The municipal market is the commercial heart of the old city and a good place to get a sense of daily life in Benguela. The covered market sells fresh produce, fish, and household goods; the surrounding streets have informal vendors selling everything from phone credit to used clothing. The fishing section is best visited in the early morning when the catch comes in from the coast.
Prices are low by any standard, and the market is lively and generally friendly toward visitors who show genuine interest rather than just treating it as a photographic attraction. Some Portuguese is useful; not everyone speaks it, but it's the common language of commerce.