screenshot saves a support call from a foreign airport.
- 3
Decide on your dual-SIM strategy.
Keep your home line on for SMS-based bank logins, two-factor codes, and emergency calls. Set the travel eSIM as the data line only. Most modern phones can do both simultaneously.
- 4
Disable iMessage on the travel eSIM line.
Otherwise iMessage will try to re-activate against the new line on arrival and you will spend the first ten minutes troubleshooting it instead of finding the taxi rank.
- 5
Download offline maps for Cape Verde.
Google Maps and Apple Maps both support offline regions. Pull them down on home WiFi so a flaky activation never leaves you without a route from the airport. Our offline maps guide walks through it step by step.
- 6
Activate at the airport, not before.
Once the validity timer starts it does not pause. A 15-day plan you turn on the morning of departure burns a full day of validity before you even land.
We are building this section from real, verified traveler submissions rather than stock testimonials, so it stays empty until we have notes we can stand behind. If you have used an eSIM in Cape Verde recently, a one-paragraph note on what worked (and what did not) helps the next traveler.
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Pricing on this page is pulled live from our database and refreshed every four hours. Coverage notes are sourced from carrier roaming agreements and updated when carriers change partners. Provider rankings are determined by price-per-gigabyte and plan flexibility, not by who pays the largest commission.