Praia - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
We have a three-bedroom modern house with a swimming pool, car park, and large rooftop. Most diplomats live in either large houses or modern apartments near the ocean. Commute times average 10-15 minutes. Everything in Praia is within a 20 minute drive. - Feb 2024
Big, expensive house with a pool. Expat housing varies from big houses to modern apartments, all depending on how much your employer or you are willing to pay. Very short commute times because nearly every part of Praia is only 20 minutes away from every other part of Praia. There is almost no traffic. - Aug 2023
Housing is generally great. Most of the houses are old but some are new. All of the houses are large. Few if any of the houses have "yards." Most of the houses have rooftops and/or backyards with tile or cement flooring. The older houses often need maintenance. Most people are happy with their housing. - Jan 2023
Our house is HUGE! We have 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms over three floors. One bedroom is used as a guest room, and two others are used for storage: one is called Costco and stores our consumables, the other stores holiday decorations. Every home I've been in is spacious, with ample room for the occupants. We do not have a compound, but many of the homes are close in proximity to one another. Several homes have small pools, but no green space. I think there are only two homes with non-tiled outside areas. A typical morning or evening commute to the Embassy by car is 10-15 minutes, depending if you hit "rush hour". Some walk or ride a bike into work, but it is not common to do so. - Sep 2018
Our house is amazing: very modern, built directly on the ocean, with a garage, pool, and a finished basement. Housing in general here is quite good, with lots of space. Many homes have ocean views. Commute is a cinch -- about 5-8 minutes each way; many at post go home each day for lunch. Traffic is relatively light and roads in the city are good. - Dec 2017
Like others have said, the houses are large here, even for families with 2 or more children. They tend to have at least 3+ bedrooms and ample entertaining space. Our house, for example, is probably the most modest out of the housing pool and we have an office and 3 bedrooms. Houses tend to have a small backyard/front yard space and some have small pools. The housing pool is slowly being "updated" to include newer homes that also have very nice views of the ocean. That being said, many of the houses require continuous maintenance and that can get annoying after awhile. Many of the homes are in walking distance to small restaurants and other points of interest.
The commute times to the Embassy is about 10 minutes no matter where you are. Many people really enjoy being able to drive back home to eat lunch with family. - Oct 2016
The housing is AWESOME!! There are 8-9 houses and 1 apartment. The houses are huge and a couple have swimming pools. They are massively large and built like fortresses. We don't really use the 3rd floor. Very little green space. They are spread out all over Praia. The longest commute by car is 10 mins to the Embassy. There is no traffic here. - May 2014
The U.S. Embassy housing pool is evolving,---moving toward supplying larger houses with outdoor space. One even has a small pool. Nothing in Praia is very far from the main downtown area. Commutes average 10 minutes, more or less. - Feb 2011
The Embassy has palatial houses all within a ten minute drive of the Embassy. Everything in Praia is basically within 20 minutes of everything else. The houses are way, way too big. Most do not have yards. They are made of tile and concrete block and leak in the rainy season. - Sep 2012
You are 10 minutes from everywhere in Praia. Most folks are pleased enough with their homes. All have pros and cons. Most are poorly built. Homes tend to be fairly large and do not have yards. - May 2012
The ambassador's residence is about 10-15 minutes away from the embassy. Most other embassy personnel, as well as other foreign government representative, live in the upscale Prainha section. The president of Cape Verde also lives in this neighborhood. From Prainha to the center of town- where the embassy is located- is about 5 minutes driving. - Sep 2009
Housing is spacious and usually very nice. Yards are uncommon in Praia so don't expect a place for your dog to romp. - Feb 2008
